Kyrsten
Forum Replies Created
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The mikaelas are very stretchy. I have 36" hips and wear the XS even though I take a S in their other styles 🙂
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And you can still do ayshas in level 2, if I'm not mistaken, as long as you're using the forearm grip.
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What is the judging criteria? If you are being judged on the difficulty of your moves, it might be better to stay where you are comfortable rather than feel pressured to put in your most difficult tricks. I judged a L2/3/4 championships and we did have to mark people down for not having the same level of difficulty as the other competitors in their divisions. Is it a regional or national competition? Your competition will probably be tougher if it's national, so again it might be better to stay where you feel strong. Try looking at the videos of last year's competition to get an idea of where your skills might place you. One more thing: the 3 point of contact rule still leaves a LOT of room for advanced tricks! I have seen a lot of level 2 performances with some impressive stuff.
However if you just want to do level 3 for the experience and you're not concerned as much about placing, go for it! And remember even if you don't go with level 3 now, you can next time around – competitions aren't going anywhere 🙂 When I submitted for my first competition I had only been poling under a year and was mostly self taught, and I placed nearly dead last but I still loved having the experience.
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I did a partner stretch for my straddle today and oh lord did that stretch! LOL. I usually use the wall for resistance in my straddles but using a partner was like 4 times as intense..
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I believe there's a snap fitness in that area that does pole classes…
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Jallegra, banana splits, Reiko split, flying K, teddy split…
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Ugh… I can only imagine what the media will do with this…
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Yep, generally this is a trick that will take a lot of time and specific training to work toward. I was able to hold a solid Iron X for a year before I got the deadlift. Work the reverse – work on lowering your Iron X as painstakingly slow as you can, then lifting back to the pole. Keep working on that dead hang position too – you'll be able to hold it longer and longer.
The hardest part of the deadlift for me is the arms – you have to push REALLY REALLY hard. Same goes for the top – pull REALLY REALLY hard.
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I have a killer blister on the back of my ankle from new Pleasers! They are broken in now though. It sounds gross, but once you get a few good sessions with them and your feet get all hot and sweaty, the plastic expands. I always buy my dance heels tight for that reason. If they fit well to begin with I find they end up being a little too loose and I get toe overhang and wobbly ankles lol.
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Whoops, link didn't go:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QWrZl126EJs/TCQy2WJ-tWI/AAAAAAAAANY/ZxQvRElGZo4/s1600/YogaGypsy1.jpg
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I think allegra is more of a forward splits trick than a straddle/center trick? Especially in that back leg… need good flexibility in the quads and hip flexors for a nice flat allegra. It's like an out of square/turned out front split with a back bend…at least I think so.
I'd recommend this http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QWrZl126EJs/TCQy2WJ-tWI/AAAAAAAAANY/ZxQvRElGZo4/s1600/YogaGypsy1.jpg – one of my favorites for opening up that back hip and stretching the lower back 🙂
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I had a friend who ordered from her and complained about the same thing… she had to e-mail Tiffany multiple times and send her a few messages on Facebook. I'm not sure that she ever got a response, but she did get the shoes.
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I'd say it's also likely that it's overtight. I had this issue with a pole of mine. It was so tight the ceiling would creak and it didn't spin properly. But if you're nervous, try calling X-Pole's customer support like I did, having never set up an X-Pole myself lol. They are very helpful and will help you safely figure out what is wrong.
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I'd say it's also likely that it's overtight. I had this issue with a pole of mine. It was so tight the ceiling would creak and it didn't spin properly. But if you're nervous, try calling X-Pole's customer support like I did, having never set up an X-Pole myself lol. They are very helpful and will help you safely figure out what is wrong.
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I tried and can only get the first half of the trick – when I try to grab the bottom leg I fall. I think my point of contact on the arm isn’t quite right… In the album of people doing it it looks almost like wrist/forearm…
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Is the left arm the bottom one when you do this trick? I came to say just what Brumby said… If this is your first time working split grips it may be an overuse injury or strain. The same thing happened to my bottom arm elbow when I first started training for my iron X (tendinitis).
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I use an SSA pole frequently.
The good:
– The finish! PS stainless finish is really wonderful and my favorite of any finish I have tried.
– Easy locking mechanism with just the pin, and there's no slip cover to get in the way like with the tension mounted PS poles. You could lock/unlock the pole during a performance if you wanted, it's that easy.
– Wider dance area than an X-Stage, and it's really low to the ground and doesn't have the spokes. Seamless for floorwork.
– SUPER simple/quick assembly. I have to pack this thing into my compact car a lot and it fits without issue, and I can get it down and packed into the car or unpacked and back up in 10 minutes by myself. All of the pieces are really light except the base.The bad:
– I'm a small girl, about 105-110 lbs, and I manage to lift the base off the ground pretty frequently. Not a ton, just enough to make a thud, but I have seen heavier people/guys or inexperienced people (you know, the kind who take the run and leap onto the pole approach to spinning or climbing lol) do some things with it that made me nervous and I've seen it lift and tip considerably in those cases.
