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One of my goals for 2013 was to De-Clutter all aspects of my life – which largely includes reorganizing all of the files on my computers and dozens of flash drives. I’ve slowly been making progress and along the way have come across a few items that had slipped my mind. The other day I actually came across a memory card with pics from Miss Texas Pole Star’s Saturday night competition.
I remember being back stage with the contestants and the pros as they were getting ready but I totally forgot I had shot these. What I like most about these shots is that they were taken in the dressing room before the competition started. Since this isn’t an angle that most get to see I thought it would be fun to share these behind-the-scenes images from the competition. Better late than never! The images really show how fun and sassy all of these wonderful ladies are – despite any nervousness they may have had. I love the camaraderie among our Pole Community. Check out the “Lost” MTPS Album here!
So, even though I’ve been back in the gym with my trainer I haven’t really been hitting it as hard as I need to be…and my cardio game is seriously lacking. And despite being serious in talk about losing these last 15-20 pounds I don’t think I’ve been serious enough in my actions. I guess I’ve come to a point where I feel like I’ve been dragging my feet long enough and I’m tired of being in this in-between stage. I’m not sure if I’m a fat skinny girl or a skinny fat girl. So today I text my trainer (as I was doing cardio) and let him know that I AM READY. Change my diet, up my cardio and let’s get the last of this weight off.
To get this final phase kicked off I hit the gym tonight and got my cardio in on the stair machine. The assignment from my trainer was to do an hour of cardio. I pushed myself super hard and got in my hour and then some. I left the gym with wobbly jello legs but I felt great and reenergized. Oh, and hungry! Tonight is only the first night and I know that I still have a long road ahead. To help me stay focused and motivated on the last leg of this transformation I’ve committed myself up for some pole competitions/performances. And to add just a bit more pressure, my high school reunion is this summer (yep, I’m getting old!) and if I’m going back to Cali then I’m going back look and feeling GOOD.
I’m hoping that with these events on the line it will give me the additional drive and determination that I need to make it to the finish line…because that’s where my goal is…at the finish line. This year’s mission: Get fit or die trying.
When I started FreeStyle Friday I never imagined how quickly it would grow. The support from studios, pros and students has just been incredible. I am thrilled to hear from so many instructors and studios that have been inspired to start a FreeStyle Friday class at their studio.
A little background… FreeStyle Friday started as a personal challenge to myself. I knew that my dance and fluidity was seriously lacking when it came to my pole routines. The only way I knew to get better was to make myself dance more and document my progress. I told my a few close pole friends about this personal challenge to help give myself some support and also accountability – knowing that pressure and expectation would help me get the job done. Fortunately these pole sisters were so supportive that they started doing it with me and so I decided to share this challenge with others in our pole community to see who else would join in…and the rest is history!
I am honored to see the support that we are getting from studios that have been inspired to start scheduling FreeStyle Friday practice into studio time. I never imagined that a personal challenge could bloom and become part of the weekly schedule at pole studios.
If you’re thinking about scheduling a weekly FreeStyle Friday class or jam session, I have a few pieces of advice to share: Getting Started…
One of the hardest things about free styling is the lack of structure and direction. Many students may be feeling this as they enter class, so I suggest giving them a jump start at the beginning of class. Start by asking them what they want to incorporate into their freestyles. You can brainstorm on how to work this into the class during your warm up. After your warm up you can explore some basic transitions and combos (and some variations) based off of what your students voiced. Often the Trick of the Week might be a great option to help get started. This will not only offer students a starting point but it also will help with getting all of their muscles warmed up and engaged.
Class Format…
My suggested format for FreeStyle Friday classes is that they should be minimally structured classes that are a blend of pole levels 2 /3 and Open Pole. This allows for a little bit of instruction and then plenty of free time for the girls to pole around on their own. Most likely you’ll have a group of girls at various levels skill wise, so its always a good idea to keep it on a level that everyone is comfortable with. It’s OK to put the FreeStyle Friday song for that week on repeat. (Students can tune in and out during warm up and initial instruction.) This will introduce the song to those that haven’t heard it and allow everyone to get a feel for the music and come up with some moves they want to incorporate.
