Mastering Spin Pole: Safety Tips, Speed Control, and Overcoming Dizziness

In this episode of 'Science of Slink,' Dr. Rosy Boa offers an evidence-based guide to mastering spin pole. Covering crucial topics such as pole safety, spin control, body mechanics, spin directions, and managing dizziness, this episode is designed to benefit both beginners and experienced pole dancers. Dr. Boa also introduces the Science of Slink membership for those seeking comprehensive training and a supportive community. Tune in to learn essential tips and tricks to enhance your pole dance practice.

Previous episode that goes into more info on dizziness: https://www.slinkthroughstrength.com/science-of-slink-podcast/how-to-do-spin-pole-without-getting-dizzy

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Spin Pole

01:21 Safety First: Ensuring Your Pole is Secure

04:04 Mastering Speed Control on Spin Pole

07:05 Spin Pole Movements: Easier vs. Harder

08:58 Understanding Spin Direction

12:02 Managing Dizziness and Motion Sickness

14:58 Conclusion and Membership Information

Transcript: 

 Hello and welcome to Science of Slink, the evidence-based pole podcast with me, your host, Dr. Rosy Boa, science Doctor not, not medicine doctor.

Today I'm gonna be talking about spin pole.  If you are brand new to spin pole, this is gonna give you a solid foundation of information to get started If you are a spin pole enjoyer already hopefully you'll learn a couple tips and tricks in here that you might not have known otherwise to help make spinning a little bit more fun, enjoyable for you.

And this episode, like all episodes, are brought to you by the members of Science of Slink, which is my online home pole membership. If you're interested in learning more, you can check out scienceofslink.com and that'll just take you right to the membership page and you can learn more and maybe join us. It's a great time.

So I've got sort of five main headings for what we're gonna talk about today. First, safety first, of course. We're also gonna talk a little bit about controlling spin. We're gonna talk a little bit about how, it changes how your body feels on the pole, what things it makes easier, what things it makes harder.

We're gonna talk a little bit about spin direction and how that's going to affect your movements. And finally we're gonna talk a little bit about dizziness and controlling dizziness. And if you're interested in learning more about dizziness and the vestibular system and going more in depth, I actually have another podcast episode specifically on spin, pull and dizziness.

So I'll put the link in the description.

All right. First up, safety. The most important thing when you are starting to do spin pole is to make sure that your pole is level. It is perfectly upright. And this is because for a lot of poles that have a spin mechanism, if that mechanism is at an angle it's not gonna spin as quickly, right?

You're gonna find friction. And also that friction is gonna wear down the mechanisms and over time could even cause failure. So grab your level, double check your pole tension, make sure that it is straight up and down. If your pole is straight up and down, but you find that your spin still feels a little bit sticky, a little bit grindy, not particularly fast, you should be able to on a well-fitted spin pole, walk up and set it spinning with your hand and it should stay spinning for a little bit.

If that is not the case, if you can't get momentum just with your hand it may be that your pole's actually over tight, particularly if you're using a tension pole. So reducing the tension might help a little bit. And if you have a tension pole, I would highly, highly, highly recommend taking it out and reinstalling it, right?

Like taking it all the way out and then all the way back up not necessarily down, but like. Undoing the tension, then redoing the tension every time there is a big swing in temperature, right? So when things get colder, the metal of the pole is going to contract. There's more chance of slippage When things get hotter, the metal of the pole is going to expand the more chance of tension and in particular you know, spin not working as well. Potentially even equipment failure. If the amount of tension is like way too much, you can overtighten a pole, it is absolutely possible. Probably also gonna damage the ceiling. So that's not good either.  

Also you wanna clean and wipe your pole as needed, and you may actually need to a little bit more.

