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Jooser–I wish all pole teachers taught like that! I incorporate rings into my non-pole workouts, and it definitely helps you to understand how to engage the muscles necessary to pull yourself upside down on a pole. I've been doing strength training since I was a teenager, so over the last several years I've done lots of chin-ups and pull-ups, and that's how I think of doing an invert–when you're doing a proper chin-up you're in a dead hang and can't use momentum or jumping to get up to the bar, so I pull myself up the same way I would while doing a chin-up. That really helped me visualize how to do it using my muscles and not my momentum. I think too many people just invert before they have the strength to do it properly because it looks cool. That's exactly what my friend was doing–though I told her several times that a proper invert, even a basic one, took a lot more upper body and ab strength than you would imagine, she still decided she was going upside down and just hurled herself into it. I'm glad she doesn't have her own pole and won't have the financial means to get one for a long time, because I know she'd be inverting on it despite what I told her and would probably end up injured eventually, or at the very least picking up some very bad habits. A lot of people do the same thing, it's just unfortunate that some of them go on to teach.

HannahElizabeth–it sounds like the same one. I cringed too when I saw it, and then when I realized she was an actual instructor my jaw dropped a little bit. All I could think was how dangerous it was and how many people might be picking her bad habits up as well. I actually showed the video to my sister, who knows next to nothing about pole dancing except that it looks cool, and even she said it looked pretty clunky. I don't think she was as horrified as me, but that's probably just because she doesn't know how to invert and doesn't understand just how badly it was done. To her, it just either looks good or it doesn't look good. 

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Congrats on your new pole! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cheers.gif

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I agree PMing is probably best–I definitely feel uncomfortable about calling out someone who is an instructor, particularly when I am not, and while you're right, Polefairy, I don't know how exactly she is teaching from watching one YT vid, I assume that if she is using bad technique to get into even a basic invert in a video, then I would imagine that is how she is demonstrating the moves to her students as well. I too thought that she might be a beginner instructor just teaching spins and floorwork and whatnot, however one of the comments was from someone who said they were a student of hers and that she was now a level 4. I know every studio is different, but every studio I've known of, a level 4 is intermediate at least and inverts are being taught. I guess it depends on how many levels they have, but still. Level 4 seems pretty high for teaching beginner spins and floorwork.

I did watch a video of another instructor from the same studio and she was much better–she did hop into her inverts a little bit, but she had a lot more control and didn't have to fumble to get into her invert, which made me feel a bit better, so hopefully it's just this one instructor.

She just reminded me of a friend who used to come and pole with me who would attempt to invert even after I cautioned her several times not to because she was an absolute beginner with no upper body strength. After warning her not to do it, she tried inverting three different times whenever I looked away–once she actually managed to, but only by really throwing herself into the move and by pure dumb luck managing to hook her ankles. The instructor didn't use as much momentum as my friend did, but she definitely didn't lift into it and she had trouble getting herself situated once she was upside down. I guess that was why it bothered me so much–it made me cringe when my friend did it because all I could think of was how dangerous it was, and to see an instructor do the same thing, even to a lesser degree just really struck me.

I'm really not concerned with a little hop here or there–while I would still much rather see all lift and no hop, I understand sometimes people just push off a foot harder than they mean to, or they're being a bit lazy that day or whatever. What concerns me is when I see almost all momentum and no lift being used to get into an invert.  

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"Unfortunately, just as there are crappy doctors, and crappy school teachers, there will always be crappy pole instructors too."

True. I did think about leaving a comment on the video about how she was not engaging her muscles properly by flinging herself into the invert like that and was opening herself–and any students she taught as well–to injury by doing that, but then I thought 'well, she's already an instructor, it's not like I can do anything.' But now I've been thinking about it, and people are going to watch that video and figure since she's an instructor she's doing it properly and might emulate her. I'm just trying to figure out exactly how I could word a comment in a way that wouldn't rile anyone too much–nobody listens to constructive criticism if they're pissed off.

Kobajo–this was a stationary pole and it was just a static hold she was doing, so she wasn't trying to get momentum for a spin. I push off one foot to get a faster spin if I'm doing a spinning v or scorpio on my pole since it's static only, but even then I'm still lifting into it for the most part. And this wasn't just a little hop or something she did–I can deal with that–this was a fling your legs up and get ahold of it however you could.

" I've even heard people say that conditioning exercises weren't really necessary for the basic invert which is sad because without those it leads to the jumping into invert."  

That's scary–if you don't learn which muscles to use in a basic invert, how are you supposed to understand how to properly execute more advanced inverts? Any instructor claiming that really shouldn't be teaching.

It just galls me that people don't stop and think for a second. Pole dancing is very demanding and has the potential for a lot of injuries if safe techniques are not being taught. If you want to be an instructor, fine, but safety should be your number one priority for you and your students.

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"But it seems ok to think it needs a guy name, would i really want a "girl" between my thigh? probably not LOL."

You bring up an interesting point. Previously I was totally hetero, but now that I have a female pole, does this make me bisexual?

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Mine doesn't have a name but I too have considered it. lmao She's a girl–all of my vehicles are too, actually. I don't know why–maybe because I am pretty tomboyish and hang out with guys and men tend to refer to everything–boats, cars, bikes, etc. etc.–as 'she.'

