Katherine McKinney
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I think some light freestyling is a fantastic active rest activity! Walking is great, too. I also walk every day, whether I’m practicing or not.
Whenever I feel like my body needs it (usually 1-2 times a month) I give myself permission to laze about and do nothing for a day. Every 6-8 weeks, I also deload for a week, which gives me renewed energy and strength the following week.
Regarding feeling uncoordinated: This is such a normal feeling! I’ve been dancing over 10 years and only in the past couple of years do I feel proud of almost anything I throw together in a freestyle.
I think we sometimes think learning to freestyle should be one of the easiest things we do and get frustrated when it’s not. In reality, I think freestyling is one of the hardest skills to learn because it involves unconscious pulling from a big repertoire as well as really good prioception and body awareness. These things come in time and are a reward for the time you spend learning your body and what moves you enjoy putting together. Doing the movements many, many times is what smooths them out. For me, at least, there was no shortcut to that.
On the other hand, getting a trick, while not easy, can be simpler because there are often straightforward progressions and strengthening/flexibility exercises you can do to get you there. But with freestyling/flow, different things work for different people, and again, just putting the time in is really important.
All that is to say that you sound like you have a great, healthy routine in place! As long as it brings you joy, you are excelling in pole. If it isn’t, then maybe take a closer look at what is bringing you down (for me, I make sure I skip right past the 10-year old gymnast pole videos, lol. Nothing wrong with them, but they do not bring me joy!). If you haven’t already, search out plus-size dancers like Roz “The Diva” Mays to see how gorgeous diverse bodies can be in pole.
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Oh! On the inspiration side, it’s good to keep on mind that your desire to pole will ebb and flow, and that’s okay. It’s good to build up some habits so during the low times, you can keep going and enjoying the benefits of dancing. I’ve found that even in my lowest times, I never regret my worst practices because of the endorphin rush after. I also think this comment I saw on Reddit is very helpful for continuing on the path:
Hello lovelies, I’ve seen some people and comments feeling discouraged lately both on this reddit and in the gym I attend. Just wanted to say something about mindset that has helped me keep silks as something I love even after 3 years of slow progress (I started from zero strength and little flexibility). 3 years may not seem like much to some but I have ADHD and VERY rarely stick to a hobby for even half a year, plus had two non silks related physical injuries with months of recovery each and it was tough to lose so much progress in that time
I’m not sure who all here practices yoga, but there’s this concept in yoga that each class, sequence, pose is completely independent from the next so you should never compare yourself to the last time you did a pose, and you should never expect anything for the next time you did a pose. Before and after each yoga class, some of my favorite teachers have asked that we let go of expectations whether we felt great or terrible, you don’t take it into your day aka “leave it on the mat” and just enjoy the process of showing up.
Well, sometimes when I’m in class and I can’t get my damn hip key even though I got it in the last few classes, and I just want to cry! I stop and think of this yoga principle and try to let go of my expectations for myself. Bodies change every day, some days I fuel my body super well and feel really strong! Other days its the day before I’m gonna get my period and my strength is drained whether I know it or not. Sometimes I can look good in a split in the air, other days I have to settle for a stag pose and enjoy the challenge of finding pretty poses even though my spatial awareness is historically lacking.
And one more comment that spoke to me:
If I was always able to do the things I could do last class, then every day would be my best training day ever. Which is obviously not realistic.
But if you imagine your progress more realistically as an overall upward trend with small fluctuations, like a graph of the stock market, then you know that even a bad training day right now is probably better than your best training day some weeks/months/years ago, which is a pretty great feeling! And (safely) pushing yourself on an off-day will still help you build strength and stamina, so you have the right to feel proud at the end of a hard class regardless of what skills you accomplished.
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Hi, there!
I think it helps to have a starting inspiration for yourself. There are a lot of all-time greats out there, both exotic and otherwise. If you haven’t yet, start searching for videos to see which ones move you. For example, Alethea Austin, Sarah Jade, Marion Crampe, Marlo Fisken, Jenyne Butterfly, Cleo the Hurricane. When you find someone’s style that calls to you, pick out something you’d like to work toward, and begin working up to that move (baby steps or strengthening/flexibility if it’s a hard one!) as well as dancing/freestyling or creating a routine in their style.
On active rest days, you can keep the fire burning by searching for songs you want to dance to, building a playlist, planning out your routine, or watching the next Veena video you want to incorporate. I hope this provides some ideas!
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I get that feeling, Veena. Thanks for sharing!
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So glad to see you back, Veena!
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Congrats!! I’m so happy for you!
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Hooray!! Congratulations! Back hook was the only one I could do for some time, but the more I did it, the more I understood how to hold the pole. I think the next one I got was Peter Pan because it was an easier handgrip.
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I showed my husband this (he has put up and taken down xpoles for me countless times over the years) and this is what he said.
Apply light pressure to the screw while turning the pole itself (i.e. tightening or loosening). After no more than 1/3 of a revolution, the set screw should go flush.