If a pole is on static as you go around the pole with your hands or your body doing spins or climbs it's a little bit more easy to redistribute things on the pole. Things like grip or sweat. If you are on spin, the pole's gonna move with you. So if I have a lot of grip on my hand and I put my hand on the pole, that bit of grip is gonna stay on that pole exactly where I put my hand, even if I'm spinning. Whereas if I'm on static, that motion of me spinning my hand around the pole is gonna distribute the grip around the pole, right? So you may need to clean your pole a little bit more often.

It also requires a little bit more grip strength. So if you're noticing that things are a little bit slippier, you're sweating a bit more, just wiping it down, making sure that everything is good to go to your preference.

So that's the safety stuff. You really wanna make sure your pole is installed correctly. It's upright, the tension is correct and that you are cleaning and wiping as needed, which might be a little bit more often than you normally would.

Let's talk about controlling speed. How do you control your speed? So a very common thing with folks who are coming from static and moving on to spin is that they will go into movements with as much force especially spins as they would on static, which is way too much for spin pole.

So especially if you're new to spin pole really, really gently ease into it. If you're doing something like, let's say an inside or an outside leg hook, you might find the leg hook position and just use your outside toes to push you off just so you can get a feeling for it. So way less push off than you would have for an equivalent static spin.

And also. The further away from the pole, your body is, the slower you will move, the closer into the pole your body is, the faster you will move. And this can get folks in trouble again, especially if you're new to spin pole, because as humans are sort of protective reflex when we're like, oh no, I'm scared.

Is to pull in, is to curl in, is to make ourselves smaller, you know, protect the vital organs, all that good stuff. If you do that on spin pole and the thing that you are trying to get away from is how fast you're spinning, it will make it worse. So good general rule stick an arm out, stick a leg out, stick a limb out, lean away from the pole.

Get your body further from the pole, and that will slow you down. And conversely, if you're doing something and you wanna speed up, bring your body in closer to the pole. So it's just like figure skaters, you know, when they do that thing where their arms are out and then they pull them in and they speed up as they do that exact same principle except we're on the pole.

And this could also really be helpful if you're trying to modulate speed over a longer period of time, right? So if you're putting together combos and passes and you know you're gonna be on spin pole, I would put the big movements first. The things where your body's gonna be further from the pole first, and then the smaller movements in later, right?

So if you know you're gonna do like. An inverted crucifix where your body's right up against the pole. I would put that towards the ends of the pass. Once the pole has slowed down a little bit, when you need to add a little bit more oomph whereas something like a carousel spin where your legs are really far from the pole, I would put that a little bit earlier on.

And then as you pull your body into the pole over the course of your, you know, your movements that you're doing, it will increase the speed. And hopefully, you know, if you are counterbalancing the amount of friction that is slowing your speed, you might even have a consistent speed of spin throughout your whole pass on the pole.

That takes more work, that takes more modulation. It takes just practice, right? To get a sense of it. And it makes take practice on a specific pole because different poles are gonna spin differently. But general idea. Controlling speed. Do not give it as much. Don't put as much mustard on the sandwich as you would for a static pole.

Absolutely. And when you are on spin, smaller, faster, bigger, slower. So remember that it's a little counterintuitive in your body, particularly if you're like, ah, go way too fast. But it will help, I promise.

Alright, third. Some movements are easier on spin, some movements are harder on spin. And the things to keep in mind are that as you are spinning, it's going to feel like you are being pulled away from the pole. So movements where part of the movement, the thing that's hard is getting your butt in, for example, away from the pole, are gonna feel a little bit easier on spin. So I think a great example here is getting into genie. From the ground. If you're on static, you have to keep your butt out to the side while you hook that bottom leg.

If you are on spin, you can let the force of that spin keep pulling your butt away from the pole. Other things that might be a little bit easier on spin. If you're doing a basic climb and you find you have a hard time with your chest or your belly, being too close to the pole and pushing away is really challenging. Or if you find that half bracket or bracket grip really challenging that push away, the pushing away part is gonna be easier on spin.

