Pole dancing has become more popular than ever, with wide adoption and an increasing number of participants in recent years.
It is not purely physical fitness but a form of freedom, artistic, and characteristic expression.
It will take a long list to tell all the benefits of pole dancing, from increasing your mental and physical states to seeking fun and relaxation.
However, many people still linger to join pole dancing as they think this sport is challenging.
Many beginner pole dancers have asked me: do you have to be flexible to pole dance?
In this post, I will discuss the role and importance of flexibility in pole dance to give you a detailed answer. Keep reading to find out!
Do You Have To Be Flexible To Pole Dance?
The answer’s yes. The more flexible you are, the better you get at pole dancing.
Flexibility is a critical characteristic for pole dancers, which helps strengthen your core muscles and keep your body balanced.
Besides agility, skills, and muscle strength, flexibility is an indispensable factor that every pole dancer must possess.
Without a flexible body, you cannot perform the skills and pole dance movements in beautiful manners.
In the following sections, I will discuss the role and importance of flexibility in pole dancing and some additional helpful information. Keep reading to find out!
Why Flexibility Matters In Pole Dancing
There are many reasons behind the irreplaceable role of flexibility in pole dancing. Firstly, most pole dancing movements, skills, and tricks require an adequate to a high level of flexibility.
With a flexible body, the dancers can perform those movements in beautiful and smooth manners.
On the other hand, inflexibility will hinder your movement and make it harder to perform those techniques.
For example, there are techniques such as lifts, inverts, and bendings, which requires tremendous flexibility in the core muscles.
When you hang upside down, the back and shoulder muscles must be strong and flexible enough.
In addition, pole dance involves a lot of leg stretching, which also resorts to flexibility. Therefore, it’s not an exaggeration to say that flexibility is no less important than muscle strength.
Without a flexible body, you are more prone to the risks of pain and injury when performing hard techniques. However, flexibility doesn’t increase the dancers’ safety only.
With a high level of flexibility, you can improve the aesthetic aspects of your performance.
A flexible pole dancer can execute the skills and movements fluidly and gracefully, just making their performance more enjoyable.
Therefore, the role of flexibility in pole dance is even more crucial if you participate in a pole dance performance or competition.
It is the factor that makes excellent pole dancers stand out from intermediates and beginners.
The Additional Benefits Of Flexibility On Mental Health
Besides the physical benefits, flexibility can actually improve your mental state and help pole dancers do better emotionally.
For example, pole dancers can practice stretching techniques to improve their flexibility.
Research proves that these movements can help reduce muscle tension and emotional stress while enhancing your control, balance, and self-awareness.
Practicing pole dancing and improving flexibility can bring tremendous positive impacts on your emotional and mental health. You will suffer less from stress and love your body more.
I know many excellent and flexible pole dancers who are also the most positive and confident ones.
Confidence will help you believe in yourself more and generate more willpower to keep up with the process.
Last but not least, being able to perform pole dancing smoothly and gracefully will give you more joy and happiness. The greater the enjoyment, the more you will love and want to keep up with this sport.
Which Type Of Pole Fitness Is Right For You?
Do you know that there are many types of pole fitness with unique curriculums, characteristics, and requirements? Some popular examples are pole flow, pole dance fitness, pole sports, or exotic pole.
For example, the most popular type is pole dance fitness, which combines dancing and choreography elements around the pole. This category focuses mainly on the fluidity and grace of the movements.
Pole sports feature higher competitiveness with a deeper focus on strength and aestheticism. You have to perform more dangerous and robust tricks or movements when participating in pole sports.
Therefore, you should consider the reasons why you want to pole dance to choose a suitable category. It’s up to your personal interests, preferences, goals, and body conditions to decide.
How To Increase Your Flexibility To Pole Dance?
From the mentioned reasons, it’s apparent that flexibility plays a crucial role in your safety, efficiency, and enjoyment when performing a pole dance.
Flexibility is indispensable if you want to become an excellent pole dancer.
It is not the sole factor that decides your success, but the importance of flexibility is undeniable. So, you must practice and increase your flexibility over time, along with improving your pole dance skills.
In the sections below, I will introduce some simple and effective methods to help you get a more flexible body. You can incorporate them with your pole dance sessions to reap the highest results.
Go To A Splits/ Contortion/ Flexibility Class
You should seek a flexibility class and have professional instructors train you on improving flexibility. They can choose the most suitable workout routines and exercises that suit their body conditions.
Train Everyday
Training every day helps your brain and muscles memorize the techniques and movements more effectively. The muscle memories will slowly form and make you become better at pole dancing.
In addition, a fixed training schedule will form a habit, making your body more adaptable to this physical activity.
Warm Up – A Lot
Warming up is an indispensable part of pole dancing or any physical activity. It helps stretch your joints and muscles to prepare your body for the upcoming training session.
