Finding Balance
So there’s a scene in the movie Remember the Titans where the football team finally starts to come together. They are at practice and after an great block two of the guys start chanting “Left side, strong side”. It is this moment that they realize the order and BALANCE necessary to succeed as a team…and ultimately WIN. So I asked myself, shouldn’t we also have this balance in Pole as well?
Coming into pole all of us are told that our right side is typically the dominant side, and that we should work on the left side to have equal skill and ability. Now, maybe during the first few classes that actually happens, but as we advance we tend to forget about that left side and fall deeper into the comfort and security of our right side. I think that it’s important for us to work on balancing out the left and right…so that we have equal ability on both sides.
I have yet to come across a studio that actively promotes this. So I am calling out to the studios in hopes that someone will read this and act on it. I am hoping that at least one studio will make time in their schedule for a weekly “lefty” class that would focus solely on the progression and skill advancement on our left sides. This is something that should not be forgotten and that should be actively taught in studios as it would greatly benefit dancers (both students and instructors) of all levels.
Update
Ok, so I woke up this morning to some interesting comments, so I felt inclined to add to this post with some additional thoughts. Ask yourself, Can I do everything on the left that I can do on the right? My answer to this question was No 🙁
I think everyone agrees that working on the left side is important. There are classes that initially teach tricks on both sides, but from my experience we try the trick on the left a couple of times and then go back to the right. Once we master the trick (on the right side) we move on to learning the next trick. How often can we say that we went back and worked on the left side until that was mastered as well?
Incorporating the left side is good in class, but I think we need more. If your dominant side is the right side and you don’t give your left side more attention then the left side will always be trailing behind the right side.
Our studios and instructors can help us challenge ourselves to master the left side just as well as we’ve mastered the right side. Plus working on this in groups may help us embrace the difficulty and how silly we may feel that we look when trying to attempt it. I mean, I think I’m pretty good at a chair spin…until I do it on my left side lol.
I think that many of us would benefit from a structured and dedicated class for left side TLC. Consider this: many of the studios have (or have recently added) a dedicated stretch and flexibility class. Now, we stretch before each class right? Yea, but stretching is so important to our development and safety that someone decided it should be its own class. And might I add that it always seems to be a very popular and packed class at every studio that does offer it. So why not apply this same frame of mind to the development of our left side?
August 21, 2012 @ 6:10 PM
so when i was getting certified i was 100 % on the what happens to one side needs to happen on the other side aswell, IN THE BASICS!!!! So all level 1-4 i DO think its important to even out so to build a strong base on both sides which will help balance out your frame…..HOWEVER, after your hit your comfort level with 1-4, i DO beleive you have to figure out your “sweet spots” & “strong kickstand arm base” on one side untill you build up enpough strength in levels 4+ to fell more comfort to THEN start training the other side to come into par with the strong side.
While in Pole Con 2012, Alethea s right side had a rib injury. During her workshop , while teaching the “Devil Dance Shuffle”, she had to do it all on the Left side, her” bad side” (as she put it) lol,,,,buuuut after pole con she said, her Left Side is a Her Good side now;)
SO, (IMO)
lvl 1-4: train both sides ( you may be suprised as to which side turns out to be your strong side) IT IS VERY INPORTANT TO GAIN EQUAL STRENGTH WHILE LEARNING THE BASICS!
lvl 4+: Pole Rule: THERE IS ALWAYS A PUSH/PULL FORCE IN POLE STUNTING/SPINNING. exp: split grips, pull up with the inside arm, push thro the abdomen with the outside arm =s brings up the gravity & holds the core contraction…SO, when advancing into higher levels , Its always good to KNOW your strong side vs. your weak & train from there & as you get the strength powerflly down, THEN is when i suggest balancing both sides….its always “to each their own” in my mind when helping students decide where to focus building strenght, so i always think you have to Personally asses Your sides/levels as you go…(IMO)
August 22, 2012 @ 2:18 PM
I have never thought about needing a class dedicated to working the non-dom side. I have always been trained ( in silks particularly) on working both sides…admittedly as the tricks get more complicated we tend to pick a side to really work on ( especially since the wraps become more eleborate). The justification at that point is about how many times you will really pull that trick out and whether you should spend the time sweating the side you will likely never use.
In pole though I think its always made sense to work both sides. Because I’ve tended to misunderstand whether “left” or “right” in pole meant left/right of the pole, my literal left/right side, my left/right arm on top/bottom, I think I’ve actually ended up working my non-dom side by accident for many tricks! Yay.
Anyway, I’m not sure if I would ever sign up for a Non-Dom Training class ( in the interests of time & limited financial resources) but I think that even when an instructor doesn’t spend time ensuring that you are working both sides, you should do it! And when you are training on your own, keep yourself honest.