Now conversely, some other things are harder on spin again, 'cause that same, the sensation, the percept, is that you are being pulled away from this pull. And that the main thing that comes up for folks besides the dizziness, we'll talk about that later, is grip, right? It is just harder to grip because it's like you're being tugged away from the pole the entire time.

And if like me, you are in the small hands club, you may become acutely aware of this. So spins that are very comfortably one handed for me on static. I don't always wanna do one handed on spin because it requires more grip strength, it requires more friction. So if I'm a little bit slippery, I'm gonna be a little bit more not necessarily worried, but I'm gonna be a little bit more cautious, right? I'm gonna modulate because the actual holding on part is harder. So that's the general thing to remember is that the thing that it's gonna feel like when you're doing stuff on spin, besides the spinning, is it's gonna be like you're gonna be gently pulled away.

Let's talk a little bit about spin direction.  So when we're working with spin pole, we can either be spinning forward or we can be spinning backward.

And generally the distinction that people make is if your belly button is facing in the direction of spin, you're spinning forward. If your belly button is facing away from the direction of spin, you're spinning backwards. Right? So, and this is the same for pole spins in general, right? So something like a chair spin usually is a forward spin. And something like a back hook is usually a backward spin. 'cause usually it's your spine that's pointing in the direction of spin.

When we are doing movements on spin pole, we can do the same movement as a forward or a backward spin because what our body is actually doing is a static hold, right?

So you can do that back hook shape on a spin pole going forward or backward. I mean, you can do front hook spin on static pole as well, but mechanically it's very different. So, for example, on spin pole the shape that you are holding when you do a chair spin, whether you are spinning forward or backward is the same, but it's gonna feel pretty different.

 And things are gonna feel pretty different and different movements are going to feel better or worse for different people. So for me side climb on, forward spin and backward spin feels pretty similar. There's not a huge difference for me but I know for a lot of folks it feels a lot easier on backward spin than forward spin.

So the way that you're doing the movement is going to show up, but there are a couple things that. Pretty much universally easier on backwards spin one of the things that's much easier for most people on a backwards spin is basic inversions slash chopper, right?

Any shape where you're having that tuck shape and you're trying to get your legs up and get your butt up, almost always easier going backwards.

Whereas something like a flare, right? So if you're not familiar with a flare, if you're not watching the video, you're not seeing what my hands are doing. But it's like a fan kick going the other direction. Flares tend to be easier on forward spin. And of course you can invert in a forward spin and you can do a flare in a backward spin. Just generally, this is the way that's gonna be easiest. And generally the way that people enter them, you're gonna get the most help from the direction of spin.

In general, inverting into a inside leg hang is a little bit easier on forward spin. Inverting into an outside leg hang is a little bit easier on backward spin. And of course there's variation but in general, for most people, that is the case.

And for most movements that are not symmetrical, like a basic climb it shouldn't matter a whole bunch. 'cause your body's doing mostly the same thing and you're facing the pole. But for movements that aren't symmetrical, usually one direction of spin is gonna be better than the other.

So if one way feels just like impossible, try the other direction and see how it works for you.

So we've talked about safety, we've talked about controlling speed. We've talked about what spin pole moves feel like, how it's different than static pole moves. We've talked about different directions of spin, and let's finally talk about dizziness.

Like I mentioned, I've got a whole episode on this, but just a couple things to pull out that might be helpful for you, particularly if you're newer, if you're coming from a different dance tradition where spotting is a thing, right?

So keeping your head. Looking at one focal point and then, as your body turns whipping your head around to re-look at that focal point. You cannot do that in pole. I would strongly recommend against it. You are spending too fast. And you are not at the center fulcrum point of the spin.

You are always gonna be to one side of it unless you're on flying pole. Flying pole is a whole different kettle of fish. We're not talking about that right now. Do not try to spot. If you do try to spot likely it's not gonna feel great in your neck. And also it may actually make you dizzier.