Warming up can build up the heat and motivate you to practice. It will increase your enjoyment during the process and help prevent fatigue or boredom.
Invest In The Right Tools
Low-quality tools not only hinder your practicing process but also increase the risks of pain and unwanted injuries.
Therefore, you should invest in high-quality and reliable tools to practice and improve your flexibility.
The most crucial piece of equipment is the pole. It would be best to choose a durable pole with a smooth finish and high grips.
Premium poles will optimize your comfort, efficiency, and safety when practicing pole dance.
Also, you can buy protective gear like knee pads, wrist guards, or elbow pads to lower the risks of injury and make you feel more confident.
Lastly, wear comfortable clothing with high breathability to make you feel more comfortable during the training session.
Read more: Best Knee Pads For Pole Dance
Be Consistent
Consistency is the key to practicing anything, whether it is pole dancing or any other physical activity. You must perform the exercises regularly and follow a detailed and consistent practice routine.
A consistent practicing schedule will build up your momentum and willpower, helping you stick with the arduous training sessions easier. It also forms a beneficial habit and brings you more commitment.
Read more: How Often Should You Practice Pole Dancing?
Don’t Overdo It
Don’t set unrealistic goals that exceed your body conditions or capacity. For example, it’s impossible for a beginner pole dancer to perform advanced and dangerous techniques in pole dancing.
It will only make your body susceptible to injuries and pain. In addition, setting unrealistic goals will generate frustration and make you feel bad about yourself.
Without confidence and self-awareness, you will slowly want to give up and lack motivation. Therefore, start with small steps at first and allow your body time to grow and adapt.
Don’t Compare Yourself To Others
It’s natural that you want to compare yourself to the better and more experienced pole dancers.
However, it would help if you remembered that they start much sooner than you do, and everyone’s journey is different.
Therefore, don’t compare yourself to better people and make yourself feel bad about yourself. Everyone has a starting point and has to learn everything from scratch, including pole dancing.
It’s critical to celebrate the minor progress you have made on the road, no matter how small it is.
You will gain more confidence and self-awareness, thus getting more willpower to push forward and become better.
Exercises To Help You Get Better At Pole Fitness
Here are some simple and effective exercises you can practice at home after the pole dance training sessions.
They not only increase your flexibility and stamina but also bring you more joy and relaxation.
In addition, most of these exercises are easy to monitor, and they don’t require any special equipment either.
You can pick around two or three exercises depending on your preferences and body conditions.
Push Up
There’s not much need to describe this exercise due to its universal popularity. Pushing up can help build your upper body strength, which is essential for pole dancing tricks around the pole.
Pull-ups
While push-ups help increase upper body strength, the pull-ups can increase flexibility and resilience in the lower body muscles.
Planks
These exercises combine various core muscles around your bellies, helping the performer reduce weight and keep fit. It can train your body to keep balance better.
Stretching
This is the most effective exercise to increase your flexibility. In addition, stretching is a prevalent trick in pole dancing, leading to a win-win situation.
Balancing exercise
The balancing exercises can be as simple as standing on one leg to increase your balance, flexibility, and stamina. These factors are essential when you practice pole dance.
FAQs
Does practicing make your body more flexible? Should you learn to pole dance without a relaxed body? If you are wondering about these questions, check out the sections below!
Does Pole Dancing Make You More Flexible?
The answer is yes. Pole dancing can increase your body’s flexibility through the movements and dancing skills around the pole.
In the long run, the core muscles used for these movements will gradually become more robust and more flexible.
Can You Learn To Pole Dance If You’re Not Flexible?
Don’t worry about starting to learn pole dance if you don’t have a naturally flexible body. Though flexibility is critical for pole dancing, it is not the sole requirement.
You can start easy at first and gradually improve your flexibility over time.
Do You Have To Be In Shape To Pole Dance?
Though a fit and lean body is a significant advantage for pole dancers, you don’t necessarily have to be in good shape to pole dance.
However, you still exercise to reduce weight and make your body fitter, thus improving your performance.
What Kind Of Strength Do You Need To Be A Pole Dancer?
Pole dancing involves the movement of various core muscles, including the upper body and lower body muscles.
Besides muscle strength, pole dancers must possess qualities like flexibility, endurance, and resilience.
Is Pole Dancing Very Difficult?
Yes, pole dancing can be physically demanding and hard to learn, especially for beginners.
However, you can start with the simple techniques at first, giving time for your body to adapt to this sport better.
Final Thoughts
Flexibility is a critical quality any pole dancer must possess. With a flexible body, you can perform pole dance techniques and movements correctly while lowering the risks of injury.
You are reassured that your body is flexible enough for pole dancing. There are various types of exercises and practice methods to give you a more flexible and resilient body.
Nevertheless, you must have a determined mindset and practice consistently to achieve the finest result. I hope this article can help you reap your rewards and progress as a pole dancer.
Thank you for reading!
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