Faye started this discussion ·
Hello, Whenever i do a shoulder mount i seem to graze my collar bone and neck- do you have any suggestions and does this happen to anyone else? 🙁 Also im hopeless as Straight edges- is it best to use forearm grip or elbow grip when 1st learning? Thank you xxxx
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amy ·
for straight edge-- i would suggest getting a really solid ayesha before you try the straight edge. forearm or elbow grip-- you should try both and see what works better for you. i am more comfortable with forearm but i know many who feel more secure with the elbow grip. for the shoulder mount-- i think it will hurt until you get more comfrotable with the move and figure out how hard you need to pull your trapezius and collarbone into the pole. it doesn't hurt me at all now, but it used to. also it helps if you get your body as horizontal as possible (by starting low on the pole) so you're not rolling up your trap as much.
Faye ·
Thank you Amy! Do you have any tips on Ayesha? x
For the straight edge I think it is really important to be able to have a solid headstand or handstand where you are not using the pole to brace yourself. You REALLY need core stabilization to get this move. And I was just the opposite....I got straight edge before aysha. The caterpillar climb helped me a lot with this, too. And what Amy said about the SM. I have also found that as my grip and forearms have gotten stronger the SM has gotten easier.
Journey ·
With the SM, you could try experimenting with grips, too - I had the exact same problem with hitting my collarbone. I use respect grip and I don't hit it anymore. But everyone's different 🙂 ~Journey aka Foxy Rei
If you're grazing your collar bone then your legs are not grabbing the pole until your body is vertical...you need to grab the pole with your legs/ankles with your hips still out and a bit away from the pole. Your collar bone shouldn't touch the pole as you go up until after you can release your hand grip and hold with your legs. I learned the handspring long before the Ayasha but I also wasn't as motivated about the Ayasha at the time. I agree that it was easier to get the elbow grip Ayasha from learning the reverse climb/caterpillar first.
