WHY WON'T MY BODY LET ME POLE?!

Juicy J started this discussion · 8/19/2010

Hey all... I want to voice my frustrations on something I love dearly and have been doing since the beginning of this year. I picked up pole back in late Dec 08 and then stopped after a term (6-wk course as opposed to 8 due to Christmas) due to financial reasons and plus it was summer here in Sydney, so it was hot and I had serious grip issues. I then picked up pole again earlier this year and have been doing 8-week courses and now I'm in Intermediate 2. I recently got a Chrome X-Pert and have been poling a tiny bit everyday and then properly every 2-3 days. I have one MAIN frustration in this hobby - my grip. I have a VERY BAD grip issue - I sweat too much in my hands and feet and have been using leather gloves during my class and when I pole at home, I avoid using the gloves to train my hands and just stick to a rosin bag which I got, a bit of Driclor and the good ol' methol and water. I still find that I am so slippy to the point where it's hard for me to climb and to invert because I'll slip off. I poled again tonight and just felt frustrated with myself. What's even more annoying is that when I'm at work, I WANT my hands to be clammy (I work in currency exchange at the airport) but then most of time they're dry and I have to work them up to be clammy so I can grip cash better but then when I'm poling, my hands are so SO SLIPPY that I can barely DO ANYTHING!!! I've found that this correlates to how nervous/excited and/or how relaxed/calm I am. If I am feeling the former emotions, I tend to sweat in my hands and feet but if I'm feeling relaxed and calm (as I usually am at work), then I stay dry. AAAAAHHHHH!!!! 😈 WHY?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Will I ALWAYS have this slip problem? Is this something that CAN go away in time as I learn and practice my pole skills? I feel so discouraged in my class because everyone else seems to nail moves after a few goes and here I am struggling because of my grip (sometimes even with gloves on as they probably aren't as good as having natural grip without too much sweat or too little moisture) and feeling like I shouldn't even BE progressing to advanced! 😢 I don't wanna stop poling and neither do I wanna give up so easily because I've got myself a pole and the commitment is there but I just feel SO ALONE in this grip issue that it's not funny. WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?!?!?!?!?! WHY WON'T MY BODY LET ME POLE?!

