Of course I haven’t done every pole move there is (I wish!) but for pretty much all of them, they have a secret. That little tip that if you know it, it makes the move so much easier to get.

Some are more obvious and less secret than others.

It might be as simple as crossing your legs like they are scissors trying to close, or push with a certain part of your body.

The ones that we really want to know about are the ones that aren’t obvious. The ones that when you try it, you go ‘oh yeah, I get it now’ and the move suddenly clicks into place.

There Is A Tip

I realised this when I was attempting shoulder mounts for the first time at home. I had tried them many, many times in class, and while I guess I must have been getting closer, I still felt like it was a lost cause.

When I tried at home I was so frustrated. I had just had a class and got absolutely no where with my shoulder mount. I had wound myself up so much on the walk home, that when I got through the front door I thought ‘this is the day that I do my first shoulder mount.’ And up I went.

After a few more successful attempts, I realised that the key to a shoulder mount is to look up! Every time I didn’t look up, I didn’t shoulder mount. Of course it’s not magic – just because you look up, doesn’t mean you’ll automatically nail it, but it’ll certainly get you much closer.

Even If You Can Do The Move…

The Thinker (pictured above) is my new favourite move. I’ve been trying this one out for a while now. I used to get into it by going from a Superman and lowering my legs. (There is more to it than that, but that’s all you need to know for now!) After a few painful and unsuccessful attempts, I managed to get closer. I found it a bit painful on my coccyx as I had the pole pretty much between my butt cheeks, but when I tucked my pelvis under, it was less painful and more achievable. Success…

Until I realised the tip! After I’d got this move, I saw a few tutorials pop up on my newsfeed and realised that most people have the pole slightly to the side, so the pole is on your butt cheek and not your coccyx. So I gave it a go and realised that they were right! Although I could do the move already, it suddenly became a lot less painful!

How To Find The Secret

As much as I’d like to tell you every secret, I can’t – I haven’t found them all yet 🙂

The best thing to do is ask people and watch as many tutorials as you can. If they can do the move you’re working on, ask about the positioning of the body and the things you don’t see. Where is the grip? Does a certain transition give you more grip? Where is the push / pull in this move? Or even better ‘What is the secret?’ 😀

So far every move I’ve come across has it’s own secret to make it easier. Think about the moves you have done already – it can be as simple as leaning your body away from the pole before you spin. If you’re working on a move but can’t quite get there, have a think about what the secret is – and then let us know when you find out 😀