Pole Rituals, Habits or Fidgets

MilienElayne started this discussion · 3/20/2010

Hi guys, I am a chronic fidgetter, have 'bad' pole habits and/or have rituals or certain things I have to do to pole. I have to have one bottle of orange gatorade and one of water when I pole, nothing else is good. I have to avoid caffiene and alcohol and eat 'properly' or my performance feels impaired (that's mostly in my head). I wipe my pole excessively and it has to be with Windex. I rub my hands together like a crazy person. I over-use grip products - at the moment it has to be rosin. I 'can't' pole if my pole is cold. I wipe my hands obsessively sweaty or not. I fidget with my outfit. I always use the same pole in class every single time and get thrown if I have to use another one. I drink too much too often as a stall. I press my lips together and get concentration face... I am seriously the worst fidgetter ever and I make myself more anxious by being so. I'll even interrupt a combo to needlessly wipe my hands and adjust my outfit while upside down. I make my hands sweat more by fidgetting and thinking about my hands sweating. If I overthink a move I sometimes become incapable of doing it. If I laugh mid-move, I fall to the floor...lol. I used to wear gloves all the time to pole. If I just stopped all this stuff and got on with it, I wonder how much better my poling would be? Anyone else have pole rituals?

18 replies

Layla Duvay · 3/20/2010
I HAVE to have a sip of water before doing an invert. I too cannot pole if it (the pole) is too cold. I DEFINITELY cannot do a move if I over-think it and if I've planned a difficult spin in a video, I always forget which hand I'm going to use and switch back to it. Nice to know I'm not the only one with fidgets and quirks!! Thanks, M.!
Solya · 3/20/2010
I'm obsessive about pole wiping and grip aids, mostly because I have incredibly sweaty hands and even if they don't sweat I HAVE to wipe the pole just in case they will... I will only use a fluffy, well-washed towel and acetone nail polish remover, and wipe after every trick and every other spin. It's fairly pathetic, not sure when I'll be able to go through a whole routine 🙂 MilienElayne, do gloves really help? I'm just about to get a pair of Mighty Grip gloves and I probably have too high expectations...
Runemist34 · 3/20/2010
My hair. It's one of those things I don't even think about any more, but when I watch the video, I couldn't count on both hands for lack of fingers how many times I pushed my hair around with one hand! I'm used to longer hair, I'm used to it tied back or whatever...something about my hair drives me crazy when I'm dancing, so I'm always tossing it back with one hand. 🤔
danceinside22 · 3/21/2010
I run my hands through my hair, adjust my shorts even if they haven't budged and CONSTANTLY wipe my hands and my pole whether they're sweaty or not. Glad too know I'm not the only one 😀
vodka · 3/21/2010
oh, jeez...we just had to go talkin' bout bad habits! lol...i have overly-long hair, so i totally understand rune...i have not posted a vid yet BC i do all these little things that are like...what is she DOING?? i forget my 'next move' and walk around the pole until i think of something to 'cover'--usually a spin. 😂 i just can't help it! and i always have to have my bottle of water waiting for me on the sidelines--regardless of whether or not i even touch it; just knowing its there makes my session seem...successful! 👍 and i know theres a slew of other things i compulsively do, but there's a start!!
