As an athlete, being injured and unable to participate in a sport is devastating. For those of us who pole, it's about the social aspects of class, the stress relief of the workout, the health benefits of fitness and the mental health positives of being at a studio. Preventing injuries in pole starts with education on how the most common pole injuries happen and how to prevent these injuries from happening. Being injured on both a muscular and a joint level are the most commo

There are now three posts about the Thrower's Ten on this blog, but I promised I would write a post on the actual Thrower's Ten PT moves that I use for injury prevention in aerial arts and pole. The Thrower's Ten is a series of physical therapy rehab moves that strengthen and stretch the shoulder girdle. The moves were developed to rehab athletes coming from throwing sports like baseball or racquet sports like tennis. For pole and aerial arts we can use this series to help st

The Thrower's Ten is a PT exercise series commonly used to strengthen and stretch the shoulder girdle. This set of movement is often used with athletes of throwing sports, but it can work great for aerialists and pole dancers to aid in injury prevention. I use many of the exercises from the Thrower's Ten in my weekly workout routine. However some of the exercises are more effective then others, for pole and aerial. I promise to put out a post that takes the best of the Throwe

Continuing our journey down the path of strength, flexibility and health for shoulders in the world of aerial arts and pole, here is part two of our series on the Thrower's Ten. Check Out Part 1 The Thrower's Ten is a series of Physical Therapy Exercises that were designed to help with shoulder girdle strength and movement. As Polers and aerialists the entire series is a excellent set of additional exercises to train with outside of the studio. However, if you are training a

This is the fifth and final post (for the time being) on tight hip flexors and how to help strengthen, stretch and alleviate this issue. Please check out the other posts in this series. Tight Hip Flexors Tight Hip Flexors (Basic Stretching) Tight Hip Flexors (Myofascial Release) Tight Hip Flexors (Facilitated Stretching) The last piece of the hip flexor puzzle can be tied to the gluteus complex and a weak non-dominant hip flexor. It is easy to have both of these issues happen

Let's discuss Facilitated Stretching and how it can help open tight hip flexors. Here is a post on the basics of Facilitated Stretching. You really should read this to understand PNF. Posts in this Series on Hip Flexors Tight Hip Flexors Tight Hip Flexors (Basic Stretching) Tight Hip Flexors (Myofascial Release) Tight Hip Flexors (Facilitated Stretching) Tight Hip Flexors ( Weak Glutes and Hip Flexors) Here is a past post on other Auxillary Hip Flexor Stretches. Facilitated s

This little discussion on tight dominant hip flexors has ended up becoming five posts. It's a very complicated issue as the hip flexors are major players in the body and in aerial arts. Take at look at the two previous posts. Tight Hip Flexors Part 1 Tight Hip Flexors Part 2 (Stretching) Also Auxillary Stretches for Hip Flexors We have dicussed how the hip flexors work and why they work. Flexion, my friends! So you can lift up into a perfect straddle back inverison or chopper

Before you continue read part one of our series on Tight Hip Flexors. This post explains the anatomy of the hip flexors and how to check for tight hip flexors. Stretching The Tight Hip Flexor. First I recommend seeing a superstar physical therapist. I went to three PTs, a chiropractor, a physician, two massage therapists and an acupuncturist and they helped but we never got to the root of the problem. I think there are two reasons, first people still don't understand the musc

This series of posts was created to help the polers and aerialists who have had muscle overuse injuries centering in the hip flexors. I have worked with numerous students, instructors and myself on several muscle-based injuries. One of the the most widespread injuries is the tight dominant hip flexor and tight hip flexors. Tight Hip Flexors (Basic Stretching) Tight Hip Flexors (Myofascial Release) Tight Hip Flexors (Facilitated Stretching) Tight Hip Flexors ( Weak Glutes and

We wanted to take a few posts and explore the Thrower’s Ten, a series of PT strengthening and stretching exercises that focus on the shoulder girdle. For aerialists, strength and balance in the shoulder is crucial not only for performing movement but for long-term health of the shoulder. The rotator cuff and shoulder musculature, in general, are an area that has a high risk of injury when performing aerial arts and pole. What is the Thrower’s Ten? The Thrower’s Ten in a 10-pa