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

Aerial hoop like nearly all cirque apparatus has a bite, a painful bite that can leave bruises, soreness, pinched skin and tight muscles. For many new students in the hoop, the pain is intolerable and some students may choose not to come back. Retaining students and cutting down the pain are great goals for aerial hoop classes. Here is a collection of quick ways to reduce pain in the hoop. Proper Dynamic Warm-up A dynamic warm-up targets all major muscle groups and prepares t

This post is a follow-up to a post for the PoleCon Blog, which is a short tutorial on the Butterfly. The focus was on the Tuck position and getting the correct arm positions, shoulder engagement and core engagement. Learning the Butterfly with progression is critical, start with the tuck, then the Butterfly and finally the Extended Butterfly. After mastering the tuck position, then and only then is it time to try Butterfly. I put together a short video on how all the componen

I am a no nonsense personal trainer and I like effective equipment. I tend to be unimpressed with kettlebells for a few reasons. One: thanks to Crossfit, people think kettlebells are a new invention, ancient Greek athletes used kettlebells and then somehow the Russians got them in the 1700s. Ever since, Eastern Bloc track and field and weight lifting stars have been tossing them around in utilitarian compounds for Mother Russia. And I love Russians, don't get me wrong, it's j

Many students need the strength work and many teachers are looking for ways to teach strength work in the aerial hoop. We wanted to discuss working eccentric movement exercises and how to work them in the aerial hoop. Quick Movement Discussion Isotonic Movement means that the working muscles shorten or lengthen. There are two types of isotonic contractions, concentric and eccentric. During a concentric contraction the prime mover shortens during the movement, an example is a

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

Core moves in the hammock are awesome for building strength and power. In aerial arts we use our core muscles nearly all the time and learning how to activate the core muscles can be tricky. The core isn’t just the abs on the front of the stomach, but also the obliques on the side body and all the muscles that wrap around the low back. When your core is strong and you activate it correctly, you are less likely to strain or injury your body. Tips on learning to activate the c