17 replies

mizvix · 8/19/2010
bad news - sweaty, slippy hands never go away. 😢 good news - the more you pole the more you strngth increases, the more your grip increases and the more confident you become so that slippiness doesn't put you off as much. 🙂 saying that, i've been at it for 4 years and still occasionally have problems- at studio on tuesday i sat huffing on the floor after hitting the ground. again. 😈 when practicing, try the more difficult stuff first(after warm-up of course). I keep a fan in my pole room to keep me cool and i don't use any hand grip aids at home - to try and build my grip. in routines, add in floor work before difficult sequences so your body can cool down and you can 'discretely' wipe your hands. I don't know what level you're at, but also try alternative grips - elbow, knee, hip etc - and no hands moves, again to give them a rest. pig-headed stubbornness and determination will get you through! hope this helps!
poletrickster · 8/19/2010
I have the same problem. I have found a fan aimed at the pole and where I can just reach my hands out to fan them off has helped some but all I have to do is think about getting on the pole and my hands are soaked with sweat. It is very frustrating because once I am inverted and start to do another move my hands get slippy and I have to dismount and wipe the pole and my hands and start all over trying to keep grip. I take comfort in the fact that if my strength improves I will make up for what I lack in grip 🙂
Juicy J · 8/22/2010
Thank you both so much for your advice and experience! It seems like this is something that affects some of us unfortunate ones! I executed a perfect transitional spin just today! Not sure what it's called but you start in a firefly then into a carousel and finish in a front widow position. A bit of a switching with the hands. Learnt this back when I did Intermediate 1. =) I screamed in delight! 🥂 I started mucking around with this move yesterday and nearly nailed it! And this was all done when my hands were in "neutral" - before they were soaked in sweat like you had mentioned! I hope they invent a product in which your hands can stay in "neutral" mode and even with all the sweating it doesn't affect your grip! I've tried so many different kinds of grip aids and none have been able to give me the grip as I would like it to be if my hands were drier. Urgh! Sucks! 🤔 I'm really gonna try the fan idea as I think that could work well for me! 😀 🥂
hookedonpole · 8/23/2010
joyful, you are not alone. I also struggle with sweaty hands, mostly the left. I have a lil mynx ss and hear stainless steel poles are very slippery. However, that's all I know and even though I have very frustrating days when I can't do anything, there are days when I'm able to practice. I do wipe pole a lot, wipe hands on my rear 🙂 and use grip aids off and on. I alternate between Tite Grip and Dry Hands. I'm using trial of ITac level 4, haven't used it enough to comment on it. I consider off and on getting an xpole xpert titanium gold, but not sure yet. I just plug along with my ss and do my best. I think I notice that with my strength getting better, I'm able to grip more. My husband even noticed that I'm able to get through decent practices more often. I hope so. Just know that you are not alone with this.
Roadkillgerbil · 8/23/2010
Some days, I find it's not just my hands that slip. Everything slips, and I can't even grip with my legs well enough to get a basic inverted crucifix. The cure I found was just a normal shower before practice. Post-shower, I'm so sticky (to the pole) that it's amazing. I've nailed a few moves that way. Also, my pole's in my kitchen, so I wash my hands a few times in a session. I find properly washing them makes more of a lasting difference than just wiping them dry.
mrsfloppyears · 8/23/2010
Do you drink a bunch of caffeine? If you do, try stopping for a month. In some people, caffeine makes them sweat a ton from hands, backs, armpits, and so forth. Just a thought.
nilla · 8/23/2010
I've heard this product is a pretty nice antiperspirant, but I haven't used it myself. The FAQ says you can use it on other parts of your body besides under arms and it's supposed to last for a week before it wears off... http://sweatblock.com/
SweatBlockSweatBlock® Antiperspirants for Excessive Sweating and OdorAntiperspirants and Deodorants for Underarms, Hands, Feet, Face and Body. Doctor Created. Dermatologist Recommended. 30,000+ 5-Star Reviews.
hookedonpole · 8/23/2010
Some days, I find it's not just my hands that slip. Everything slips, and I can't even grip with my legs well enough to get a basic inverted crucifix. The cure I found was just a normal shower before practice. Post-shower, I'm so sticky (to the pole) that it's amazing. I've nailed a few moves that way. Also, my pole's in my kitchen, so I wash my hands a few times in a session. I find properly washing them makes more of a lasting difference than just wiping them dry. Yeah, I should have said that also. Sometimes it's not only my hands...also legs not gripping for inverts, scorpio, etc. hmmm, sweatblock, I wonder. It would be wonderful if it works.
amy · 8/23/2010
I've heard this product is a pretty nice antiperspirant, but I haven't used it myself. The FAQ says you can use it on other parts of your body besides under arms and it's supposed to last for a week before it wears off... http://sweatblock.com/ looks like sweatblock is 13% aluminum chloride (http://sweatblock.com/faq.aspx). driclor/drisol is 20% and so is secret "clinical strength". i wouldn't bother with sweatblock. i get botox in my hands for hyperhydrosis. it's extreme, but it works completely.
SweatBlockSweatBlock® Antiperspirants for Excessive Sweating and OdorAntiperspirants and Deodorants for Underarms, Hands, Feet, Face and Body. Doctor Created. Dermatologist Recommended. 30,000+ 5-Star Reviews.
Juicy J · 8/24/2010
Wow, so it seems to be a fairly common problem then! Thanks for all the advice and sympathy! I barely drink caffeine, especially coffee but will definitely keep that in mind. As for getting botox in the hands, I think I also read that somewhere here in one of the threads but I wonder if that means your hands are constantly dry? Like dry to the point of needing to apply hand cream? Does anyone have any experience with getting botox in the hands purely for pole or know of anyone who has?
amy · 8/24/2010
the "search" capability is great in the forum! try these threads. https://www.studioveena.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=674&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a http://ver3.studioveena.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1588&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a
brandx1969 · 8/24/2010
Ok, what type of insurance will cover botox on your hands? How did you convince them?
amy · 8/24/2010
health insurance. call your health insurance provider and see what they will require from you to cover botox injections for palmar hyperhydrosis.
poledanceromance · 8/25/2010
Oh. My. God. Can it be true? One of my heroines has sweaty pig hands, JUST LIKE ME?? Botox defeats the pig handedness?? REALLY? I would so do it! Amber will testify, anywhere on my body will stick like glue except my sweaty pig hands. It drives me nuts. I've tried more humidity, less humidity, poling in front of a fan on all levels and oscillating/not, windex, alcohol, grip aids, deodorants, hairspray, gloves. I even set up my pole RIGHT in front of the breeze from the a/c and even that has only mildly helped. Nothing has worked for me. If you don't tell me that you can't feel your hands or some awful side effect, I'm calling my insurance tomorrow. People underestimate how crappy it makes you feel when you know you're strong enough, but feel yourself sliding all over.
Danielle Tillie · 8/25/2010
Oh I have sweaty hands too!!! I've recently started using iTac2, and for the most part it has worked well enough to help me, but I basically worked my way through stubbornly without grip aids for the first 10 months of my poling journey. I don't use grip aid unless I want to try something that definitely needs strong stickiness in the hands (like split grip aysha). I do make sure to wash my hands thoroughly before poling, because any extra residue on my hands just makes the problem worse. I also make a point not to touch my hair while poling, because of residue from hair products. I also air out my hands with a fan and use a micro-fiber towel to wipe them off (separate from all other towels that I use!). I honestly think that all the time I spent trying to do it without grip aids and just using my usual tactics helped my grip strength immensely. Now when I put on some iTac2 and try something, my grip feels like something from kung fu! 😁 It's a matter of just getting through it and keep trying different methods.
witheringtone · 8/25/2010
Drysol works wonders!! 👍 I would sweat like a pig even when I was cold to the point that I would cordinate my clothes to hide the sweating. I tried all the deodorants out there as far as getting it at your local store. Nothing worked!! Then I found Drysol on a website for people who have excessive sweating and was amazed!! I do not sweat at all and can wear whatever I want. I only have to apply it twice a week. I have not used it on my hands yet, but it did work on my knee pits, so give it a try. PS- You are looking at $30 and will have to order from Canada without a prescription, but it comes quickly in the mail. 😀
Juicy J · 8/26/2010
Hmmm, I use Driclor which is a really strong anti-perspirant but only on my hands. I find it only makes it a bit tacky and doesn't particularly do much. I think itz more for the armpits and I'm hesitant to try it on other days when I don't pole although it doesn't seem like a bad idea. I don't mind having sweaty hands for other times when I'm not poling like when I'm @ work for example. Amyxshi, does ur Private Health insurance over ALL of the botox cost? Are there any side effects? Does that mean your hands won't ever get sweaty again even if you are nervous/excited? Is it a one-off treatment which you get every 5 months or so? I'm kinda curious as I have private health insurance but wanna ask someone who's had it done first. I read from U that it stings like hell. Any after effects after that?