HollySatine
Forum Replies Created
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Here are some past threads that might help:
https://www.studioveena.com/forums/view/Spinning_Pole_Instruction_2010-03-10_000235
https://www.studioveena.com/forums/view/Spinny_pole__do_you_just_get_used_to_it_20110121103921
In general, spinning requires MUCH less momentum; instead of swinging your leg around into a spin, for example, you may simply need to push lightly off the ground with your foot.
I think it would be great to see Veena do a lesson about spin mode (*hint*hint*) 🙂
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Yes! I LOVE Felix Cane! Every move she makes is mesmerizing.
This is my favorite video of her (I could watch this one over and over):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUOmIQ269-E
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Before I took my pole down tonight I bought a vertical level and checked to see if the pole was off – and it wasn't! It was perfectly level. I don't get it!
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I know you can set up a pole on carpet – I only asked because I had heard you're not supposed to put your pole over a rug (since rugs are not really secured to anything like carpet is), which is basically what these mats are. But maybe that's only a problem with cheaper, less safe poles anyway?
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Couldn't that be dangerous though to set the pole on top of the foam mats? Isn't that unstable?
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Thanks for the link! 🙂
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I take a pole class at a studio, but I also do stuff on my own at home since I have my own pole. I've been poling since September, and have found that some moves I get more quickly than other moves, even though I still can't do certain moves that are "less challenging" that other people can do. For instance, I don't know a ton of spins and my plank isn't perfect, but I just got the cross knee release down the other day. Sometimes you just have those "ah-ha" moments with certain moves. Last week I could not support my weight in the elbow hold, but just tonight I was finally able to do a spin using the elbow hold that I didn't think I'd be able to do for at least a couple weeks.
I would not consider myself to be very strong or flexible. What has helped me the most in learning the more difficult moves has been to try it just a couple times until I start to get worse and feel less safe, and then I stop (and wait for the bruises and soreness to heal!), work on something different, and try the move I couldn't get a couple days or even a week later – sometimes I don't think I'll get a move because I haven't been working on it every day, but often I end up surprising myself! Trying the same thing over and over again until you collapse isn't always the best idea, especially because more advanced moves (like inverts) can be unproductive and extremely dangerous if you're too tired.
P.S. Veena's lessons are very helpful and informative!
Hope this helps! 🙂
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(guess not…anyway the pic's also on my profile)
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hmmm…maybe this link will work?
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_aKXWfBJ_Q4k/TUBW2MqnjbI/AAAAAAAAACE/5dp1yYCp86Q/elbow
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I finally got it! YESSSS…. 🙂 I still have to work on balance but i can at least do it now! woohoo!!
Thanks for the help!
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_aKXWfBJ_Q4k/TUBW2MqnjbI/AAAAAAAAACE/5dp1yYCp86Q/elbow
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I bruise easily too and have also been thinking about other stuff I can do on the floor. What kind of floorwork moves do you do? Maybe you could focus on moves that aren't as hard on your knees. You could try more moves where you're on your back, standing/squating/sitting by your pole (underarm turns, body rolls, backbends, etc) and instead of crawling everywhere maybe you could roll sexily on the ground or something, lol. That being said however, I know it is pretty difficult to avoid using your knees, especially if you plan on being on the floor for a while.
Veena has several basic floor moves in her beginner lessons section which you probably already know by now, and I also really like watching other dancers' videos especially for floor work inspiration.
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I think it's difficult to ask people what their own style is – it is probably much easier to pinpoint the stylistically unique aspects of others' dances because they are easier to see.
I personally think style comes across mostly with stage presence and facial expressions, and even the almost imperceptible ways in which each woman (or man) moves her (or his) body differently (which probably has to do with differences in background training, self awareness, etc) – even excluding differences in level or flexibility. For instance I think you could probably watch Felix cane and Karol Helms do the same routine and both execute it perfectly, but I bet it would still look different.
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I just found the same crash mat on Amazon for $175!