Runemist34 · 3/21/2010
Hehe, Vodka, I feel the same about the walking...I tend to just walk around for a few turns just...because! I am never sure what to do after a couple of moves. 🙄
MilienElayne · 3/21/2010
Thanks ladies for replying! I lose my mind when my hair is out. I forget how to do things I've done a million times...it's like having my hair out puts my balance off and lets my mind ooze out of my skull. 😂 Walking around the pole can be a good thing. It builds momentum, helps you catch your breath, stalls for time, keeps you warm and it can look really good cause you can make it sexy 🙂 I'm consciously trying really hard not to fidget right now! For the most part it's not working...but getting there. It's less of ability and doubt anxiety now for me as my pole moves are getting better and more performance anxiety. I am practicing dancing to a whole song with NO FIDGETTING. Ok, so that makes me forget to put tricks in there and I stall for time with floor work and dance moves that look no good on me as I have no butt to shake, but I CAN do it. I am also forcing myself to trust my grip and work out when sweaty is TOO sweaty for safety and when I can just work through it. You can work through it! There's always sweat. No pro is sweatless! (Or are they? Zen state, anyone? 😛) With aerial chopper I really had a huge mental block to work through because of my (mental!) grip issues and hand wiping up-pole fidgets. Now I just don't think about it and make myself flip straight over even at the top of really tall poles. Chopper is safe, or so I tell myself. I've done it over and over. I do it everyday. If my hands slip, I won't plummet and if I did freakishly lose all hand grip completely and couldn't just slide down I could catch with my legs. These things I have to tell myself sometimes with old moves and constantly with my new ones. Exude confidence and you'll start believing it yourself. And now I can do them. Even if there's a little sweat on my hands I slip maybe an inch and grip tighter and the next bit of pole is drier and I stick somehow and just keep moving. I don't know how, and can't give blow by blow tips... but working through mental blocks like these do make me realise how much I can actually do and then it builds from there. You get these moves you never thought you could and the little things don't matter anymore. I'm still freaking out with extended butterfly (though I am strong enough), need to use grip product for handspring attempts and am nowhere near split grip moves like pencils and jacknifes because they're new and my grip suffers because I over think it. I can't get over how some people on YouTube and here hold moves perfectly when they're so obviously slipping slowly down the pole... I'd freak out! Shouldermounts I am still excessively wiping and rosining my hands and shoulders up... *sigh* I did rely on gloves heavily for a few weeks. But I have split every pair of gloves I've had so far. With unsplit pairs I get frustrated because they tend to slip on my hands if I change my grip mid move (like jamilla to butterfly and jamilla to hero...hero is my glove splitter move). This might be a fit issue, but I've tried their different sizes. They're good for spin mode where you place your hand and keep it there til you lift it off and replace it...and for one trick at a time on static where you're stationary holding a pose, but for combos and especially moves where your hand has to slide, they suck. I haven't even attempted static spins with them. I have similar issues with all other grip products though - they're good for some things, and not for others. I've only tried the matt gloves, not the slick ones. Maybe you'll have a better fit and/or a different experience with them. I say give everything a hearty shot, cause you never know what might work for you.
Solya · 3/21/2010
Thanks for the answer MilienElayne, it's good to know others have similar issues as me... I did think for a while that my sweaty hands thing was a mental issue, but then I went into a reverse grab transition without wiping my hands and practically flew off the pole and into the wall 🙁 and then another time I fell out of the split grip aysha because my upper hand just slipped off, SO frustrating! I think I'll give the gloves a shot, I'm planning to get the non-tack ones. Do you think I should get a size smaller than I would be according to their sizing chart?
MilienElayne · 3/22/2010
You flew into the wall?! That would have been awesome to catch in video! l'm weird and think pole falls, bloopers and injuries are cool as, but I also like having my blood taken and am an adrenaline junkie, so maybe that's just me. Hope it didn't hurt too much. I don't know about sizing. I like mine tight and splitting is rare, apparantly, but I think mine were too small for me or my hands are just freakishly proportioned - skinny but large? Lol.