I'm not sure what I would call her though–I feel like she deserves something a little slutty, but nothing over-the-top. The stripper who's sexual without being nasty.

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Thanks for the heads up! I'm in the market for some new heels.

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I love that first shoulder mount with the side press–anyone have any tips for doing that?

Love the whole video–amazing control and grace.

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Happy Birthday!

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Right back at you!

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Welcome from another Washington poler! I actually got into poling through S Factor as well, although I've never had the opportunity to take any classes. And you're right, classes here in Washington are definitely limited; the closest ones to me are in Seattle I believe, and that's a three hour trip each way for me which is obviously just not doable, so I bought Veena's lessons as well.  They are absolutely excellent; you will learn a lot from them.

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LMAO! Chemgoddess, you put that so elegantly. I know what you mean though. I'm finally down all the way on one side without holding onto the pole, but it's still a pretty tremendous stretch for me. Still, considering how inflexible I've been my whole life, this is a huge accomplishment for me.

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I didn't realize NYC had hostels–I could afford the $29 at least, lol Unfortunately, I'm from Washington so I am completely on the other side of the country. Just traveling to NY could get quite expensive.  

Mini, what's a megabus? Just curious, as I've never heard of this before. My sister took a bus to Portland on a class trip several years ago that had bathrooms on it and everything–is that what you're talking about? 

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I would love to go but can't swing a trip to NY right now and I don't have anyone who would be interested in going with me that I could split costs with. I wish some of the comps were held a little closer to home for me.

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Ooh, that's a hot set, and much cheaper than the AP pair. I might have to treat myself when I have some extra money.

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Yeah, a lot of the official video for competitions is horrible. I don't want to see Felix or Alethea's crotch, thank you very much, I'd like to see the actual move they are performing so that I can ooh and awe over it. I have my own lady bits if I want to stare at some, thanks.

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Amen to everything you said, Charley. With so much nastiness from people who just don't get it, there's no reason for fellow pole dancers to be cutting each other down.

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I'm the same way, nymphdancer. I gravitate toward the sexier dancers because this is the type of style I want to develop, but I can also appreciate the passion, grace and amazing strength that goes into one of, say, Oona's performances. (I've been watching a few videos of her lately, and she is absolutely phenomenal, just not my preferred style. But I would never bash her for 'trying to strip poling of its sensuality' or something ridiculous like that. She's a talented dancer, and as a fellow poler, I am in awe of anyone that can do the stuff that we do, period, no matter what their style is.)

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That picture is exactly the way I've been doing the stretch. The way it was described sounded like just a basic zenktsu dachi, which is something I did a looot in karate. It definitely gives a nice stretch if you do it the way you describe.

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Oh, and psychoholicslag, I totally agree with you about not having it in the Olympics. It will most likely be stripped of any little miniscule amount of sensuality to make it palatable for the masses, and the whole reason people want it in the Olympics is to mainstream it and make poling acceptable–but it is the pole gymnastics that will become accepted, not styles like that of the BeSpun girls. I absolutely believe it will lead to further dissent between the sexy polers and those who focs solely on the athletic side.

Besides, pole is a form of dance. Nobody is petitioning to get ballet or salsa or ballroom dancing into the Olympics.

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I saw that same comment, and it seriously ticked me off, especially since they referenced three of my favorite dancers.

You are absolutely right–there is a huge world of difference between slutty and sexy. The style followed by dancers like Leigh Ann and Alethea and Karol is probably not the type of stuff you would even see in most strip clubs–I haven't been inside any, but I have watched video performances of stage shows done by strippers, and it's much different than anything you will see these three do. They do use some of the same floor moves, but overall it's pretty different. Leigh Ann et. al conduct themselves with class–which isn't to say there aren't plenty of strippers with classy dancing styles as well, but I've noticed an increasing amount of complaints on places like Stripperweb about new dancers that are just into really vulgar moves. That seems to be the way stripping is shifting, at least from what I've read, unfortunately–it's not really about the tease anymore, it's about how much farther you can go than the other girl. This is the type of stuff comments like that are referencing, and they are completely off base. 

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I really don't get men sometimes. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_eek.gif I've heard lots of women say their men won't look up from their x-box or the TV even if they walk past butt naked. If I walk out into the living room in my underwear, my boyfriend always sneaks peeks out of the corner of his eye no matter what he's doing. 

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I love that there's a guy just sitting in the background on a computer, seemingly completely oblivious to the fact that there's a hot chick on a pole. lmao

Looks like everything is coming along nicely. Love the pointy toes! That's the hardest thing to remember sometimes when you're first learning a move, especially if you have no former dance experience.

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Dexter could be very very interesting.

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This program definitely works–I've been following it again for the past few days and today I just got all the way down in the splits on one side and was able to hold it without using my pole for support, which I haven't done before. It is still quite an intensive stretch for me, so I need to work on getting to a point where I can just drop straight down into them and not have to lower myself carefully, but this is a huge accomplishment for me, the amazing wooden-legged pole dancer. Also, my splits on the other side are much bendier than they were before–I can't almost get my front leg straight now. Just keep at it, everyone.