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UH-MAZE-ING! Jungle it brings me to tears to see how far you have come in the pole world… God certainly has blessed you with a lot of talent and I feel so blessed to know you! (seriously, not exaggerating…) You’re awesome, no ifs, ands, or buts. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cheers.gif

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Personally, I like the anonymity that boards provide. I’ve heard from some of the professional polers that they have profiles on boards that are not their real names as well. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif I think it’s good to be able to just be "polers" on the board and not have to identify with a specific group. But that’s just my .02 cents.

I just meant to help know where someone is speaking from when they ask for or give advice, etc. Like if I post for help on a move, it would be nice to know whether or not the advice is from another pole dancer or if it’s coming from a professional instructor. And of course, if someone doesn’t want to be known by who they "actually are" on the forums, they don’t have to join the group or they can always use a pseudonym or make sure they never reveal their identity. I can understand wanting anonymity – I have 2 Facebook profiles – one for "me" and one for my pole persona – for that very reason. It was just a thought, that’s all. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif

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Maybe just try what I did – go without for a trail period (trick yourself and switch to decaf *shifty eyes*) and see if you notice a difference??? https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_scratch.gif But like I said, with me, I didn’t notice a difference until I went back to caffeine and it was like, "Holy crap! This SUCKS!!!" and that alone was enough motivation to make more of an effort to go without.

Oh, just FYI: if you’re used to that much caffeine, backing off slowly might be a good idea because you can get addicted to caffeine, and it’s most likely that you are if you drink that much of it… So have painkillers on hand for those withdrawal headaches. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_thumright.gif

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I have anxiety and depression problems, too – I used to be on medication for the panic attacks (chest pains) but all it did was change my daily, dull panic attacks into a once a week, completely debilitating one. I stopped taking the meds when I got pregnant because I didn’t want to risk the effects on my baby. I never got back on them.

This is obviously still a struggle for me, but I have had to learn just to make myself change the subject sometimes; worrying and stressing over stuff obviously doesn’t help or solve anything, so I’ve just had to learn to think about something else. And if I can’t get my mind off the stressful subject, then I physically go find something to do that will keep my mind occupied.

For me, my mind is my own prison; getting my mind to shut down has always been the biggest challenge. However, there are a few things that I’ve learned that help me "stop" thinking: reading and writing. I find a book that isn’t very long, doesn’t require much to figure out what’s going on, and has good pacing so it holds my attention and won’t let my mind wander. Cheap romance novels work pretty well for me. Also, I like to write fiction, and the stuff I write is similar to what I read (not the cheap romance novel part, but the other stuff https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_tongue.gif). Journaling is nice, too, but doesn’t always help me. And pole, of course, is another outlet.

Also, another thing (I’m sorry if someone else mentioned this and I missed it): caffeine makes anxiety worse. I had heard that but never really bought into it. But to test it, I cut caffeine out of my diet for a few weeks once and while I didn’t notice a difference initially, I had a Mountain Dew after the break and I was a wreck for a few days afterward. Just one bottle of soda gives me chest pains, jitters, makes me jumpy, and restless for 2 or 3 days, so I avoid it. It doesn’t help with my thoughts, but it’s nice to not be in physical pain… Everyone has different sensitivities to caffeine, and you might avoid caffeine already, but just thought I’d put that out there.

Good luck, Glitter, keep us posted! Let us know if there’s anything we can do to help!

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Also, along these same lines, is there a way to mark people by who they are? Like how Veena and Webmaster are administrators/moderators, is there a way to add the groups and titles of studio owners, professional performers (like Amber and Karol), venders (like MightyGrip and PoleSkivvies), "regular" pole students, etc.? I’ve seen other forums do something along these lines, don’t know if it would be possible for this forum or not… Just a thought. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif

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Like Philly said, pouring water on it will help it regain its shape. You could also use ice cubes – but them in the indent, that way you don’t dump a gallon of water on the carpet by mistake and end up with mold growing under the carpet or something. The ice cube trick is a common one in the real estate world, I guess.

In the mobile home I used to live in, however, the dent didn’t come out after a couple of months, even after using ice and steam cleaning it. But that carpet was one of those thin ones with short, rather stiff fibers. I had also left my X-Pole up in the same spot for about a year, only taking it down to clean it. So my situation is a bit extreme https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_lol.gif I miss poling on that carpet, though – I could wear heels without clacking whenever I walked and I could do elbow stands, etc. much more comfortably.

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I’ve heard of joists being 16" or 24" apart (it’s 16" for wall studs so it can line up perfectly with a standard sheet of drywall, not always the case with ceilings). I’m in the US, though.

The joists SHOULD be right under the seams in the ceiling… the seams should be from the spackle where it was applied over the screw holes and at the edges of the drywall (assuming you have drywall).

The edges of the pieces of drywall have to be attached to something (again, assuming you have drywall). I’ve never seen or heard of drywall not being screwed to the studs at the edges… I would assume that would be bad construction because drywall can warp over time, buildings shift as they settle, etc. which are all things that would bust a ceiling open if the drywall wasn’t attached by the edges. So I think it’s usually safe to assume that there’s a joist under visible seams in a ceiling, although double checking by using a stud finder or knocking is always a good idea.

