My Nemesis Trick
We all have our nemesis trick or combo. You may not be strong enough or bendy enough to do it. You may KNOW that you are both bendy and strong enough but the stupid (*&#$(*# trick just won’t give in. And that is immensely frustrating—and can remind you that sometimes it is just a tiny nuance of placement or the direction of force that makes the difference between nailing something and failing something.
There are two options in dealing with the nemesis: Shelve it. Save it for later, when you know you are ready. That may be pretty far off, depending on how much work you need to do. The other strategy is: Beat it into submission. Kill it with practice. Wear away at it with determination and perseverance until you have won. For personal sanity, you may have to do a combination of the two.
My nemesis trick, for the longest time, was the shoulder mount. In all honesty, kicking into it scared me, and I didn’t think I’d ever be strong enough to do it as a lift. I’d get in position, and my hips just wouldn’t go anywhere. They wouldn’t move. Nothing happened. It was like my brain was trying to fire off commands to a phone line that had gone dead. Or never been built. I didn’t really even understand how to engage the right muscles because I’d never really used them. So, to deal with this, I decided that I hated the trick. That it was ugly, and not graceful, and that I didn’t need to learn it, and that I just plain didn’t like it. I fooled myself into believing that for years. I acted like I wasn’t even interested in it. Sort of like back when you were little and you acted like the boy you crushed on was stupid and stinky and said “ewwww” whenever his name came up.
When I first started exploring other pole studios in mid-2009, the first thing I noticed was that the warmup we were doing in different classes awakened new soreness in my body the next day. And a different curriculum meant more time on the pole actually working on tricks. I went from going to class once a week, with about 15 minutes of shared pole time, to two or three times a week, with a total of maybe one hour of shared pole time. I started getting stronger much more quickly than I thought possible, and things suddenly became much easier for me. A few months in, I was riding a serious high and decided one day in class: why not try the shoulder mount again? Just for fun? Maybe I’ll be able to get up a little bit. And to my complete shock: I lifted into a completely controlled shoulder mount for the first time in my life. This was a move that I had literally completely shelved. It was a goal that I didn’t think I’d ever reach.
The picture up there was taken just a month or two after I had made the shoulder mount mine. I started doing it all the time, because I was just so in love with the power of it. Soon after that, I nailed the aerial shoulder mount. It was like learning how to do a basic invert all over again: the strength that you feel in your body, the “yeah I’m a badass” energy that courses through your veins. I realized that I had set limitations on myself that were maybe a little bit more pessimistic than they should have been.
Getting the shoulder mount, for me, was one of my biggest pole accomplishments, just because I really had never thought that I would ever be capable of doing that trick. As a teacher, now, I see more then ever how important it is to help people continue to have little victories every time they come to class so that they don’t get discouraged and give up when they are in a tricks rut. I work my students hard in warmup, because I know I am responsible for helping them have the strength they need to achieve their goals. I see the importance of teaching students the building blocks and baby steps toward the bigger picture, to create confidence and body awareness and understanding of mechanics. I don’t want any of my students to ever give up on themselves, or their nemesis trick.
This blog entry marks the beginning of a new weekly feature that I’m hoping will be helpful and interesting: Tuesday tips. Every week, I’ll post about a particular trick, and the little tidbits of info that I’ve picked up in the past few years that has helped me, and helped others, to beat the trick. It may be the preparation and strengthening that I found most helpful, or common mistakes and misconceptions, or the one little tweak that stands between you and (hopefully) success. I’d like to welcome everyone to post in comments if they have additional suggestions or helpful information—hopefully the power of many brains will help some people out there! If there’s a particular move that you’ve been having a lot of trouble with, please feel free to let me know and I’ll feature it sooner rather than later.
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Tomorrow’s post: Sharing Music…
I am still struggling with this trick. I can get my legs right up onto the pole but can’t get it to go into a straddle yet. I want to be able to lift my legs up in slow-mo like the pros do! Arghhhhh. I really can’t think too much about it or I won’t get it at all. I’ll get it one fine day. Just that one day. It will come.
I TOTALLY remember when you hit that move spot on and your joy in getting it was infectious. Just filled the room, which I think is key to inspiring us all to nail the moves we’re most shy/pretend-hater with. To see you lift up and flow into it gave all of us who were there watching a jolt of energy to try what we most avoided. I think success and the celebration of it is catching and the support of the women around crucial. That’s why a supportive class of polers is one of the best learning tools going–along with an awesome teacher, naturally. On another note: I just did a move I thought I’d totally lost (and had been avoiding), and achieved it mainly because I was sharing a pole with two women who were effortless at it and I didn’t want to be shown up. so a little competition can go a long way, too!
Ooooh, congratulations on the nailing-of-the-move! Yes, healthy competition can be a good thing, as well as a little dose of bravado! =)
I am so excited for Tuesday Tips!!! The shoulder mount is my nemesis too- I’ve done it once or twice and haven’t been able to do it since. I would love to be able to just lift into it since kicking up into anything scares me too. It seems to be one of those moves everyone should learn because it’s so useful, but it’s sooooo frustrating!!!
Interesting Holly, thanks for the feedback. I’ve heard from a few people that this is one of their nemesis tricks, so I’ll be posting it pretty soon ; )
Man, I wish you could come and teach classes here! I suspect you would be inspiring to me:) I haven’t had problems with the shoulder mount (I used to not be able to do it but more classes and plenty of prep solved that – I still have to kick a bit though) but omg, the split grip ayesha is KILLING me right now!! I have been trying it for so long and I know the things I’m doing wrong but I seem to have trained my body so well into coming out of trying it that I don’t get a chance to try finding the balance. I feel like I need to completely wipe my brain clean of how I’ve been trying it and rebuild with someone who can tell me step by step what I should do. I know I have the grip and upper body strength, I suspect I’ve got the core strength but my alignment is all wrong!! SOrry, this wasn’t meant to turn into an essay – it’s just driving me CRAZY!!
