[Onahnie]

Haha, Veena, you used my magic number (I'm 5'2" on a "good" day).

 

[Onahnie]

I've used all three. For reference, I'm about 5'2" and have hands that are just under 6" from wrist to tip of middle finger and about 2.5-3" wide in the palm. On a 50 mm, my fingers don't touch around the pole, on a 45mm they just barely touch thumb to middle finger at the closest I can bring them, and on a 40, there's overlap of the first knuckles of thumb and middle finger.

I find the 50mm to bring too big to comfortably do anything. The first pole I used was a 50mm chrome, then I switched to a 45mm at the studio (and what I have at home). (I did use a 50mm brass about a year later and found I was much better, probably due to improved/strengthened grip).   I also have used 40mm chrome and either 40 or 38 mm brass (whatever is at Milan studio in Montreal).  The smaller sizes felt unbelievably tiny, even though it was just a 5mm drop (feels much more obvious than a 50 to a 45, so you'll really notice a 50 go 40 mm drop).  

However, I found the 40 mm the "easiest" to use, once you adjust to the size difference. It definitely requires less perceived strength/effort in hand gripped moves (e.g., extended butterfly, cupped grip shoulder mount), and although it does require you to grip tighten for leg grips, I didn't feel any less secure on it than on a 45mm, even in a CAR and bridged CAR.  (I will say, some moves requiring a lot of tight/squeezed knee grips were more comfortable on it, like a Marley (holding both feet) or cupid/star (no hands or holding foot of bent leg)).  But those are also moves I won't do on a 50mm, because I can just barely do them on a 45 without feeling like I'm crushing the back of my knee.  

I'd say overall though, my favorite is the 45, since I find it easier to apply anything learned to both 50 (with some sketchy hand grip at times) and easily to the 40mm.  If I were going get a 2nd pole though, it would probably be a 40 or 38mm.  I rarely ever touch a 50mm now.

Is there anywhere you can go to test out one of the smaller poles first? 

[Onahnie]

(sorry for multiple posts, just adding things as I remember) mine was also an awful episode.  The stabbing pain was there with even the slightest inhale, so it was extremely hard to breathe (never really appreciated painless breathing before this).  Laughing was excruciating.  Some days, there wasn't even a trigger and it would go suddenly excruciating (which was when I started the muscle relaxants, but they didn't seem to help). Lasted about 2 weeks before I got to a comfortable level again.

[Onahnie]

Also, mine was a more to the left of sternum, in heart and general breast region (but mine involved two ribs).  Symptoms mimic those of angina or pleurisy.  And same onset, I just woke up with it.

[Onahnie]

I've had the same pain in the past (prior to pole) and also recently within the last few months. This last episode was bad and didn't stop killing on inhales/forward/side bends/laughing for about a week (was on muscle relaxants and although everything was relaxed and numb, the sharp stabbing pain was still there). 

Learned a few days in that I had two rib subluxation (slipped ribs), t4 and t5 at sternum.  Nothing you can do about it (except have them manipulated back in place by a high, everage, physio or chiropractor).. Even when back in place though, it'll take a good 4-6 weeks for the tissue to heal.  Once mine were back in and pain was pretty much absent  (about 2 weeks later), except at the end of very large inhales (mild pain), I could feel my ribs wiggling around near sternum at the end of a large inhale (sort of like gritting teeth back and forth), since that's when theyd be maximally spread.  

 

Im not saying this is what you have, but you might want to bring it up as an option when getting checked out, to rule out anything else. (slipped ribs can be fairly common-as I said, I've had them in the past, unrelated to pole)

[Onahnie]

The other suspicious thing, just so you are aware, is that the auction lists it's for different sizes, etc, but there is only one auction (and it's auction-style, not quantity).  Also, seller has zero feedback and just created alias in June. 

