valerie98 started this discussion ·
So...I am trying to learn a shoulder mount. It is not going so well for me. I call my husband in the room for a little push or to spot me. He then grabs the pole and on his first try, he does a shoulder mount!! WTH!!! I guess I need to work on my strength some more!
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IDK, i don't get the dynamics of SM either. I can do reverse shoulder mount and shoulder spins but when it comes to SM... Oy! I have the core for it, but am still traumatized. Maybe some day. Haha!
Cinara ·
Aargh some guys are just so frustratingly naturally strong. I've heard of guys who can just shoulder mount before. Usually I console myself by knowing that their body rolls and hip wiggles tend to look just plain sad ;) As for the shoudler mount, I don't know that I can be much help as I'm struggling myself. I can only do it from a respect grip (I think?) which is not exactly the kindest thing you can do to your wrist. The main things that seem to help me are trying it from squatting on the floor first, making sure the pole is being pushed right into my shoulder, and thinking of pulling my legs back behind my shoulders, not straight up the pole.
Cinara - what is a respect grip?
Cinara ·
Looking at the pictures on Wikipole, I'm not entirely sure if it's a respect grip or princess grip I'm talking about. But you start standing to the side of the pole, with your inside hand above your head. Then, keep your inside hand there and walk your body in front of the pole until the pole is pressed against the shoudler of your inside arm (this is the unkind to wrists bit). The outside arm just grabs the same as you would in a cupped grip. Does that make sense? By the way, don't wrap your thumbs around the pole because it hurts like crazy! It feels much more secure for my sweaty slippery hands, and seems to be much easier to use (for me), but it took a little while before my arm was comfortable in that position, and I don't know... I can just see awkward position + not controlled enough invert + bad luck/bad ligaments equalling injury. Still, it's the way it gets taught to heaps of girls at my studio and noone seems to get hurt... But I don't think you can do a shoulder mount roll or get into a brass monkey from it, plus it's awkward to get into in the air, so I'm working on cupped and Veena grip now.
Have you tried the Veena grip? It's in her shoulder mount lesson and is much easier on your wrists - I hadn't been able to do a shoulder mount and while I can't do it now consistently I did get into it using this grip (and I thought it would take me at least another several months to get it). You stand with your back to the pole and a little to the side with the pole resting on the back of your shoulder near your face (like normal) but instead of cupping both hands behind the pole you only cup your inside hand around the back, and you wrap your outside hand around the front above the hand that is cupped. Does that make sense? With the outer hand gripping the pole in front it keeps your collar bone away from the pole because you have more control and are using a different kind of arm strength. Of course, Veena explains it a lot better than I can...
EvaRut ·
You can add this to your warm ups before each pole practise to gain strenght for the shouldermount. I call it shouldermount knee lifts. It is almost the same as the shouldermount. Get in the shouldermount position. Use any grip you like and bring your knees up to your chest and do it about 10 times. Then as this gets easier you can focus on lifting your legs up to your elbows and eventually all the way up :) Hope this helps.
UTpoler ·
One of the big secrets for this is to change your way of thinking....imagine pulling the top of the pole down from the ceiling towards the floor in front of you. Or imagine pulling a sumo wrestler over your head rather than just thinking about gettin your bum in the air. ;-)
I like that idea UT
Like Cinara, respect grip is the only grip that SM ever worked for me. It's how your hands are in a regular invert with both thumbs facing up. But lots consider it a cheating grip so :(
sounds like the grip felix uses to shoulder mount - why is that considered cheating?
Cinara ·
I'm fairly sure it is the grip Felix uses, considering she's from/associated with Bobbi's where they teach it. I don't know necessarily think it's cheating, but it does seem to require much less strength than the other grips. As a downside it is quite awkward to connect to other moves because one hand is so high. The other grips would probably give you more versatility in terms of combos. I once tried to go into a brass monkey from this grip and ended up in a horrible tangle and had to slooowly slide down the pole in a big knot because there was nothing else I could do :) Also, UT I am so trying out your advice next time I'm on the pole!
Veena ·
I have a few grip variations in my shoulder mount lesson. I also teach you from the floor first so you are able to work on the mechanics and strength from a safe point. I don't like any of the grips where the arm is twisted, so I try to avoid them. 🌸 Shoulder mount lessons https://www.studioveena.com/lessons/view/4d6bac4d-8044-4fa9-9aaa-66300ac37250
Thanks so much!!! You guys are great!!!
ellieRox ·
The twisted wrist grip is easier to mount with although a friend of mine inverted from this grip and when she got up there her hands were in such an akward position that when she got up there all she could do was come straight down!!luckily she didnt injure herself but I'm only going to try acheive the shoulder mount with cup hands now!
EvaRut ·
Love the idea of imagening pulling the pole down. Never thought of that! :) I like the cupped grip the best. It was very scary at first and I used the grip Veena uses while I was becoming comfortable with shouldermounts. Then I tried the cupped grip again and it is my favorite. Im so much stronger with that grip. Although I have seen that some other grips seem better for certain combos and its on my to do list to get the princess grip(i think thats the one) to be able to do a few combos that I have always wanted to do.
Yup that's why they say respect grip is cheating. B/c it's less strength/core and just like regular flipping. Easier. Felix is using princess grip in this vid. Inside hand with thumb facing down and outside hand with TG and thumb facing up. 1:15 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_G4gHRc-M4 Is that the one you guys were talking about?
amy ·
different grips work different strengths. if you're bicep strong, use double cupped. if you're pec strong, try double forward (chinese grip). thinking of the pole as a javelin that you are trying to throw helps a lot. working on your SM from a sit on the floor with straight legs, or in a tuck, ensures that you aren't kicking. i don't think anyone should be kicking into a SM, period, and the respect/princess grips make it very easy to do so. i would strongly recommend against princess grip... it's an easy transition out of spin pole moves, but it's a horrible position for your wrist.
So wait, I'm all types of confused. LOL! The respect grip and princess grip are the same? Then that's not the cheating grip. It's actually harder than cupped hands. Is chinese grip with both thumbs facing up and fingers in front of the pole? If yes, that's the "cheating grip" I was referring to.
SM in a double cup grip scared the crap out of me at the beginning so I mastered it with the inside hand cupped, outside hand thumb up on front of pole--I think that's what you're calling the Veena grip...? And then Pantera came to our studio, and in her own special way, called me right out! Her opinion: if you can't do it in double cup grip (which is the most anatomically neutral way), you're not strong enough to be doing it period. Immediately switched to double cup! ;-) That's a little harsher than my thinking, but I do try to only teach double cup now, unless I have a girl who's just too freaked out about it. Definitely don't want to be kicking up into this one, practicing it from the floor (while harder) builds your strength to do it without momentum. Think about pulling your elbows together and down--the pull comes from the lats and back of arms.
Veena ·
Otter....the Veena grip is more difficult than the Cup in my opinion... as in, takes more strength at the beginning phase of the move, and its also much safer at the top of the move. The thumb is not in front of the pole, it wraps around, but knuckles are facing away from the body. It is also a pretty neutral grip, if you have the ability to raise your arm over your head.....no twisting needed 🌸
