Pole Fitness: progress and challenge

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...