He also said if you’ve been trying to turn the screw when it wouldn’t go in easily, it might be damaged. If the above tip doesn’t work, maybe call xpole to see if they can help? I bet they’ve seen this issue before and could walk you through it.
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OMG, those are hilarious, Veena!! I think the 2009 one was my favorite because that time in pole was just awesome. It’s so funny to watch these videos and think about how pole styles have evolved over the years.
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PoleAdventures, I love the creepy Gram video. Great moves and nice use of editing for the spooky factor!
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I haven’t made a Halloween video since 2015, and I’ve come a ways since then, even with an injury, lol. In this video I was I think 2 months pregnant with my son. It’s nice to look back and reminisce!
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Yes, advanced would also be great!
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I too struggled with spins the most in the beginning. The only spin I was able to get for a few months was a back hook, and only through way of a stripper/ninja kick. Have you tried that variation of the back hook? It helped me get the POC and opened the door for other spins.
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If this came to fruition, I would gladly get the certification and brag about it when/if I go back to teaching in a studio!
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Uuuugh. Okay, yesterday wasn’t my bendiest practice, but I’m running into an issue where if I focus on the back leg, my front leg looks awful, and vice versa. This photo was the best I could do, and it’s HARD to grab that back leg lower than the ankle!! I’m wondering if it’s better to focus on grabbing the back leg before worrying about the front leg or vice versa.
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StrangeFox, saaaame. My PT for an injury included a lot of work on glutes, so I’m hoping that pays off at some point! Maybe we should post progress pics to this thread?
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Pole Raven, thank you!
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Thank you for the tip! I’m going to give that a try tomorrow and will post the results.
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I think spinning lessons are a great idea and something I don’t see too often!
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Hi, there! I used to be advanced and teach pole, but now I mainly do aerial silks and so am not nearly as on top of pole as I used to be. I’m trying to get back into it more lately, so I wouldn’t mind another Skype pole buddy. Plus, I see you are in Valdosta, GA–I lived there for a decade and would love to connect on that level, too. 🙂
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I agree that it is very distracting to have students working on moves that I am not teaching in my classes. It is also frustrating for students, and I have been told this many times by many different students.
Because of this, I do not allow students to work on moves that I am not teaching. However, in order to challenge students that are not beginner, I come prepared to throw more work at them! If there is a more advanced version of a move, I allow experienced students to work on it. I provide them with alternative ways into the move and ask them to practice. I ask them to transition into and out of the move using other beginner moves.
There are many ways to continue challenging students who are not beginners. However, I do feel that it is very important for students to work on what the instructor asks them to. As another poster noted, moves can always be perfected. The basics are lost if not practiced over and over again, and you will increase strength and improve flow even as an expert practicing beginner moves. I remind students of this all the time!
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I just had a baby last year, and I agree with Veena 100%. I don’t fit into mom groups as a mom because I don’t have the same complaints, and I DON’T want to talk about my baby when I’m in the company of other kickass women. In fact, I’d rather talk about just about anything else! I have a sweet little guy, and much like Veena said, we don’t fit our lives around him. Instead, we fit him into our lives! This means that pole time is a priority that is right up there with work, and thankfully I have a spouse who supports that completely.
I’ll be 32 in July, and I’m a mom who never thought I would be a mom. I was terrified about having a child–terrified that I wouldn’t be me anymore, terrified that it would be too difficult for me–but I have found that it is not as difficult as I always heard it was! Regardless of whether or not you become a mom, I would say that the best way to decide is to think of becoming a mother as taking on another really important job on top of the responsibilities you already have–and you don’t even know if you’ll like the job until you start it! However, if you do like it, it is incredibly rewarding and fulfilling.
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I agree with donnalee. Having sold and bought two houses in the past three years, go for clean, bright, and bland! It’s not fair, but a pole will turn away many buyers who won’t be able to think of other purposes for that room and will thinking about what you do in that room rather than what their lives would be like in that room.
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I’ve been on since 2010! I’d love for us all to chat more. The pole world sure has changed quite a bit since then! Chemgoddess, I completely agree with you. I am doing my best, but the pole world is just different now. This site is the closest I get to that passion I used to feel.
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Summerthyme,
First of all, I’m looking at your pole photos and thinking that you’re an incredible woman! You have gorgeous lines on the pole. It’s good to occasionally think about what you’ve already accomplished to keep you going through the dark. I don’t have a lot to add to this discussion medically, but one technique that has helped me in the past when I was working a crap job and didn’t feel that I had the time or energy to pole is to start scheduling my workouts.
I know that sounds terrible! Pole is supposed to be fun and an escape, etc. However, I’ve found that sometimes I have to schedule my escape, just like I have to schedule a vacation. And sometimes I don’t even want that escape/exercise at first and have to drag myself through it, but I always feel better after doing it. Once it becomes a habit, the fun and spontaneity will creep back in. If you’re tired when you get home, is it possible to schedule your work out for early in the morning before work? What about days off? Sometimes you just have to find the time and schedule in your fun in order to take it seriously. This may or may not work for you, but it’s what has worked for me in the past. Either way, I’m rooting for you!