I am soooo excited!!! 🙂
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Wow I feel really dumb that I didn't think of that. I've never used a vertical level so I didn't even think about that being an option…lol
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@Sascha – I am only in the middle of the second week of stretching which is a little more intense than the first week, but I have not been doing it for so long that I can guarantee it will help everyone, especially since improvement in flexibility depends on so many factors and each person is different. I think I am seeing some progress but it's hard to tell yet how much I have been improving because I can't really see unless I take pictures, which I will be doing each week to track my progress. I also started from about a foot off the ground so my flexibility isn't terrible to begin with. I can say though that when I started I could barely touch my toes (standing or sitting) and now after about a week and a half I can put my hands flat on the floor with very little warm-up. Like Veena said though, I'm not expecting a full, perfect split at the end of six weeks – I would be perfectly happy if I were still a couple inches off the ground, because it's better than where I am now!
I can say I like the program already though for the basic reason that it allows me to picture being able to do the splits in a set amount of time, and it lays out a routine I can follow every day that doesn't take hours. Regardless of whether or not my splits are totally on the ground at the end of six weeks, at least I will have been motivated to stretch every day – I know I would not have been stretching for the past week and a half if I had not run across the link!
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Thanks I'll try that!
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For reference, here's what I'm doing wrong (hips are not in line):
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_aKXWfBJ_Q4k/TS90KhFyOgI/AAAAAAAAABw/0bFXBlWbjfo/elbowstandattempt.png
…How do I fix this?
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Veena does a beautiful one in this video (@ 0:16) and she does it slowly enough that you may be able to follow it and teach yourself without a tutorial:
https://www.studioveena.com/videos/view/6cebf0de-b893-11df-856f-001b214581be
It looks like she starts the spin with her back to the pole and her left elbow hooking the pole as she puts her right hand lower down to grab behind her. She then leans forward into the spin as she swoops out her back left leg (on the same side of her body as the arm hooking the pole). She then bends her right leg slightly so that it also hooks around the pole and is no longer on the ground. She straightens out the hooked arm (it's still contacting the pole) and as she does that her other hand (the one gripping down lower on the pole) lets go. As she slides down in the spin the arm that was hooking the pole (which seems to remain in contact with the pole at all times) reaches up to grab higher and stabilize her as she approaches the floor.
points of contact: inner elbow of left arm, back, right side, inner right thigh, outer right calf
hope that helps!
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I feel like sometimes I get notifications and sometimes I don't. For instance, of the two people who have responded to my recent blog, I only got a notification for one of them. And I didn't get a notification when someone commented on a photo, but I did for friend requests and thread replies…(?)
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Yes, the stretching is different! Being able to do a split in the air without the ground to push against your legs is not just about flexibility, it's about strength. If you have been stretching passively (not engaging your muscles while you stretch) then you may not have the strength yet in that range of motion to bring your legs into the splits on their own. Here's a stretching program that has helped a lot of girls on this site (I'm also currently trying and blogging about it):
http://www.unique-bodyweight-exercises.com/splits.html
The stretches are simple and probably already familiar to you (i.e. toe touch, lunge) but what is different about the technique is that it calls for more participation from your muscles through isometric and what the author calls "take no prisoners" stretching. The techniques seem solid and there's a lot of background info that explains why you're doing each stretch a certain way.
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byrdgrrl – i have skype on my mac, so yep! it should work.
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a lot of girls (including me) on this site seem to be doing the "Front Splits in 6 Weeks" program. here's the link: http://www.unique-bodyweight-exercises.com/splits.html. it's great because it includes controlled tensing of your muscles while in the stretches (perfect if you have a busy schedule and don't have much extra time to strength train) to help you build up your strength in a wider range of motion while you increase your flexibility.
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the figs with cream cheese and prosciutto sound good! reminds me of bacon-wrapped dates…yummmm 🙂
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Scandalicious – funny you should post that link because that mat is exactly the one I was referring to when I started this thread (it was the cheapest one I could find). It looks like it would be perfect but for the time being it's out of my budget. 🙁
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anna- do you know if you can you get the foam from joann cut to any size? i checked their website and this is the closest thing i found (this comes in a set size – a 10ft. roll – and a different thickness and it's only available online): http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/productdetail.jsp?pageName=search&flag=true&PRODID=prd14653
