Though pole competitions are not the end goal for many of us who pole dance, we need to acknowledge that competitions can help a sport develop. In the world of pole, comps have assisted in legitimizing pole as a real sport, structured how pole should be judged (such as on a stationary pole and spin pole in competition), made participants take a hard look at the different sides of the sport (dance versus aerial) and pushed competitors to try trickier moves and more sophisticat

So much love. Honored to be part of this amazing family and this cute video. #poledace #poleblog #pole #poledancer #poledancing #polefitness

New Post with Bad Kitty USA! The human body is a marvelous creation. No matter how challenging the workout, eventually the body adapts. Each week, we have a routine: we attend the same pole classes and for the most part work on the same moves or related moves. Of course this depends on the level, but once past the beginner realm it’s easy to get stuck. Perhaps class has gotten more difficult and you aren’t getting new moves as quickly as you once did. You feel like you are st

Strength is obviously a key component in making a break through in pole, however teaching the body the mechanics and how to engage muscles in a proper order also contribute to moving off a plateau. The point of the selected moves in this article are for total body engagement and working on feeling connected to the entire body, or employing complete muscle groups during pole. The goal is to not only connect to the dominant muscles, such as the upper back, but to start uniting

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 shoulder mount is a one of the moves I like to classify as a plateau move. It's possible to work the shoulder mount for many months before achieving the move, and even then it might still be a struggle. Many polers have the strength to do the shoulder mount, but strength is not enough to make this movement happen. The shoulder mount is a gymnastic move, the body is inverting in a back flip using the pole. As discussed in Part One of the post series, the proper form of th

Protein is so hot right now! The diet industry is the king of cool, making the latest diet fad look like the solution to weight loss and building a ripped body. The real solution is a lifetime of healthy eating and exercise, as discovered from years of scientific studies. But let's not digress, athletes do need extra protein. Protein is made up of essential and non-essential amino acids. Protein is a macronutrient, like carbohydrates and fat. The human body needs bigger po

The shoulder mount is one of the coolest moves in the pole universe. It’s gymnastic, magical and definitely on every polers tic list for goal moves. It can also be a move that torments, makes people cry and eludes on the journey with pole. Important factors in the Shoulder Mount 1. Strength and Engagement 2. Mechanics. We will get to this piece of the equation in How to Get the Shoulder Mount PART 2 3. Controlled Momentum. We will get to this in another blog post. The Set-up