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 Russian Split as it pushes my body beyond its capabilities. My right split us much better, but it will mean doing the Cupid on a bad side. Since it's the best starting point for the Russian Split, it has to be solid, which is not yet the case on my bad side. It was exactly the same with Jade, so had to train my bad side Scorpio for that purpose. The good thing is - it pushes me to improve my bad side split, but there is only that much I can do.

Almost flat split done from my good side Cupid. Still struggling a lot as it is a bad side split

3) Angle

So your Russian Split is achieved,  you're super happy, can hold it for ages etc. Then you check Instagram/YouTube /Facebook, then look at your photo, then on Instagram, then your photo, then Instagram, and they are just not the same. The reason for my disappointment was the angle. Apparently, the move can be done completely parallel to the floor. What? It is even possible? May be if you're not completely human? Anyways, my bottom leg was only 20 - 25 degrees away from the pole. It made me happy that I could do it at all, but showed how much more work was still ahead. It has been slowly improving and now I can low it down to about 50 - 70 degrees. A slow process, but progress non the less. The aim is to get it parallel to the floor one day.

Bottom leg is now way closer to being parallel to the ground. It is now a matter of flexibility to make it look flat.
Not an easy task for someone with average flexibility

Apparently, there is a one handed version of the Russian Split. Not even a slightest idea how to do it yet, it is a challenge for another day. But for now I aim to work on all those bits and pieces that add up to create a beautiful flawless move.