– Some of the pie pieces do wobble if you walk along the edges. It's not that bad, it doesn't affect my balance or anything, just makes a sound.
– Pole does wobble, but I don't notice it much. I don't think it's any worse than a standard x-stage but I have heard some people say otherwise.I do like the SSA a lot overall but I do feel X-Stages are generally sturdier… but it depends on what you are using it for and what you look for in a pole. 🙂
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Disclaimer: not an expert!
I can do a turned out/jazz split on my left side, but not quite squared. I have used Alethea's Pure Splits DVDs and she advocated starting to stretch for an oversplit when you are a few inches from the floor, which I tried. It's much easier to get close to the floor if you do. For my left split my back leg (right hip flexor) is flexible enough for a split but my front leg (left hamstring) isn't, so I use a yoga block under my front foot. I do a series of lunges and other stretches before trying this, and don't push yourself too hard… just to the point of slight discomfort. After I stretch using the yoga block my left split is under an inch off the ground. It helps me to use the yoga blocks for straddle stretches too… I always get much deeper into them after propping my heels on blocks. Just if you do train for oversplits be careful and don't try to force yourself onto the floor… it should just feel like a normal splits stretch with slightly more intensity.
Again, not a professional but it has worked well for me in getting my left split and in getting my chest on the floor in straddle. 🙂
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When people make that argument it just makes absolutely no sense to me! Have they ever seen volleybcompetitive volleyball or running with the teeny shorts and sports bras? Or the skintight gymnastics leotards? I fail to understand why they can't apply the same standards to pole as other sports. In many athletic activities excess clothing is at best a hindrance and at worst downright dangerous. And if they honestly can't look past a little bit of skin, well, this quote from Michelle Shimmy's blog comes to mind:
"If you can't watch a display of athleticism, strength, flexibility and sensuality without perceiving the dancer as an object, then you're the one with the problem, not us."
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I'm not a big drops person in the first place, but I usually do my drops on the chrome or stainless poles. Powder is way too grabby for me. It is possible though, it will just burn some more and you'll have to release a little more 🙂 I also find that the LM powder coat is not as grippy as our custom powder coat for some reason. The custom ones are REALLY grabby for me. The LMs just moderately.
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The LMs at one of my studios are fine. No damage, scratches, etc… they're a few years old.
We have custom powder coated poles at my main studio that are also a few years old and the coating seems thicker than the LM finish and more prone to scratching. Some of them are pretty beat up in places (chips and scratches) but nothing that effects pole use. Just aesthetics.
The finish itself has not worn off on either of the types, color hasn't faded, etc. Again both poles have been in pretty heavy use for a few years so I don't think there's much to worry about.
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I know exactly what kind of people you are talking about. I once posted a photo of myself stretching a straddle split (without my toes pointed… because I was flexibility training..) and this girl just unleashed on me in a comment. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_eek.gif LOL
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Just a warning on the spider back bra: https://www.studioveena.com/forums/view/5123f69f-f730-4565-a351-715e0ac37250 I'd read this thread before ordering. I still like mine but if you're looking for something supportive and comfy you might want to try another of their bras (they are all great except the spider back imo).
I have the gogo and Brazil shorts. The Brazil shorts are very flattering! If you don't want as much booty I'd go with medium but if you want tight and cheeky, perhaps a small. I am a size 2 and wear the smalls but I know girls up to a size 6 who do also. I think I could have gone XS on those. The gogo shorts run a little smaller and aren't as forgiving so I'd say a medium in those if you have a booty. 🙂
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I also think PPC (Pacific Pole Championships) has that same rule for their level 2 competitions, so looking up those performances on YouTube may also help.
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That rule is a bit strange to me.. there are tons of super advanced moves with 3+ poc while some tricks that aren't as advanced might have less… I mean heck, a spatchcock has more than 3 LOL.
– Shoulder mounts (if two each hand is 1 POC)… there are tons of shoulder mount variations to work with and some are pretty advanced (ie shoulder mount planche, the trapped leg SM split thing…)
– Iguana/pencil/bow and arrow type tricks… two hands and a shoulder again… or U-bend would be another mount that has two hands and a foot
– As for bendy tricks… allegra, various types of pole splits, twisted ballerinas and variations, Russian/oona split, closed scorpio or gemini, banana splits, bridge/crescents, chopsticks
– other stuff: marley, extended genie (with the elbows hooked), superman, remi + variations
But keep in mind that execution is important too and in many competitions big tricks won't necessarily get you any further than very fluid and well executed tricks with slightly less difficulty 🙂 Depends on the comp of course, but read the scoring guidelines carefully.
And think about it this way too: having to have 3 POC on the pole at all times should definitely challenge your creativity! I was thinking of some interesting combinations just writing this out.
