Beckypolegirl started this discussion ·
Are you scared of a certain move? I am very anxious about doing a brass monkey as I fell out of one when learning it. Trying to gain confidence with it but its a slow process. My friend won't even attempt a CAR as she is too scared even though she can do a CKR and a remi. So are you scared of a move and why?
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azblanco ·
CAR and advanced plank scares the fuck out of me (sorry for language, haha but its the truth) I can do both moves but never feel secure. Its a hit and miss for me. I almost fell out of advanced plank and i wasnt close to falling out of CAR but it still makes me very uneasy. Its a move I have to go at a few times and feel really secure before i lean back. I really should practice it more and invest in a mat. I think it would help
Getting a mat is a good idea wouldn't be without mine. I am trying to do at least one brass monkey each practice to feel more confident. My advanced plank took ages to click but I loved CAR from the first attempt lol
I second CAR, I can't do it yet but ive been practicing with hands on and it scares me to try to lean back, I always feel slippery with that one. Don't know if i'll ever let go lol
azblanco ·
Yah Im thinking a mat is going to be my next investment. i want a second pole but a mat would probably be smarter to purchase first. What mat do you have?
I got mine from a British company called ceetax. Really good quality and loads of colours to choose from I love mine its purple and silver :)
I need a crash mat too, but the ones ive seen are like 2-300 bucks and ? I know its worth it but i can't afford it right now. Is there anything good enough to use thats cheaper, like a foam mattress or something? would it be safe if you were lower on the pole? Ive tried pillows but not comfortable with that either...My floor is like cement to :(
I know people have used foam mattresses before so should be ok. I used to use my bed duvet but that was rubbish lol
CapFeb ·
Hummingbird and downsplits I saw a girl once doing downsplits and her foot slipped off the pole and her face went right into the pole. She had done the move a thousand times, and still messed up. So I am terrified of that one, and won't do it unless spotted. Hummingbird is the same thing (humingbird is cupid, but your back is directly away from the pole instead of being to the side of the pole like in knee hold). I saw a girl fall out of it to her face. You can drop from hummingbird into downsplits, which is like, ultimate terrifying. Althought I'm afraid of anything and everything, including jellyfish, elevators, and bridges that go over water. |:
Everything that requires balancing while up side down used to really scare me (handstands, ayesha, straight edge - you name it). I was always afraid to fall backward.
omg yes!! im trying so hard to do an inverted pencil (not sure what everyone calls it, but when you hold an upside down pencil in split grip) im strong enough and feel secure enough but its like my ankle is too scared to let go of the pole haha!
tacha666 ·
Every inverted move without at least one leg gripping the pole really scares me. And I don't know where to start. Extended butterfly? Ayesha? Any suggestions?
@tacha666 - can you do a normal butterfly? i'd start with that and then move to extended butterfly :)
tacha666 ·
Yes I can, but straightening the leg and only hooking with the ankle really scares me! But I'll keep trying.
You will get there :)
Several. Extended butterfly, Ayesha(All grip styles), Pencil, Bow & Arrow & Hand & Elbowstands. Pretty much any move where my feet or legs have to come completely off the pole & am completely dependent on my arm/hand strength to execute the move. I like the look of the inverted thigh hold & recently got it but it still scares me to execute & I still struggle with it a lil now & then. I even fell out of it recently (first fall in pole), which scared the bejesus out of me. My husband spots me sometimes but I still feel scared. Plus, I feel like I'm not always going to have a spotter there, so I need to get it confidently on my own without a spotter. For me, time is usually a factor, in other words, eventually I work/push through the fear when I hit a pole dead end ie: I can't progress further to other moves unless I learn the move. However, if its a move that I can put on the back burner for awhile until I am ready to work on it, then I do lol I also think having a crash mat will help & I plan on getting one soon.
Handstands if I have to kick up into it (I can lower myself into one no problem), and Cross Ankle Release. I am pretty bow legged, so I just can't get my thighs close enough together, no matter how hard I squeeze.. :)
Having taken a very public fall out of it, I've only recently been doing the Q again after many months of avoidance. I'm also afraid of aysha on spin mode. I try to tackle fears pretty quickly, though.