When it comes to recording…
Give students 2-3 chances to record as a group but also encourage them to record individually. Often we may feel more comfortable recording as a group, but what can happen is is that we can stop focusing on our own dance and instead tune into what others are doing and mirror or try keep up with them. Or after the recording when we are reviewing, we often make the mistake of using that time to compare ourselves to those that we were dancing with/nearby instead of critiquing ourselves. It’s great to work as a group but I want to emphasize the underlying goal of personal growth.
You’ll also have students that are shy and won’t want to record. Encourage them, give them a little push but don’t force them and don’t single them out. Asking them to join you for class next week will make them feel more connected and encouraged…and maybe next week they’ll feel more ready. Also, you can let students know that it’s OK to record and NOT post. Just because they record that doesn’t mean they have to post. At the end of the day my goal is just for everyone to monitor their progress, identify what they do well and where to improve so that they can see their growth. Keep the recordings to themselves or sharing with instructors or FSF admin is quite all right.
Remind them of their options…
Options can sometimes ease the mind and help students relax enough to get through their dance. And I know from experience, once you get through that first dance, it gets easier and easier from there. So to help with this remind them that they are welcome to change things up in any way that works best for them. This includes skipping pole work and doing FreeStyle Floorwork, FreeStyle wall work and FreeStyle chair work (let them know they don’t have to be on the pole). For those that do want to incorporate pole work let them know that they don’t have to invert or do any hard tricks. Working on spin combinations or putting that often forgotten left side to work is always a great option!
Remembering to breath and hold their tricks is key. Let them know it’s better to do 3 tricks that they can fully extend and hold, as opposed to sloppily doing 6 rushed tricks. Less is MORE 🙂
Something else you can do is have your students switch poles throughout the song. This encourages more movement and variety in their dance. You can rotate them through verbal direction every 45-90 seconds.
Often the idea of having to make it through an entire song (especially when first beginning FreeStyle Friday) can be the element that holds students back from recording. So in this case let them know that they can dance the intro only or come in during the middle of the song.
I hope this information helps! If you need help setting up your FreeStyle Friday class or have any questions please let me know!
This week’s trick of the week is called the Bomb…no literally it’s called a “BOMB”. What I like about this trick is that not only can it be used in the middle of your routine (a great time to steal a quick breath) but it also makes a great starting position for routines. You can alway work on other ways to get into and out of the Bomb. If you’re comfortable holding with just your legs then throw in some fun arm styling.
Coming out of the trick you can bring your hands to the ground and go into a Crucifix or Handstand. To go back up the pole then you can go into a Pike and then transition into a Superman. You can even throw in a Shoulder Mount from there.
If you’re playing around with the Exclamation Point be sure to practice it on both sides, and as always you can make it your own by playing with the bends in your legs. If you’re ready to take it to the next level then you can use it as a transition into a pike or your Jade split.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9Uj_HUenNY
Things to keep in mind when doing this trick:
1. Be sure that you are squeezing your legs together to keep you secure on the pole.
2. Your hands can lightly grasp your the outside of your thighs (hamstrings) to help shape the Ball-like position of the Bomb.
3. If you are doing the Exclamation Point be sure that you keep that extended leg STRAIGHT and your toes POINTED. There is a tendency to have a slight bend at the knee but fight that urge.
Vertical Fitness Dallas started their Fit Body Challenge this past Sunday. This is their third year hosting this challenge to help ladies start working towards achieving fit bodies. I was in attendance to meet the great group of ladies that will be doing the challenge and to take their before shots. They have an challenging but rewarding journey ahead and I wish them all the best of luck!