Definitely take breaks, right?

The best time to take a break to avoid getting really dizzy and nauseous is before you feel really dizzy and nauseous. Do a little bit of work. Stop before you get really dizzy. Take a sip of water, make sure you're hydrating. Being dehydrated can really increase your feelings of dizziness.

Modulate your temperature, so helping yourself. Stay cool. Can also help reduce nausea and motion sickness. If you know that you are prone to nausea and motion sickness, you might try bringing an ice pack with you into your pulse space and then putting it on your chest. When you are noticing that you're starting to get a little bit nauseous, that might actually help.

Also just know that depending on your general physical situation, you may be more prone or less prone to motion sickness or dizziness or nausea than other folks, right? So hormones play a huge role in motion sickness and nausea. You know, just know that that is the case if you've been going through some hormonal changes, right?

Recent pregnancy, breastfeeding, childbirth, menopause, perimenopause, if you're starting HRT particularly if you're starting estrogen HRT, all of those things are gonna affect how dizzy you get. So just. Know that that is a factor. Also if you have any sort of disability or anything that interacts with your vestibular system.

So, you know, stuff like POTS it's just gonna affect how long it takes you to adapt to spin. Which is not to say you cannot adapt to skin.

So spin tolerance is a learned thing, right? It is a thing that you can get better at over time with practice.

And if it's something that you are looking to increase, I would recommend doing that work at the end of your practice and just a little bit do not push yourself to the point where you're like, I'm gonna hurl, I'm gonna have a bad time Again, the best time to break is before it gets really bad. So give yourself, you know. Five seconds of spin, 10 seconds of spin, 15 seconds of spin.

See how you feel slowly build up. And your vestibular system will adapt if you continue to give it this input.

You know, bodies are wonderful, resilient things. They're always changing based on stuff that's happening in our environment. And you can help create that change, right? That's why physical fitness classes work because bodies are changeable and you can decide what sort of learning you want your brain and body to do.

So that's what I've got for you today. Short and sweet brings together a bunch of information, especially if you're getting started on spin pole. This may be relevant to folks coming up.

So if you're not familiar with the studio and how I put together my curriculum it's based on quarter chunks. So each quarter we have a shifting focus based on building our physical capacity building technical ability so learning, you know, a specific trick focus and then learning a specific artistic thing, right, to help us express ourselves. For this quarter, everything we're doing is more vestibular focused. So right now we're increasing capacity and we're working on building our balance. Next month we're gonna be working on spin pole and working on technical mastery of that. And of course, if you're like, I can't do spin pole Rosy, it's just not for me. Perfectly fine. Everything that we will do can also be done on static. But it will also work on spin. And I've designed it all to help you if you are working on spin, slowly, increase your abilities so you have more options.

And then we'll do something else for the third month. I know what it is. Perhaps you can guess something to do with artistry and play and balance in pole, and perhaps some sort of apparatus that we also use along with pole. Hmm. What could it be? Mystery.

And of course my members get. All of my drop-in classes and everything that I've designed to help work together to form a really cohesive home pole program that you can just tune into what you don't have to think about and all the thinking's been done for you 'cause I don't, I don't know about y'all. I don't have a lot of extra brain these days.

So. Borrow mine. That is part of what the membership is about.

And the other thing is just like hanging out with cool folks who are also nerds about pole dance and freestyle and moving their bodies and expressing themselves and hanging out together and having a nice time because sometimes nice times are pretty thin on the ground and it's, it's good to have something that you can come together with, with other folks and just enjoy right? Little, little time for yourself. Little, little regulation capsule in your day.

So. That's all I've got for you today. I hope you found this informative. You've taken some tips that you can take with you on your spin pole journey.

If you're interested in, you know, working with me on spin pole stuff you know, you can always do drop-ins or if you want everything, there's the membership. But regardless I will see you on the internet. I am sure, and I'll talk with you very soon. Bye.