Pole Frustrations - Nemesis Moves
Every pole dancer has a list of dreaded nemesis moves - the moves that for some frustrating reason are just way harder than they should be! Whether it’s down to technique, fear, pain or strength/flexibility, there will always be the odd move that just doesn’t want to work for you…..yet.
Thankfully we love a challenge! We’ve spoken with one of our instructors who has conquered more nemesis moves than we can count - the incredible Pole Comedian herself, Amy from our Albany and Takapuna studios!
Can you tell about some of your past nemesis moves - how long did it take you to transform them from a nemesis to a move you can do confidently?
My nemesis move for the longest of times was the chopper. It took me 4.5 years to be able to do them, and honestly, I’d still say there’s room for improvement in my chopper (even after almost 8 years!) Within the last two years I’ve started using them as a “quick way” to get upside down when I’m teaching but yea, it’s actually taken a long time to get them down to a science.
Superman took me a while (maybe about 6 months) and then Rockstar spin took me about 1.5 years to get. Now I love both of those moves!
Is there anything you’ve noticed that makes a move more likely to become your nemesis move?
Strength based tricks not my jam or jelly fish. I tend to favor flexibility based movement or things that take balls (tumble downs, for example, involve a lot of knowing and being confident with the appropriate pathways for the body to go rather than actual raw strength. They also take a “huspa” to actually let go of the pole, tumble down, and know that you’re going to catch at the bottom.
Also, my body loves to bend so if it’s a flexibility trick, my body is more likely to go “hell yea!” ) Strength based tricks are such a challenge to me. I’ve never been good at them.
What sort of things did you do to push through the hurdles?
Off the pole training. I also would leave a move and come back to it in a few months. I found the break allowed me to build strength in other areas and then I’d come back and be like “surprise! You can do this now!” I found if I drilled them over and over again, I’d just get frustrated and want to give up.
How often did you train them?
It depends. I have one trick I’ve been working on for about 2.5 years now. I don’t do it every time I go to the studio but maybe once a month or so. It helps me not lose motivation or feel deflated if I can’t get it. But also, when I’m not doing that particular trick, I’m doing things that help work on the muscles used for that trick (for cupid, leg lifts to the side are a great exercise for example)
Do you need to train these particular moves often to keep them?
Honestly, at this point they’re in my blood but I also spent a good 5 years teaching pole as my primary source of income so I was training a lot. Nowadays I have a muggle job and I can still do them all really well. I think I’ve done them so many times at this point it’s muscle memory…..and if it’s been a while pain tolerance (your skin does not like it when you take breaks from moves)
Do you have any other words of wisdom that you’d like to share with us?
Listen, every body is different. Everyone starts from a different point. That girl who got the chopper on the first go? She was a gymnast in a former life. That other person who can do splits for days without stretching? Their body is double jointed. You don’t know where someone's been and, by the way, just because you can’t do a particular move doesn’t make you any less of a good pole dancer. In fact, it forces you to get creative (I can teach you a million ways to get upside down that dont’ involve a chopper!)
Stop comparing yourself to the people around you, stay in your lane, focus on what makes you happy, and be unapologetic about who you are, your dance style, and what you bring to the stage. Don’t ever let anyone try to convince you that you are lesser than anyone else.