The Grand Prize for the VFD Fit Body Challenge that begins today at 2:30pm is fabulous! A “complete make over” with a photo shoot of your new rockin’ body! Hair cut and color, professional make up session, products from Origins, VFD Membership, Power Play Membership, 90 min. massage and then a professional photo shoot (BY ME!) to showcase the “new you”! Now, you have no excuses, just show up at our meeting today to get started. What’s to loose except a few jeans sizes?!
“Sometimes all you need is a slight shift in perspective to bring things into Focus.” – Ashley Robinson
This is a great way to summarize the “WHY” of many of the goals that I’ve set for myself this year. I’m always writing down random words, thoughts and ideas – many times in my phone’s note pad app. I was going through my phone and I came across this quote that I came up with and realized how perfect it would be as a start to this post. Funny because I was actually planning to use it for a product description for a client, but now I’ve decided to keep it for myself instead.
I think it fits well with my theme and goals for this year. It really helps to make the point that I am at in my life with evolving and becoming a better me. But I didn’t just arrive at this point. It’s taken a lot of time, reflecting, self-evaulation, mentoring and more. Now that I’ve made it through the initial phases, I’m looking forward to getting closer to the final product of the NEW ME.
1. Evolve. Last year I started a journey to being a better me inside and out. I guess I finally realized that over the years with heartache, breakup, family drama, weight gain, work stress, etc… that I’d lost myself and the ability to make ME happy. I didn’t really even know who I was or where I wanted to be. I realized that it was time for me to re-evaluate my life and really self-reflect. I saw so much of what I’d lost and decided that it was time to take it back and make myself better than ever. I started working on my fitness, improving my beauty, adjusting my work habits, developing a somewhat regular sleep schedule, eating better, drinking less red bull and a lot more. I’m looking forward to continuing that journey this year.
2. Establish Me Time. I spend much of my time working 24/7 (or 99% GRIND 1% SLEEP as I like to say) so I can pay this off and buy that, but never really stopping to enjoy the things that I do have around me and the comfort of my own home. This year I want to enjoy my life and more of the little moments. That means taking more time to be thankful for all of the things that I do have and the important people in my life that have my back and are always by my side. Little things that I bypass so often with the excuse and mindset that “I don’t have time” – like sitting on my couches, hanging out with my sisters, cooking (which I’m actually pretty good at), arts & crafts (which is creatively therapeutic for me), laying in the bed for that extra 10 minutes in the morning and anything else that I can think of.
3. Be My Own Boss. I often describe myself to people as just being a computer nerd, but I’ve realized (with a little help from the amazingly supportive man in my life) that I’m so much more. I have the ability to be happier, more successful and a lot less stressed by focusing on the work that I enjoy doing and working for myself. I’ve been doing this in my photography work, but there is so much more that I can bring into it. So I want to focus on building up my name, my brand and finding that success that is destined for me.
4. Continue to Strive for Excellence. For years I’ve been practicing this thing we call RCI (Relentless Continuous Improvement) – which applies to all areas of my life. I want to really to continue practicing this and integrating this into everything I do. I also want to spend more time really paying attention to the small details because so often they matter the most.
5. Do Less. This should actually say do less of what I don’t need to do and do more of what I need/want to do, but I think “DO LESS” is a more powerful statement. The truth is, I used to spend a lot of time trying to help others. I mean I spent way too much time trying to make others happy, worrying about what they thought of me and trying to figure out what I could do better to make them happier. But that’s no way to live my life, especially when I’m not getting that same effort in return and when my own health is in jeopardy as a result. So this year I want to do less and say “NO” more. If I don’t want to do something then I’m not going to do it and I’m not going to worry about what others think. I need to do what’s best for me and what makes me happy.
6. De-Clutter my life. I’ve actually been working on cleaning up the clutter for a while, but my goal is to finally finish that this year. This includes clutter on several levels. First the actual clutter that lives in my house: A big part of this is finally finish unpacking boxes (yes after 4+ years of living in the same house), eliminating old papers and receipts, cleaning out my closets to remove clothes that don’t fit or don’t fit in with the NEW ME – style wise, getting a new file cabinet and organizing my files. Oh and then maybe I can finally finish decorating! And then there’s the emotional clutter which includes not being so hard on myself, weeding out the unnecessary people in my life that try to keep me down and hold me back, letting go of things in my past that I can’t change and that I shouldn’t allow to affect my present or future and cutting out the jobs and projects that leave me overstressed and underpaid.