Currently, I'm scared of a lot of moves! I don't do upside-down well in life, so... pole dancing comes with that extra challenge. I fell out of a CAR once, and while I didn't hurt myself, I've since not been able to trust the hold. I've been challenging myself a lot harder to practice it safely, till I can get rid of the fear. The inverted crucifix is... probably the most scary move I could think of! lol! I think it's that move that I'll have to get if I want to actually progress in my dancing... but it's taking a very long time for me to tackle it. I don't try it every time I dance, and sometimes I can only get up into a basic invert... other times, I can let go with my hands and just feel the hold with my body still twisted around the pole. But I'll get there! I more-or-less trust myself when I'm upright, but when it comes to upside down... it'll take some time ;)
I found keeping my body twisted around the pole a good way to get used to letting go while upside down. I was lucky as I was always hanging upside down on my climbing frame as a child so was already very used to it lol
Juicy J ·
Hehehe. Seeing this thread reminds of me of this one particular move that I was always scared sh*tless to do - the Iguana Hold into Pencil, Lunch Box & V-Legs into a V-Leg Descent. Something about dropping into an Iguana Hold mount just terrified me as I always felt my hands were going to slip and I was going to come crashing down on my head! 🙁 Not fun!!! UNTIL recently... I've been taking Private lessons at my place with an instructor of my choice from my studio when we tackled this move together and she told me to fully let my arms extend when I'm in the Iguana hold as she said I was rushing to take my legs off the pole before my arms were fully extended, which made it a lot harder and contributed to my fear factor. That light bulb moment happened for me and suddenly this move became my b*tch!! 😮 OHMYGOSH!!! You can imagine my relief and JOY once this move made sense to me! It is now one of my favourite moves, one that I no longer fear doing and I am practising my V-Legs Descent (we call it a Vanity at the studio) from the Iguana Hold. SOOO AMAZING!!!!
Serzi ·
CAR to Bridge or Bow. Slipped out of it before and landed in a tripod elbow-stand sort've thing that literally saved my neck. Extremely scary, caught it on video, I know exactly where I messed up. Still, I kinda hate CAR now. The move has never appealed to me visually as much as the CKR and I've found many ways to transition from that instead. Some moves almost require CAR, so I deal w/ it when I have to, but if another move can do the trick why not?
Juicy J ·
Yeah. The CAR seems to be a common one that a lot of polers can't stand. Whenever I do it, I am super careful. Even my instructor has said to always be careful getting into this move as you are less secure than the CKR. Make sure U have the capacity to grip before you lean back and let go. A few times my inner thighs got too sweaty and therefore slipped out even before I could properly lock on and lean back. Never be complacent in this move!!
Count me in as also scared of CAR due to sweaty legs and inconsistent grip. I feel completely secure in CKR and have for a long time. I let the fear of CAR prevent me from progressing further in my pole journey for a while because I knew it was the foundation of a lot of other cool things like brass monkey, iguana, etc. I wanted to master it and make it second nature like CKR. But after hearing some other people's stories, I realize that it just may not be a compatible move with my body. I'm trying to learn how to adapt to using CKR instead, like Serzi said. It requires more back flexibility in my case, but I'm willing to build that in order to feel safe! I don't have straight edge/ayesha yet, but even the prep (caterpillar climb) is scary for me. My hands and arms just don't have it secure yet, and I'm too scared to take my legs off the pole even for an instant, much less hold the position. But I remember being scared of other moves too, and now I can do them. So there's hope for me yet! I've also never learned a drop, and feel a bit nervous about the idea of anything but a feet-first drop (like the sad girl, I think it's called?) The idea of intentionally dropping my head towards the floor first at the speed of gravity just makes me shiver.
Juicy J ·
I think with enough practice and a good spotter, you can pretty much overcome any pole fear. That was the case in my pole journey thus far. I didn't want to be a poler that was limited by my fears and not progressing. I am happy to give almost any move a try. That being said, I do understand that not move is for every body and can respect that.
jade s ·
Ayesha scares the crap out of me. I don't have any anxiety with the straight edge, but for some reason, I can't bring myself to let go of my legs in Ayesha.
