Pole Goals

Regardless of a pole dance level we all have that special move on the horizon we're desperately trying to achieve.

Knee hold has been my Nemesis move for ages. Finally got it last year

Pole Goals make me try harder every time a come to studio to practice. Achieving them helps tracking my progress and generally makes me feel good for a time. Here is a list of moves I tried to get at different stages of my pole journey.

Beginners (poling for less than a year):

1) Butterfly 

2) Gemini - Scorpio transition 

3) Superman  (what a surprise)

Intermediate (2 years into pole):

1) Shoulder Mount 

2) Aeysha 

3) Jade

Advanced (not even sure I'm 100% on this level after almost 3 years of doing pole):

1) Iron X (total nemesis move)

2) Russian Split

3) Iguana Air Walk (or whatever it's called)

Expert (hoping to be here one day):

1) Fongi

2) Deadlift (if I do it, I'll die happy)

3) Spatchcock

4) Bird of Paradise

5) Starfish  (it simply looks insane)

That lot is all in a very long run, and I do have a more realistic list of goals. It's quite likely I'll get these moves before Christmas if I really focus on them instead of doing half-assed attempts near the end of a class. So the doable list is as follows:

1) Devil's Elbow

Crazy painful, but doable. And pretty, very pretty, so pretty I'm very angry with myself for not being able to do it yet.

2) Brass Monkey Lift

I sort of have a brain freeze every time I try it. Technically, I should be strong enough to do it, but still no luck.

3) Ballerina

Used to sort of do it when just started pole. One of the prettiest spinner moves ever! Unfortunately, my shoulders are so tight now I can't bring my arm around the pole any more. This one requires a lot of effort on my side, but it may still be possible. 

Good thing to remember about pole goals is that they should be achievable. No need to sulk over Rainbow Marchenko if you can't even do a simple invert. Sometimes I set a goal, try it and realise how far I'm actually from the level required to master the move. Consulting your instructor may help. You may not be ready for that special move yet, but nothing stops you from working on a base to build on. That was a case with Aeysha. I started with practicing a Caterpillar climb  and on move that I'm pretty sure is called D. It helped so much to get the balance required for successful Aeysha, so I could do it in no time.

I found myself in similar situation while learning a lot of other moves. Jallegra is easy if you can do both Allegra and Jade, Brass bridge is much easier if you've got a solid Brass Monkey etc. Pole journey is made of small steps that I'm slowly climbing up, and missing some steps may hinder your further progress without you realising it.

My pole goals are not purely about the tricks and combos. The one I'm aiming for this year is performing in heels for the first time. It is so outside my comfort zone. Sexy stuff is super hard for me, I feel stupid, like a sloth trying to dance. But I also know that doing so will improve my confidence and expand the variety of things I can do on the pole.

A pole goal can be something as simple as pointing your toes all the time. As long as it gives a feeling of achievement, it's fantastic!

The bad side of setting certain goals is frustration, the feeling I'm all too familiar with. You try over and over, but it just doesn't happen: your splits are as far from the floor as they was 3 months ago, that leg in Extended Butterfly is not straight,  the combo that's supposed to be flowy looks stiff and edgy. Frustration is what puts most people off the pole after completing a beginners course. Not that I'm surprised, pole Fitness is not easy, it may look like it when you watch somebody perform,  but behind every performance are years of hard work. I deal with bad times in my training very often, feel discouraged and useless, but always push through, just like I push through the pain to increase my flexibility. I always remind myself why I started pole dancing, think of all the moves I haven't got yet, and it helps me to move on.

As long as I have pole goal is realistic it helps a lot on my pole journey, making it more fun, challenging and diverse.