Why can't I keep my pole spinning?

emcain003143 started this discussion · 8/14/2015

I always see dancers in videos doing awesome combos with their poles on spin mode and like magic, they just keep going and going and going! Yes, I do understand the concept of centrifugal force- But no matter what I do (something to pull in tighter... etc.) it seems like I slow down... and keep slowing down... and keep slowing down... til I stop. I just cannot keep the thing going! I wonder if it could be something *technically* with my pole (i have xpole)... Because for some reason I don't remember it always being like this. Or is it just me? Is there some kind of secret to continous, magical twirling!?

3 replies

Autumn Sky · 8/14/2015
If I screw my pole into my ceiling mount too tightly , mine will not spin well. ( I have a permanent ceiling mount, I don't know if that makes a difference).
Rachel Osborne · 8/14/2015
It might be your pole is too tight and needs loosening? If mine isn't spinning it's usually because it's over tightened. Re continuous spinning, I don't think any pole dancer can spin continuously because the pole will naturally slow and extending away from the pole also slows it, whereas leaning in and bringing the body close keeps the spin going, and you can use 'whipping in' techniques to speed up the spin (like going into a flower spin from Scorpio when inverted, or pulling the leg up and round and to the pole in a spinning climb. There are also tricks like reaching down/ up to push off against the floor/ceiling and I often climb and descend a few times to speed up or decrease spin speed (in a fancy way so it becomes part of the dance). How I mount the pole and start climbing also has a big impact on how long I can keep spinning for. If I know I am going to lose spin because I am doing big, open moves like jade, then I use a fast spinning climb and push off from the floor to get momentum going. If I need to slow down I go into a plank or just reach out an arm and leg. The longest continuous spinning dance I have done was almost 3 minutes without stopping but I was controlling the speed throughout and riding the spin - the pole wouldn't have kept turning that long if I hadn't done so. Quite often dancers sabotage their spins by thinking they are going faster than they are and trying to slow down instead of riding it out and controlling it. They subconsciously make body movements fighting the spin (I do this especially when trying new tricks on spin). Watching vid of yourself often shows you are not spinning as fast as you think! Finally (cos this is now an essay) videos you see on Instagram and youtube are often sped up or edited so you are not getting a true picture. You can build up tolerance for spin over time. I would just play about to music I like without pressure and doing this my body developed a lot of muscle memory so spinning control became natural, leaving me free to concentrate on the trick or dance. There is a lot to think about when poling so the more your body can do without thinking the easier ! Sorry for epic post ! Hope you get your pole spinning happily.
emcain003143 · 8/15/2015
@TropicalVertical and @AutumnSky thank you for the tips. I am gonna try loosening my pole first to see if it helps. And TropicalVertical that was a very good and helpful explanation, great things to keep in mind. Thank you!