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Kandipole – thanks for the info on sugaring, I’m going to have to try that! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif I’ve always been a shaver; I tried waxing a couple times and it wasn’t fun… But the at-home sugaring looks much more promising. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_mrgreen.gif

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Just from reading the responses here I have a few ideas why everyone is having problems with their chrome and thought I’d share… Just my 2 cents worth, feel free to disregard. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_salut.gif

Ohohraptor: FYI: Stainless gets grippier over time, so it’s possible that the stainless you used before had been used enough to improve the grip. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif And yes, I do see that you have a titanium pole now – I’m jealous! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_tongue.gif

I live in SC which is pretty humid right now, so shouldn’t chrome be grippy now?
High humidity makes the pole slicker – when it rains, it’ll be even harder to grip. Chrome and the east coast isn’t always a good combination because it’s more humid on this side of the country. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_tongue.gif

I still had grip issues ever when the room was cold.
You also can’t grip as well when the pole is cold – if you do some spins and climbs on it as you warm up your body it’ll warm up the pole, too. If you have the AC blasting, that pole will get cold again pretty quickly between moves.

I think it may be because I have dry skin and so my palms start to sweat a lot?
If you’re too sweaty you can’t grip, but you also can’t grip if your skin is too dry – if you’re prone to dry skin, use lotion several hours before poling and your grip should be better (doesn’t help so much with the hands, just with the rest of the body). If you have problems with your hands sweating, then you may want to look into hand antiperspirants.

Hookedonpole: if you’re looking for something just to help you hold on better, then Mighty Grip and similar products are what you are looking for. If you’re looking to stop the sweating so you can grip better, then try hand antiperspirants like Dry Hands and Tite Grip. Example: If sweatiness isn’t the problem and you try Tite Grip, you’ll find that it won’t help you at all. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif

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Georgiamarie – I loved that post of yours! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif Could I put a general link to your website on my blog??? (not that many people read my blog, but you know… https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_tongue.gif)

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I just wanted to chime in with my 2 cents https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif: In my opinion, every single type and brand of pole is prone to problems of one kind or another, and a lot of problems fall under the category of user error (not all problems, obviously, just a lot of them ). Everyone is different: need different features, put different kinds of stress on the pole depending on their weight, moves they do, etc. and encounter different problems with different kinds of poles because of that.

I think what it comes down to is finding the type of pole that you feel meets your needs and then making sure that you do lots of research on how to take care of it – read up on what to do to avoid problems and what to do if you do have a problem. Stuff may still happen, but you decrease the chances by taking good care of it.

People didn’t like the original X-Poles with the threaded joints because people were getting them stuck, so they came out with the X-joints; now people are having problems with those, too. I have one of the originals and while my joints do get stuck occasionally, I’ve been around long enough that I know several tricks to getting them to come apart and have always (eventually) succeeded. So I would say if you’ve decided the X-Pert is the pole for you, then go ahead and do it – just read up and make sure you take good care of it. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif

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This is all terminology that I’m not familiar with… Thanks for the link to the .pdf, Amyxshi – now I can get up to speed a bit. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif I knew that the one move wasn’t actually a lunchbox, because to me that’s also specifically from the iguana, but I was just trying to make sure that I was visualizing the correct position to begin with from her description. I’ve seen it several times and I’d love to learn it someday, but it scares me… I’d be afraid of falling backwards. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_confused.gif

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Yes, the non-tack is for static but the material is dull. The tacky material is like PVC. I’m attaching a picture – non-tack on the left, tacky on the right.

I emailed Joel and it appears that he’s replied… lol. He’s an awesome guy. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif

And yes, a picture would definitely be useful to be able to see the damage. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif

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I’m confused – you said you have the non-tack but the material is shiny??? https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_scratch.gif The tacky material is shiny, the non-tack isn’t shiny at all…

Where is it ripping? Is it coming apart at the seams or is the material splitting right down the middle?

I had heard of some people complaining about the tack material coming off of their gloves or the ankle protectors. I’m going to email Joel…

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I can’t do this one but I’m pretty sure the first move you’re referring to is called the aysha arch (I’m sure it has other names). All I know is that you have to have wicked core strength so you don’t break your back when you do this.

The second one… https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_confused.gif um, sounds like a lunchbox using a split grip instead of iguana (once again it probably has another name) … do you have a video or a picture to link to??

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Another thing to keep in mind is that even though you’re not supposed to use lotion before you pole, having skin that’s too dry will also made you slide off. That’s my problem with this time of year, with it getting colder/dryer outside and the forced air, my skin dries out and I can’t grip as well. The solution is to use lotion several hours before poling, like putting lotion on in the morning and poling that night.

There are a lot of factors that effect grip, and it can be annoying to figure out which one it is. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_mad.gif

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This page on the X-Pole UK site says it won’t be available until spring:

http://www.x-pole.co.uk/index.php?page=shop.product_details&category_id=22&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=129&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=89&vmcchk=1&Itemid=89" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I’d imagine that the UK would have it available before the US, so… https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_confused.gif

That was Spring 2010.

