Skip to main content

Superman Superpain

I'm sure every single pole dancer at some point of their pole journey wished to get a perfect Superman. And by that I don't mean to find a super attractive boyfriend to show off their fantastic pole skills to :)

Superman is a pain. Literally. When I tried it for the first time it felt like my skin was burning and freezing at the same time. Every attempt left fresh bruises that just wouldn't go away. Not sure what is wrong with this particular trick. It takes ages to find a spot that doesn't hurt like hell, but then it miraculously stops being painful and you're sweet just hanging there for ages. At least that's how it was for me. I managed to hold the move fairly quickly after I first started working on it. It didn't look too bad either, but damn, the pain was unbearable! You can always keep a poker face and pretend that nothing is going on, but if it hurts then the move is not well executed. I do realize now, that the problem was in my body positioning. Not sure if it was due to my "attention to details" or something else, but I clearly missed that part where you are supposed to drop your body down and relax into the move. I wish I could apply it at an earlier stage of practice. Maybe it felt scary or awkward and my body resisted that drop that will make Superman a lot easier. Instead, I crossed my ankles and tried to squeeze as hard as possible, hence the pain.

May 2016. Superman is one of the moves I'm 100% satisfied with


The other problem encountered on the way to a perfect Superman was how to get into it. There are so many different ways to do it, but I was stuck with a single option Butterfly - Flatline - Superman, followed but a clumsy collapse on the floor. Not the best way to finish your combo.

December 2013, before my long break from pole. Clumsy Superman combo

It took more time to diversify my entries, than a move itself. I have recently discovered that Pike/Jade – Superman transition works quite well and look very pretty. Among the more standard, beginner ways to get into your Superman are from a Spinning Crouch or knee hook from a floor. What works the best completely depends on a personal style, skill level and technique.

On a bright side, Superman is one of those rare tricks that I can do equally well on both sides. There is a slight difference of course, but in general it is almost just as comfortable on my bad side. That gives me a bit more room to play around with the move and incorporate it in more complex combos without ending up on a bad side of a move that follows. Turns out, there are still so many different ways to get into Superman, I had no idea about. It is always good to nail standard spinning crouch entry, but Superman trick gives you a lot of freedom for experimenting. Same goes for getting out of it. Ideally you can do Titanic, but well, nowhere near there yet. But even on a beginner-intermediate level there are so many cool ways to finish off your Superman combo. I’m still working on a tumble down, but it will take a lot of time to polish.

June 2016. Superman-Jade-Tumble combo.

So this trick is a must-learn not just because it is pretty, but because it will widen the range of combos you could do immensely. Plus, just like Aeysha, Superman is a signature move. Nailing it will boot your confidence and open new opportunities of a never ending pole journey.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Russian Split Angle

Russian Split is one of the prettiest pole splits, at least in my opinion. One can say I mastered it all right, but the truth is that a lot of issues still remain. The move was a constant struggle from start to finish. 1) Fear Kind of similar to what I felt while learning a full Layback. The gaping abyss of nothingness below, feeling of falling into it breaking my neck along the way. Literally that bad. I knew my body was strong enough to keep myself in a required position, but my brain said "nope, you'll fall and die a slow and painful death". The solution was as usual to push through the fear, first through spotting, then using a crash mat to build up my confidence. Took me about two months to get past that stage, but I did it. First attempts. Good side split, but bad side Cupid, so had to start over from a different side later on 2) Bad Side This issue haunts me non-stop. My left split is no good even on the floor, and it pains me even more in my...
Post a Comment
Read more

Branded Polewear: For and Against

So, I've been thinking about this for awhile. Is fancy polewear really an asset or just a way to suck out your money? During my pole journey I went through two phases, but can't say that either point of view is right or wrong. At the very beginning of my pole journey I didn't care much about my outfit. Not that I could not appreciate how pretty proper pole gear looked on other girls, but thought that I needed to get better before showing off in a shiny new top. I had a feeling I hadn't yet deserved cool polewear, since my best move at a time was a wobbly Butterfly. Another reason against it was a price tag, we all know how expensive good quality pole gear can be. It's just so easy to find cheap, relatively comfy pole stuff that wouldn't cost you a fortune, a simple choice between 4 - 5 sets of cheap tops/shorts, or just one  set from a fancy brand. Poling in cheap as stuff was totally fine and never really hindered my progress, though I must admit, I badly ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Beautiful Butterfly

Butterfly deserves a separate post. It is pretty, easy and fun. Butterfly is such a pretty shape. It doesn't require any extreme flexibility or strength, but looks absolutely stunning It was my very first 'advanced' move, or so I thought at the beginning of my pole journey. It's funny how my perception of a 'cool move' changed with time and experience,  but I still consider Butterfly  beautiful and worth putting in a routine. Just for a change I had no particular struggle with the Butterfly,  apart from a minor body positioning issue. And that was back when I had to cheekily jump into my Invert (yes, we all did that). Facing the pole, while holding a perfect shape seemed to confuse me a little. My body tended to turn either to one side or another. I could still easily hold the move, but the shape was a bit crooked and imperfect. Not sure exactly how I overcame the issue,  just lots of practice,  I guess. And I did practice it a lot, alongside wi...
Post a Comment
Read more