so I have been dancing for like 3 months and I am a good dancer, but I cant seem to get pole tricks down, the girls make it look so easy and also how would you ask for a dance?::)
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so I have been dancing for like 3 months and I am a good dancer, but I cant seem to get pole tricks down, the girls make it look so easy and also how would you ask for a dance?::)
I was always pole-tarded. I wouldn't worry about having fancy pole tricks. Just dance around the pole, use it to make yourself look sexy. Use it to pose, to move down to the splits, to hold onto while you run your hands along your body, etc.
Check out Hustle Hut for tips on asking for dances.
I had issues with pole tricks that involved me going upside down specifically for a good three months. Part of my problem was the fear of falling and hurting myself. Now I can do a lot of advanced pole tricks (learned simply by watching over time) and I suspect I could have done them a lot sooner had I 'let go'. After watching thousands of stage sets you'd be amazed at what you pick up on.
Every time I tried a new pole trick it was spontaneous and I just did it. If I got scared before I executed the trick I would get angry at myself and get back up there again, and you know what? I've never fallen. The worst I've had is some bruises from landing incorrectly or grabbing the pole with my body too hard, but some bruises just happen. You can ask another dancer to help you if it's slow on a day shift and she's willing, or you can get up there and practice alone. It's always harder than it looks and confidence in your body, abilities, and strength is key.
It's like driving, if you hesitate you lose.
^ I don't know what my problem is, but I could never just "pick up on" any pole tricks. I mean, I was in ballet / gymnastics for 11 years, so it's not a fear issue or a grace deficiency. I think different women just have different proportions that make it harder / easier to do pole moves.
thankyou guys i really appreciate the help.
it took me about a week to learn some basic pole moves. basically I just started out by trying to spin around the pole and attempting to climb the pole a couple times at the beginning of the night when the club was dead. once you have the upper body strength you just go from there. take baby steps. try climbing the pole and holding on with your legs and letting go of one hand and then the other and just stuff like that.
don't worry about learning any of the "tricks" right away. just get comfortable holding yourself up. you should be able to climb the pole and "sit" at the top without slipping. you should also be able to grab the pole and lift your feet off the ground for at least a few seconds and have a TIGHT grip.
strength is key. make sure you trust your body before you attempt anything. there isn't much to hold onto so there isn't much room for screwups when you're spinning around upside-down hanging on by one leg.
once you've built up some strength and have a good grip with both your hands AND legs then watch some youtube videos and try some things and just because something looks hard, it doesn't mean you'll never be able to get it.
when I walked into my club for the first time I decided automatically I would never be able to do pole tricks and now I would say I'm one of the top 3 pole dancers at my club
No problem. Honestly, if you know you're not a natural at the pole, it's probably best to not attempt tricks...they'll just make you look unattractive. Instead, use the pole to show off your best features. Lean up against it, use it for splits, do body waves against it, etc. As long as you own it, the customers won't even notice.
Your time will be best spent dancing in front of the customers and making eye contact with them, talking them up, etc. In my experience, women who do pole tricks, in general, don't make as much money. The guys want you to pay attention to them, not the pole!
It takes practice. And I agree with charlie61, it's ten times better not to do any pole tricks than to do them badly.
I also agree with xGigi: the most important thing is to get comfortable with the pole itself. Once you're used to it, you can control your movements more and you'll be less scared of falling. You just have to trust yourself, and it's difficult to do that when you're unfamiliar with the feel of the pole.
I started trying to learn pole tricks because I enjoyed them and they were fun, not necessarily because I thought they would increase my income. It was probably four months before I tried a even the simple ones, and I had been dancing for well over a year before I learned any of the more difficult ones.
Floor work can look just as sexy, and it's much less intimidating to learn since it's not like you're going to fall.
If you really, really, really want to learn pole tricks, I recommend getting an X-Pole for your house/apartment and learning at home. There's a lot less pressure and it's an EXCELLENT workout.
If you hesitate too much when practicing these tricks, don't do them. You cannot second guess your self when you are 30 feet in the air.
Until you have a great comfort and confidence level going with it, try them without climbing.
When it came to me doing tricks, I'll admit that it took me a little bit longer to do than some of the girls. Girls that came in after me were learning how to do upside down tricks and I was disgusted because it would take me weeks to learn something that looked so simple.
I'm probably close to one of the best in my club now because I just practiced and practiced and practiced! When I woke up one morning and had triceps... I knew I was doing something right! It has a lot to do with building and maintaining upper body strength. Once your arms get used to carrying your weight, mostly everything will become much easier.
Hope this helps!
^ True. Learning pole tricks sucks at first because you can't do anything cool. But once you learn a trick, then just the fact that you're able to do a trick will make it fun to practice, and you'll keep getting better at it.
I've always hated that I never picked up any cool pole moves while stripping, so I've purchased Jamilla Deville's line of DVDs, and am slowly getting enough strength to do some things. It'll only get better from here on out! Now that I can do some tricks, I enjoy doing them, so I do them all of the time! (I have an X-Pole)
It took a really long time for me to learn more advanced tricks. You just need brute strength for some of them. A good way to get stronger is to do a simple hitch-kick well pulling yourself up on the pole. You are only in the air for a second and it develops your arm muscles, just remember to point your toes. I've also found that impressive pole tricks help me sell dances to women and couples.
Practice climbing. You need to gain strength first. Once you have that, you have to lose the fear of falling (just like tumbling, gymnastics, cheer). Once you do those two things, it will come much easier to you.
I do tricks, half the girls my club do tricks, but our highest earner right now doesn't do a single one. She dances slow, sexy, and makes eye contact and naughty faces at the customers.
I love doing spins in the pole, but I can only do a few inverts. I put a big smile on my face while spinning and get all frisky when doing the transition.
UPDATE: Finally managed to do a few more inverts, the inverted V, holding myself with no arms, with only one leg, and to hold myself backwards for longer periods of time. It took me all sorts of falls, bruises, slips, and pain...but I eventually did it.
JUST DON'T GIVE UP!
If you really want to learn tricks id suggest taking a few classes at a pole studio. Last night was my first night stripping but I've been a pole dancer for 2 years so while I'm unsure of actual stripping the pole was my strong point.
The other benefit to a pole studio is that u learn the proper ways to do tricks. I saw some tricks last night that were obviously self taught and done dangerously. Legs not straight, monkey feet to climb (yeah she took her shoes off on stage), jumping into tricks... U name it ... I learned tons at my pole studio and it's a safe way to learn. Some even have crash mats
I agree with SexyLyric, take classes. They are popping up all over in different studios. I do not dance but I started pole fitness. being able to do something correctly is so much different then being able to do what you think the move is. Get on you tube also. The main thing I have to do because I lack upper body strength is pull myself up on my pole daily. When you invert, do NOT kick or jump. Use your core strength. Can I add video to this?