Ah yes, good observation. I’m an idiot (but we already knew that) https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_tongue.gif I’m surprised some sort of update hasn’t been posted since then, though… https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_confused.gif

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This page on the X-Pole UK site says it won’t be available until spring:

http://www.x-pole.co.uk/index.php?page=shop.product_details&category_id=22&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=129&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=89&vmcchk=1&Itemid=89

I’d imagine that the UK would have it available before the US, so… https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_confused.gif

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I have 3 pairs of Pleasers and I love them – a pair of 7" clear ones, a 5" pair of black ones, and a pair of 7" thigh-high boots. I have no problems with any of them, except the toe strap on the black pair is a hair loose – however, after wearing them for a while and my feet swell a bit, I don’t even notice. I wore those shoes walking across Manhattan on my way to the USPDF National Comp. earlier this year and I wouldn’t have been able to do that if they didn’t fit well! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_tongue.gif

I normally wear about a 7.5 in those types of shoes and I got my Pleasers in a 7 (they don’t have half sizes, or at least they didn’t then…). If you’re concerned about sizing, make sure you order them from a site that has a good exchange/refund policy. I got my shoes from shoebuy.com. Sometimes the shoes stretch out over time – like a couple others have mentioned – so ordering a bit on the small side might be a good idea. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif

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Arianna – Bace is right, those instructions are for the original X-Poles that the pieces screwed together, NOT for the X-Pert. But definitely go with what Bace posted. If all else fails, email X-Pole.

I’m curious about the no water thing, myself. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_scratch.gif Will the parts rust or something??? Water wasn’t a problem with the original poles…

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I learned it by doing the shoulder dismount, also – but you have to be very careful: make sure to go slow, that you do it next to the floor, and that you are very aware of where your body parts are in relation to the pole (it’s easy to get disoriented). Some people don’t recommend that you learn the dismount first, but I know that several people have learned the mount only after learning the dismount.

I thought of it like I was doing a forward roll off the pole, just with trying to hold it before your back touches the floor. Get your grip, tuck your chin a bit (not so much that your chin is touching your neck, though), curl your back, roll forward so your shoulder is against the pole and hold it there as you continue to roll your back down to the floor. Only let go with your legs when you know you won’t drop your back right to the floor – even if it’s just a couple inches, it hurts… lol https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_tongue.gif Then over time, try to hover for a moment before going to the floor. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif

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I can’t take credit for this idea (RaRa suggested this to me once), but do you have a big markerboard or posterboard? Write down all the moves you know or just specific ones, like floorwork, and prop it up in your pole space. When you’re practicing and you get stuck, look up at the board and pick a move to transition to. Or just make general lists of moves that you know and pick specific sequences and combos to work on during each practice session. Good luck https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif

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I started out on a chrome 50mm and earlier this year I bought the pole pieces for a 45mm (kept the same dome and base, just got the stuff in between in the other size). The first couple times I used it I thought it was great, but the more I did, the more I found myself preferring the 50. The hand grip was a bit easier with the 45, but I couldn’t do jack with my legs. I hardly had to work at gripping with my legs on the 50, but I couldn’t do it at all with the 45 and I hated it. I haven’t been poling very much lately, but the few times I have, I’ve been putting up the 50 because it’s easier for me. But I’m still glad I have both.

But this isn’t typical – most people that I’ve seen have changed from a 50 to a 45 and preferred the 45. To each their own.

So you may have problems with your hand grip if you got a 45 then switched back to a 50 since it’s harder to grip the larger size with your hands, but everyone’s different and it may not effect you at all – especially since you’re used to the 50. Like everyone said – having a variety of poles is a good thing and will make you a more versatile poler overall. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif

There’s my 2 cents (if it’s even worth that much https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_tongue.gif).

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I have super sweaty hands, and I know a lot of it is mental – even thinking about pole makes my hands start sweating more. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_eek.gif However, I also have no idea how to reverse it! And it’s just my hands, it’s not like I overly sweat on the other areas of my body.

I’ve used several grip aids and nothing helps – I sweat right through Tite Grip and Dry Hands. I ended up getting a pair of gloves, and that’s the only thing that works for me (except I’ve sweat enough to soak through the gloves on a couple occasions).

So yeah, I can relate. It sucks… https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_neutral.gif

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Polefairy – What you’re talking about is the original plain ol’ X-Poles – there is no "old style X-Pert" because the X-Pert is the pole with the X-joints by definition. I’m not trying to lecture – just an FYI https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif

The original X-Poles with the threaded joints are still available, but you need to call X-Pole to order them – they aren’t available online. I have one of the original 50mm ones, too, and I wanted a 45mm without buying a whole new pole. So I emailed X-Pole asking if I could order just the pole pieces for a 45mm without buying a new base and dome, and they said of course and to call them to place an order. So I have both now https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif

I know they came out with the X-joints in the hopes of avoiding the stuck pieces that happened frequently with the old threaded joints, but it seems people are still having problems, anyway… While I wish my pole was bottom-loading, I have absolutely no problems with the old threaded joints!