Solya · 3/22/2010
Yeah lol, my reverse grab transitions are quite fast and I kick out a lot, and my right hand just slipped off the pole mid-swing, legs in the air and all, and my bum smashed into the wall close by 😀 I had a bruised arse for a week. I find bloopers and fails quite entertaining to watch too 🙂 We have X-stages and the metal base gives horrible loud sounds if you land on it with a little more force. Once I fell out of the no-handed scorpio and banged into the stage, the whole class froze in horror and thought I'd died 😀
Journey · 3/23/2010
I wipe the pole and my hands constantly, I have moments where I end up staring at the pole and wiping my hands absentmindedly while I sing along with the music. And if I even touch the pole and there's any moisture, I have to wipe them off again. It's like when I slide down the pole it pulls more sweat out of my hands as I go down... it's disgusting. I miss the reverse grab... my hands sweat too much. I can't even put enough weight on it to start the spin, I just slide straight down. 🙁 I'm looking at gloves, but I want something that doesn't glue you to the pole. I found some biking gloves that have the "stickier" leather on the inside, and I'm thinking about trying those. I had another pair but they had the fuzzy leather on the palms and I couldn't grip at all. But I'll try these ones I found and if they don't work I'll go for the Mighty Grip ones. I'm getting desperate because grip aids don't work for me - even the hand antiperspirants. :-/
azriel · 3/23/2010
Fun post Mili! Here are mine: Before i start, i absolutely must vacuum & mop the floor, clean up the living room, & wash all dishes in the sink. Then i move all the furniture out of the way. Ok the next one is bad, please don't yell at me, but as i wait for the floor to dry, i smoke a cigarette, as i know i won't have one for a long while after i'm done practicing. 😳 😳 I smoke it while drinking my homemade probiotic drink (hey, at least that's healthy!)& being on my laptop. Then i make sure i have all my pole necessities- a huge glass with a big pitcher of water, my towels, windex, music, camera (& books that i prop it on), go get the mirror, the fan (in the summer), hair scrunchie must be within reach, & most importantly, my chapstick. I just can't pole without my cherry chapstick! I'm obsessed with my warmups- actually, i'm obsessive-compulsive about them: lunges, squats, hip circles, waist twists, back, neck, wrists, etc & i do everything you can possibly do with your shoulders. Then on to dance a bit for cardio (usually one song). Then light stretching. Then i MUST dance a full song with just spins, & maybe a small climb before i feel like my warmup is complete. I know all this unnecessary, but i can't help it! 😂 My worst habit while poling is wiping my hands on my butt. It's become instinctive now. For some reason, i find that my hands get extra sweaty when i do the superman, and i have to wipe both of them on my shorts really well if i am to attempt to proceed to figure-head to aerial shouldermount. Actually, it seems like lately my hands have been more sweaty in general, although i'm not sure if they really have, or if i'm just noticing it more now. I really should get some grip aid! I also tend to sweat on my face (eeeww), and i've developed the habit of excessively wiping my face with a towel, even when i don't really need to. If i misplace my scrunchie or my chapstick in the middle of my session & can't find them, i go completely crazy. 🤸 😲 🤸 When i'm done, i must stretch, (sometimes i accidentally overstretch), clean up, & put everything back into place. I bet my long preparation for poling & long warmups are the main reasons why i only pole about twice a week. *sigh*
RoxyPink · 3/23/2010
lol Az!! Okay...so here are mine...and they annoy the heck out of me.. 1. constantly look in the mirror while dancing/mid move...I actually took out all the mirrors so I couldn't do this...but yet I still look for them! I fell hard out of a jade last week because I was more worried about looking in the mirror to see if I was flat than I was with my body placement on the pole and BAM!! hehe 2. I have to have my "shop" rag, spray bottle of rubbing alcohol and rosin sack...although I don't have issues with sweaty hands or slipping issues 3. I'm constantly adjusting the waist of my shorts/panties...even when they don't need it 4. Constantly worried about getting "good" footage when all I really want to do is see how I'm progressing. It's so bad that every 5 min I will stop recording, watch and then delete....even when I have NO intention of posting a vid 5. I have to put on the the "right" outfit...okay so it's not like date night...wth do i need to try on 6 dif sports bras and 8 dif bottoms to work out. Who the hell am I trying to impress?? LMAO!! 6. Will stop mid move to change the music...even if I'm not dancing but purely working on tricks. If I don't "feel" the music, it has to be changed. I think that's pretty much it...LMAO!! Oh...and if I don't have a solid hour and a half to 2 hrs to practice it almost seems pointless...isn't that stupid?? 🤔
Veena · 3/23/2010
I am a wedgie picker....doesn't matter what kind of bottoms I wear I always have a wedgie!! Even if its not that bad, I still must pick the WEDGIE:geek: But only when I'm dancing, I'm not a public picker. 😂 😂 I have to have the RIGHT kind of music for my mood or its just not gonna happen. After my warm up, I always give my pole a quick check. I can't think of anything else right now..... 🤔
azriel · 3/23/2010
Haha Roxy i do most of those too! especially gotta have a nice outfit on 😛 but i always watch my vids after i'm done- stopping in the middle of your practice just wastes time. LMAO Veena- you're too funny!!!!