[Onahnie]

For full, squared aerial splits, you pretty much need an oversplit. When you're right-side-up on the ground, you have the added benefit of gravity, whereas you're working AGAINST gravity in the air, so you almost always lose a bit of the range. Aside from that, try to really "pull" the back foot (or both feet for middle splits) toward the ground.  In both inverted and against-gravity positions like the chopsticks, really engage that back hamstring and glut to pull the leg farther (pulling the front leg up is rarely the problem)

[Onahnie]

Probably… I still can't do a CAR or CKR..  (due to inner thigh pain and overall fear), but I can easily chopper/invert/aerial invert/aerial chopper and hook and reach over and go into cupid/marley/spider climb.

Just keep practicing–it'll get easier with time 🙂

[Onahnie]

The other thing is, you say you can do a gemini/outside leg hang–how do you release your outside hand for this? It’s the same thing, just keep your inside hand on pole and release the outside hand and reach up/over the knee. 🙂

[Onahnie]

Hi Joyful,

You’re right–it is an extra step, but I found it helped me when first learning to reach over it–at first, as additional leverage (as I wouldn’t extend out fully into jasmine), then as I gained more endurance to do multiple moves, I’d extend fully into jasmine and turn it into a combo. 🙂

I don’t think it’ll necessarily become habit unless you make it habit–i just rewatched my first marley video (from about 1-2 mths ago) and see that I no longer do it. Now, once inverted and my knee is hooked, I keep holding with my lower/inside hand (right hand, as I invert on the right) and reach up and over with the left/outside hand to grab over my knee. BUT, I used to have the issue as you: once I’d inverted and hooked, my knee was almost catching my hand. I found, I wasn’t able to habe “free” hands until I had a solid, high invert or when I had a good chopper. I’m not sure which way you’re inverting: for the basic, I’d say to bring your crotch/legs against the pole first (you can put then around pole too), but before you grab the pole with them, make sure you , with your hands and body, pull yourself upwards so you’re in a straight line and thisway, your knees should be well above your hands. If in a chopper, be sure you’re fully upside-down/tilted back and when hooking your knee, make sure to hook above your hands.

[Onahnie]

https://www.studioveena.com/galleries/view/4f87a0b3-4748-4ae7-9395-40e50ac37250

This is jasmine/shooting star:  if you bend forward a bit at waist and put inside arm higher on pole, then you'll be able to have, everage to push left hand above hooked knee.

 

 

 

[Onahnie]

*should say "if you didn't want to let go of your LEFT hand…"

[Onahnie]

I find, to reach up and over my hooked knee when in Gemini, (to get into the cupid or marley), it's easier if I go into the positioning for a jasmine/shooting star (?) first, where you place the top of your right (inside) leg against pole and your inside hand (righT, for me) on pole, maybe just lower than waist and push up on that hand to leverage your body higher so you can grab the pole above hooked outside knee with your outside hand (left).  If you didn't want to let go of your leg hand, you don't have to, until you're secure on the pole with your hooked outside leg, top of your inside thigh, and inside hand on pole.

Does this make sense?

 

[Onahnie]

Ok, another studio I found online which may work (depending on schedule) is Pole Velocity (@ the Discovery Centre).  Has anyone been there? ('m interested in the "just pole tricks" drop in on saturdays)

[Onahnie]

I looked at a few.. The actors gymnasium looks interesting, but it’s about an hour away from where I’ll be (by metro). If I recall correctly, both s factor and flirty girl seemed a little more nearby (just outside the loop)..

The only thing I noticed was that neither have an intermediate/advanced drop-in.. S factor has an “open pole” one (where you can just practice), and I think flirty girl had an advanced, but only if you’ve taken their previous courses. I’d prob be considered intermediate but still DEFINITELY learning, but I’d still prefer to learn a new trick or two, if possible. I did find another one which offered advanced classes if you’ve taken @ least 6 mths of pole (which is basically where I am). Can’t remember if that was flirty girl or anOther..

I have the sites open on my computer @ home, can chime in later for opinions on those studios when I’m home.