Pole Dance: Leg Switches - Conquered!
Pole is more of a mental challenge than a physical one
I've been struggling with a mental block around leg switches for a while (like years). I really didn't like the idea of having to take one leg off before the other one made contact and didn't trust myself to make the switch. I would try to do it slowly with as many contact points on the pole as possible and it would always hurt terribly and pull at skin and muscle in weird and unusual ways. It was downright unpleasant.
But last night was different
I decided that I'd grown tired of having that mental block, so I busted out the crash mats and committed to doing the switch fast, with a lot of momentum and as little thinking as possible....and voila. There it was. I just needed to trust that I would catch myself with the other leg. Doing it quickly with less contact points also completely removed the pain I had been experiencing. Immediately needed to try it on spin mode once I'd mastered it, which made it more challenging with the momentum shift, but still very doable. :D
Pole has taught me so many life lessons. As with the leg switch, I'm facing some life decisions that will require me to let go of some things completely to allow other (hopefully amazing) things to enter my awareness. It's a scary transition period, but I need to trust that I will do what's best for me.
Also loved the spin combo from last night's second class:
- spiral spin
- pirouette
- step-around
- backhook
- x-walk
Stay tuned ;)
Jackie O
Pole dancing is like hool-a-hooping except you are the Frisbee, the hoop, the horse shoe, and you are like surfing around the pole. It must take a lot of strength but also balance and momentum. I play basketball, and I don't know much about this, but I can see that I would probably get dizzy.
Ha! I've felt like the horseshoe before when I didn't have enough grip with thr pole while really going for a spin.
I had figure skated too and people frequently brought up dizziness but I think it makes a difference in your perception when you tell yourself "time to spin in three circles"
@thedreamsteem, perception is definitely key! I found that I stopped getting dizzy on the regular when I stopped focusing on the fact that I was spinning and instead concentrated on things like pointing my toes and really engaging all of the muscles I needed to properly. :)
Right, good, we can prepare and adjust to the spins.
Hahaha. I like that description @joeyarnoldvn. That's pretty accurate. Doing moves on spin mode can actually help in some cases if you can use the momentum to your advantage, but it does make some things much harder. Good strength training in any case! You actually do get used to the spinning with time and practice, so I don't really get dizzy anymore. :)
Awesome. Good work. Amazing.