Sass, I would love to come out to wherever you are and teach classes! = ) The split grip ayesha is a serious toughie. Can you do a twisted grip or elbow grip ayesha without a problem? Can you do a secure split grip hold in a butterfly with your shoulders square and level? I find that a lot of people have difficulty with the split grip just because it’s very, very hard to get a secure hold with your hands and trust it. If you have access to rosin, Cramer’s, or Mighty grip gloves, give it a shot with those and see if they help?
Unfortunately Amy I live in New Zealand (yep, you have readers at the ends of the earth;p) but if you’re ever out this way, you should totally let us know!!
I have done some tentative work on the elbow grip stuff (I can caterpillar with that grip but haven’t really tried further than that) but I have the same prob with twisted grip that I do with regular split grip in that my alignment is off. I can do forearm grip ayesha and straight edge but the body position is quite different there. I have just recently found out that eons ago when I was taught the butterfly that my body position was never quite correct and I was also turning out quite a lot in the extended butterfly too. I’ve been working on correcting that though and have at least improved my EB. The annoying thing is that I feel like I have a strong grip (I often use wax or a bit of mighty grip) but my body just doesn’t line up properly to stack the balance in the right way – my legs and hips are already making the decision to come down in the safe direction before I can play round in the pose! And the most annoying thing is that I can cartwheel up into it and hold it but from an invert, it just ain’t happening!!
Yikes. It sounds like this one may be a toughie because you know what you’re doing but clearly just one or two little things are off that you need troubleshooting on. My advice would be: make sure your back is slightly rounded when you go into it– your hips should be stacked over your body, with no arch in your back, just like if you were doing a cartwheel. try caterpillaring up into it, really rounding your back, scooping your belly, and engaging your abs… it sounds like you may be arching slightly which makes it much harder to balance and also keeps your abs from being able to engage very easily. Try even starting with your top arm slightly bent like you would in a cartwheel. Take your feet off very, very slow, and look UP THE POLE as you work your balance.
Oooh, I can’t wait for Tuesday tips! Please please cover the shoulder mount… it’s my nemesis too! The ridiculous part is that I used to be able to do it pretty well. I could shoulder mount from a superman, again and again, but I stopped practicing when I injured myself and I’ve never been able to get my shoulder mount back again, even though I know I’m much stronger now.
I had been day dreaming about the split grip ayesha for a long time, thinking it was one of those moves I would never be able to do because I’m not particularly athletic, and it’s one only the pros or the genetically gifted seem to be able to do. I actually managed to do it recently, and I’ve been able to do it ever since, so now I feel like there’s nothing I can’t do! Except for the damned shoulder mount…
Wow, the shoulder mount seems to be a pretty popular one! I think I may start with that one. How appropriate right? And congrats on the split grip ayesha, that’s awesome! You should be super proud.
my nemesis is the handspring. any tips would rock! as for the split grip aysha, i found taking my toes off the pole to do a straight edge the first thing, then sort of crouching on the pole- so from ‘toes off’ bring your knees down towards your body and get strong holding that, then extend you legs straight out from there. you actually need your body / butt away from the pole to create tension in your arms- strong arms to hold the move. as soon as you push your body out you can hold it. if that makes sense! good luck, took me months as i broke my right arm a while ago, like 2 years and i felt so weak. is a good one to try on both sides 5 x per day / alternate days til you get it, do lots of planks – requires a real strong core. goodluck xx
Andria, do you mean a cartwheel handspring or the forward handspring? Great advice on the split grip aysha!
Amy, if you figure out any tips on dealing with superman pain, let me know! It’s my nemesis as well and I find it so difficult to get out of- solely because it hurts so much.
The extended butterfly is hard for me, because I can’t seem to balance and feel secure with my ankle on the pole. Any tips on that would be great as well!
Suzanne I’ve been hoping there is a magic trick to not feel pain in a superman… I was always told to “drop your hips and it won’t hurt” but for me, that absolutely doesn’t work. I’ve been in position literally grunting with pain (nice mental picture eh?) and teacher after teacher stands next to me scratching their head because “you’re doing everything right” and “it shouldn’t hurt that much”…. I think doing it over and over will help some. I remind myself that the first 10 times I did Yogini, it was similarly painful.
Extended butterfly is a toughie! I’ll add that to the list =)
Kneehold. Forever. Blech.
Knee hold was my nemesis too! I mentioned it once to an instructor who could do it as easy as breathing. She stopped, smiled and told me her own story. She said she was obsessed with it for over a year – determined to get it despite the agony! She told me, I worked on it over and over and over again. I was bruised. I was sore. I watched other people, scoured the internet for video tutorials, asked other students about it. And I finally got it, she said with a grin.
Her determination and her easy, beautiful rendition of the knee hold inspired me. It took me over a year too. I didn’t obsess the way she did. But every so often I would try it. I pinpointed the spot that hurt the least and was able to hold it for a few seconds over a crash pad. Then for a few more. Now, it’s one of my favorite tricks. Still a mind-over-matter fight against the pain but I can hold it long enough to feel that I have achieved victory!
Best of luck to you! This one is just a pain tolerance move. But it IS possible to find the right spot where you can hold it and smile and pretend it’s nothing. Promise!
Thanks for the advice on the knee hold, Iris! I think this one is really hard for a lot of people, and I totally agree that (unfortunately) part of it is definitely just getting used to the pain.