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Layback Trouble

It may seem silly to a lot of pole dancers, including beginners, that I'm covering this topic. Lots of people get their Ful Layback in the first two months, others however are struggling with it for quite some time.

When I first started pole dancing, most beginners moves were quite easy for me. Onehanded Layback was not a problem either.And then I tried the Layback, and it didn't work. At all. The problem was in a fear, irrational of course, my grip was holding OK,  but my brain wasn't convinced. Those last centimeters seemed like a gaping abyss I'll fall into, should I let go off my hands. It was extremely frustrating. I enjoyed pole so much and wanted to progress faster, inspired by students from more advanced classes. So annoying to get stuck with something simple, according to other students.

Embarrassing as it is, I gave up on the move, telling myself that there a lot of other exciting stuff to learn and Layback can wait just a little bit longer. After that there was my very first pole competition to train for, and soon after I moved and was unable to do pole for over a year. Once I started taking classes again, I noticed that pretty much everyone in my class had no trouble with the Full Layback. I'm not very competitive, but the fact that everyone else could do it made me think, that I was missing out on some moves, simply because I still could not do the stupid Layback.

So I had to start working on it. I was absolutely sure, that my thigh hold is strong, and it was all in my head. It was easier to start from a cross knee hold, it gave me a much better feeling of security and allowed me go get used to the feeling of being upside down, relying mostly on my thigh hold. And that was a big step, that let me believe in myself once again. After getting comfortable with the knee hold Layback, it was finally time to get to the Full Layback practice. Slowly I started to let go of my hands. First only for a couple of seconds, then a bit longer, aiming for a Full Layback position, until one day it finally happened.


It wasn't a well executed move, rather something to build on. I knew that I was not going to break my neck by falling down and it gave me that confidence I lacked in a first place. Since then I learned Brass Monkey and Iguana, moves almost impossible to execute without a Full Layback. 

I still can't do that fast dramatic drop into it, but getting close. It took about a year to  get to this stage. Just another example of how different moves can be really easy or exceptionally difficult depending on a person who does them.

What might help with mastering this particular trick is to ask one of your pole friends for help, someone you really trust to spot you. It will help to feel how strong your grip is, which was a crucial part of conquering the move. It is still hard sometimes to let go off both hands simultaneously, and drop, but it's all just a matter of time. Or so I hope.Anyways, I think it's totally fine to be afraid of trying out a move. The problem is that at some stage, it will become a problem on the way of your pole progress.  For me it was an indication to stop mocking around and focus on that one move until I got it.
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