No Hands Craddle... Does the pain stop?

MilienElayne started this discussion · 8/13/2010

I'm in the highest level static class at the studio I go to. We get to make requests for new moves we want to learn (surprisingly, I am the only one with a giant list?! go figure). One of the requests was kneehold. We've learnt it, but the instructor said it never stops hurting to do it and that it is then obviously bad for you and of course the move was optional... So, I was wondering... No hands craddle (tuck version) hurts like HELL. (It still burns after 20 minutes of rest). Just got it today. Is it bad for me? (Also, am I doing it right? Sorry I didn't hold it longer to show better). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK8qpeAeBkY

13 replies

Leeannpole · 8/13/2010
This is just me but the knee hold does not hurt me at all anymore but iv been doing it a few years now,i have no pain are marks nothing.As for the cradle no hands that does not hurt me anymore either but did to start i dont know wheather doing it long term can damage you but personally if you keep doing the move in a safe way ie: just do it once everytime you practise your body will get used to the move i think its a bit like breaking in a new pair of shoes 😀
chemgoddess1 · 8/13/2010
I cannot attest for the no hands cradle but I no longer have pain from a knee hold (unless my sweaty knee slips on the pole).
amy · 8/13/2010
the knee hold pain absolutely stopped for me. the open knee hold (without hooked feet) stopped hurting me after the fourth or fifth time, as opposed to the hooked one, which continues to hurt and bruise me. i will not do the no-arm cradle. it just hurts me way too much, and i'm not that enamored with the move to begin with. i can do a yogini with no pain, but i know some people who can do this and can't yogini or can't do x y z so i think it's really a personal thing which tricks hurt and which don't. no offense meant but i think it's pretty silly of your teacher to say that, obviously it doesn't always hurt everyone who does it. i know polers are masochists but come on! 🤔
Charley · 8/13/2010
Off topic but I was dreaming of no hands cradle last night - which is weird because I don't often do it. 🤔 Knees no longer hurts on my good side - it still hurts on my bad side and looks clunky because of that but I will nail it opposit side. I only do no handed cradle on spin, it hurts on static and rips my stomach. I heard of someone needing surgery and severely injuring themselves from doing it.
MilienElayne · 8/14/2010
Thankyou for the replies. I suppose my instructor can only speak from the experience she's had and that of the polers she knows. Not everyone has the time or 'dedication' *cough* to sit online all day doing pole 'research' and 'networking' like me to find out this stuff 😂 . Good to know the pain can fade in kneehold! I'll just scrunch up my face and take it like a big bad poler til it does... Heh heh. I couldn't imagine doing no hands craddle static, it looks like it's designed for spin mode 🙂 For me, some stuff just doesn't translate smoothly from static to spin and vice versa (even with practice). I found No Hands Craddle hurt like hell pinching my 'fat rolls' (aka. those skin and belly bits you get when you hunch over) and I couldn't release the hands... It just felt sooo bad. I kept trying with one hand on and trying to find a good position... Eventually, I scooched the flub over to the side of the pole rather than on it (I tucked it towards my head rather than letting it push into the pole) so that there was a flat bit of tummy/hip on the pole and then I could squeeze my abs and squeeze my legs into the pole with my arms and it worked. I could release the bottom arm! Then I went for the top arm. Still burnt like I'd fallen asleep in the sun (it still hurts 12 hours later), but it was bearable and not tearable. What are your techniques? Is that vid of Stellar teaching Stephanie no hands craddle still around? I think there's something about the bottom arm, that it should be held a certain way? I haven't tried Yogini. I am chicken. Teddy is another one that burns... and Allegra. All on the list to eventually nail pain-free 🙂
mizvix · 8/15/2010
off topic a bit!! I used wikipole to look up allegra- never heard of it - and it looks class! anyone give me pointers on how to get into it? as for knee hold - does hurt til you get used to it - vary the position of the pole on your leg and how wide your legs are - this might make it more comfortable - i try to keep my knees wide in the ankles hooked shape, but narrower without. teddy - pain goes away!! make sure you have plenty of skin contact and get the pole right into your armpit 😀 poling is so glamourous! 😂
Mary Ellyn · 8/15/2010
The knee hold no longer hurts me either. I think any move will become pain free with practice. I think dangerous is a rather extreme word but there are many moves we do that involve risk of acute or long term injury. For example the reverse attitude grab and the twisted grip are also risky moves. I didn't learn any of this from the internet though...I learned it through courses in body mechanics and injury prevention and exercise.
RoxyPink · 8/15/2010
I'm not sure I would attemp a no hands craddle on static unless it was purely as a hold. I heard the same thing that Charley did and that just sounds excruciating! But the pain does go away!! 😀
Mary Ellyn · 8/15/2010
I believe that injury was posted on here wasn't it? I think someone up in Washington but I can't recall who?
Jenn · 8/15/2010
When I do the no handed cradle, I prop my bottom arm so that it is bent about 90 degrees, and just below the elbow area is pushing into the pole, then grab hold of my bottom leg. Once that arm is in place, I can let go with the top arm. The woman that injured herself was Summer, the owner Diva Den in Portland, Oregon. I met her when I was visiting friends in Portland, and she was kind enough to let me play at her studio after hours. I don't know the specifics of the injury, but she tore some tissues and muscles and had to have corrective surgery.
Mary Ellyn · 8/15/2010
Oh yes...Summer! That's who I was thinking of. I believe she had also added some grip product to her abs and that made her stick more to the pole.
lilblondie · 8/26/2010
Omg, this post is terrifying me, I had no idea that was possible.
MilienElayne · 8/27/2010
Pain has subsided a lot, ladies!!! I've done it in 4 or 5 sessions now (on spin mode, at home and in class freestyle time) and I can go straight into it and worked out a better exit... and it no longer burns sooooooo bad I feel like I have sunburn for 12 hours. I think it's more positioning and doing it properly than getting over the burn. Might get a vid of the improvement this weekend and might try it static ... eek 😛