MilienElayne · 3/24/2010
Veena! Wedgies drive me insane! I am constantly getting them too. I have to wear undies with really tight leg bands or they ride all the way up (I have no butt to stop them). Does anyone know how to stop front wedgies, btw? Back wedgies I'm not too fussed about (was that tmi?), sometimes they're deliberate with hotpants, right? 😛 I always have to adjust my bra straps though. I am morbidly afraid of falling out. Oh! I totally forgot about bad filming habits! I check what I've just done a LOT. I have see how to make the next attempt better... or so I tell myself, but I'm probably stalling. If my camera is not filming, I'm not poling! I have no mirrors and just HAVE to catch any cool little extras or new combos I fall into and always want to catch my falls and see my injuries as they happen. I change my music all the time too. My mood can change mid-song, or the moves I'm practicing need something different. I need an hour and a half or more too! Otherwise I feel like I haven't gotten my fix. Az, I think your pole prep, warm ups and stretches are good for you! Those lips certainly need hydrating and your body will thank you for the good warmup and the stretches after. I am SO bad and barely ever warm up and stretch properly at home on my own. I've only just started making myself dance to a full song...actually dance, not just do a little warm up wiggle for half a song and then jump into trick trick trick and I'll skip cool down and stretching and sit down to watch, edit and catalogue my footage straight after... or even mid-session and then I'll jump up again after a little inspiration and go for more tricks. Sometimes I'll EAT right before or in the middle of a pole session. I ate an icecream right before my last spin practice. 🤮 . Lol, not really, but I felt a tad gross. Sometimes I'll also repeat one trick over and over and over and OVER until I am totally frustrated with it or physically can't do it properly anymore. I am so addicted to pole lately that if I am not on a pole for a good while every day, I get anxious and grumpy and it's all I can think about. At the moment I take 3 pole classes a week and just had my last 2hr once-a-week aerials class ( 😢 ) and then I'd practice at home two days and take one day for rest. But this week... I feel like I need two sessions a day on a pole every single day (and I feel jittery if my body says no, I need to rest right now. I listen to it well, I love my body, but I do resent it)...and classes: I love having two back to back (which I used to have once a week but can only get on a Sunday this term which SHOULD be my rest day, but I am considering taking them in addition to the 3 classes a week I am already doing) and would adore three back to back, but my classes don't match up like that. Pole is becoming a habit in itself... a really really big one. I write and read over moves and plan what I'm going to do in my practices and go over my performance routine in my head when I am on the train and bus instead of reading a book like a normal person. I plan my meals, the housework and errands and my social life around when I 'need' to pole. The studio where I take classes just announced Pole Camp where we're poling in classes (with breaks) from 10am to 6pm! Guess who jumped RIGHT on that bandwagon with LOTS of gusto?! My fidgets are going to get embarrassing there if I can't break them, but I think instructors and students of pole are the only people who can understand...lol. Ok, maybe I share TOO much.
velvetvixen · 3/24/2010
Mine is pretty simplistic but if things aren't in place I don't have as good as session. I close all the doors in my house so my dog doesn't wander around. I fill up my water bottle, water my pole plant (bamboo) and me, and put my rings in a pretty box. I then set up my laptop/webcam and find music I like. I do a warmup and test the pole. I now set a timer b/c I get carried away if not! As soon as timer goes off, I'm only allowed one more song. I have to the right song to do anything or else I don't feel it, sometimes I'll change it mid-song. I also change my outfits often on some days. I almost ALWAYS forget to wipe my pole down when I'm done, and 5-10 minutes later I remember and go back. 😀
mrsjones · 3/27/2010
Hahaha I'm a wedgie picker too, and wiping hands, wiping pole, fixing shorts and top, and all the rest you're all writing about.. I also need to fix my make up just before pole practices and i constantly put my hair up in a pony tail, then change my mind, and then change my mind AGAIN.. Hair drives me crazy, it's either in the way, or I feel I need to be able to flick it, or it looks silly... sigh... 🙄