Common 🍆 Concerns
Look I get it … you want to avoid hitting your 🍆 on the pole. It’s a common concern but not one I have found to be a problem. The fear of banging your 🍆 probably causes more accidents than resulting in one. You need to overcome that fear so you can properly fly. Wearing a dance belt and overcoming your fear will get you through this.
Buy good dance belts early on! Your cheap tightie-whities are seriously NOT going to get the job done. Support and protection are mandatory. You can get by for a long time wearing casual gym clothing but you will not get far without a dance belt.
Dance Belts. Apparel like dance belts and sweat wicking dancewear are really important for both peak performance and comfort. Depending on where you live that may be difficult to come by. My unpaid endorsem*nt goes to Sarah McClymont and Wink Fitnesswear which has a whole line specifically for men. They were able to help get me sized and fit properly on an international order even when shipping and returns were difficult. Check them out!
Your Practice
Explore and discover for yourself. Everyone should take classes with plenty of different teachers to find styles of dance and teaching that is right for them. Finding a teacher and style you connect with may be helpful for you. Explore classes and studios until you find something that connects with you.
Learn to feel comfortable speaking up. During class if you find an exercise, movement, or position very uncomfortable you should feel okay asking for modifications. Give some time to feel and read your body on the pole and what it is doing or experiencing. You will have to communicate this to teachers who could be unfamiliar with your body type
No unhealthy comparison! Do not compare yourself to others in an unhealthy and self critical manner. Do not look down on others because they are struggling or making mistakes. Especially do not compare yourself to people with a totally different fitness background than you.
Enjoy your successes! Make them reasonable and frequent! Learn to love your personal progress. Look for every accomplishment no matter how small so you can keep track and share them! Use the positive feedback loop as motivation to look forward to practice. You have to want to be in the studio getting your ass kicked every day so make it your pride and joy.
Consistency over intensity. Making good habits is like building a chain. Every day you add a link to the chain. You want to keep that chain going. Your goal is not to go 110% every day. Your goal should be to make every day a ‘non-zero’ day. All that means is you need to make SOME progress EVERY day. Even if it means climbing but no tricks. Even if it means doing flexibility but no pole. Even if it means looking up techniques on instagram when you can’t hit the gym. Every day can be an opportunity for improvement.
Your Self-Discovery
Find styles that fit. There are a lot of different styles of pole. Pole sport / calisthenics, entertainment, circus, drama, comedy, exotic, theater, artistic, exotic… You do not have to limit yourself to one. Find ways to dance that make you happy and align with your goals.
Dancing in heels is always optional. You can dance in whatever footwear your studio will allow. Socks or fresh sneakers are just fine if you do not like going barefoot. Ask your studio what is allowed. Find choreo and classes that fit your personal expression.
RECORD! EVERYTHING! Get comfortable recording yourself and looking at your own videos. The fastest way to improve is regularly watching yourself after practice. Healthy and measured self-criticism can go a long way. Buy a wide angle lens attachment for your camera phone and a good flexible leg tripod. They cost $20 and will enable you to watch all your successes and failures.
Connect with or follow other dancers. We get it. Posting video of yourself dancing might be difficult at first. Even if you never post your art you can use Instagram and YouTube to find dancers with styles you enjoy. Search tools and recommendation algorithms make it possible to find and learn from anyone around the world. You can use social media to find inspiration, connect with dancers, and create a unique expression of movement expression that fits you.
My Final Word
“Man to man talk” time … do not ever make excuses or give yourself limitations in pole dancing because of your sex. It is absolutely the worst thing for yourself. Your body is capable of amazing things so do not start this journey by putting up barriers for yourself
Be confident and tell your story because no one else will.
Sincerely,
Your Guardian Angel 💙😇💛