7. Take Action. I find that I have so many ideas that I’m always writing down, yet not enough time to make them happen. This year I want to make more of those ideas a reality. One of them being this website and my FreeStyle Friday group which are both coming along very well! I have a few others projects and ideas on the table that I look forward to seeing finished this year as well.
8. Go on Vacation. Last year I went on my first real vacation. We went to Vegas! In addition to being my first vacation, it was also my first time in 3 years that I took time away from my job, didn’t take my laptop and did absolutely NO work. It was such an incredible and relaxing feeling. I’m looking forward to doing that again this year and hopefully more than once!
9. Read one book a month. I love to read, I always have. As a child I can remember sitting in the closet for hours at a time just reading and competing with myself to see how many books I could read in a day, week, month. While I still love reading and all of the knowledge it brings, I find I can rarely commit regular time to doing it…and in the meantime my pile of books I want to read keeps growing and growing. I want to cut down on buying new books (other than textbooks for school) and push myself to dedicate a little bit of time each day to reading.
10. Enjoy my birthday and a few holidays. Usually I try to hide out on my birthday and holidays – away from people, family drama and traffic. While I might not be in the middle of all of my family on every occasion, I do want to do some fun things on my own. A barbecue or pool party, host a Christmas party, do something fun and exciting for my birthday, etc…
This week’s trick of the week is the Fan Kick. I know you all have this down so use it as a refresher and try to incorporate it into your FSF video this week. This is a great transition that will also allow you to get in that quick breather. Pair it with a Pirouette and you can also use it to help you change direction during your routine. 😉
Make it your own by playing with the leg positioning and bend the outside leg into a Passe. Or put on some heels and let your legs meet mid kick for a loud sexy clack!
If you’re ready to take it to the next level then you can use it as a transition into an invert by hooking that outside leg as it comes around in the air. Instead of connecting with the pole you can also tilt back into a chopper. Try it out and post your variations!
Watch and Learn!
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiNofUI4Uvc
Things to keep in mind when doing this trick:
1. Hips should be in front of the pole as you are “fanning” around.
2. Keep you legs STRAIGHT and your toes POINTED. This is a great way to show off your sexy legs. 😉
3. Your hands should be on the pole in a strong hold position (that means thumbs up).
Twisted grip mounting was one of those tricks that I never thought I’d get. I was in awe every time I saw someone throw that trick. However I just couldn’t wrap my mind around how to get my own body to do it. To make things worse, I broke a foot during my initial attempts to learn the trick and was consequently out of pole for months. For months after my foot healed and I had returned to pole, I still couldn’t do it. instead I’d convinced myself that it wasn’t a trick that I needed to learn. I used my broken foot as an excuse not to do it and avoided it at all costs. But deep down inside I knew that I did really want to learn it and figured if I could master it then that would finally make me a real “pole artist”.
So about 7 months ago it became apparent to me that I needed to give in, get over my fear and finally master that darn twisted grip. I started with some basic exercises – standing out from the pole with a twisted grip and gently kicking up and out to the side (using my outside leg). This was a way for me to get the basic feeling and also “test” my arms out to see if they could hold my weight. I realized that I still had a ways to go before I would be able to kick (and hopefully one day lift) up into it. So I figured that it might be easier for me to come down to that extended twisted grip position – instead of going up into it. What I did was invert and then reposition my hands into a twisted grip position and come down out of it. While I was still far from mastering the trick, these “work arounds” were working well for me…in my mind.
Then one day I was visiting TGR Frisco and one of the girls showed me (what I think is a genius workaround). Instead of kicking up from the side, she had me turn my body so that I was basically in a backbend position and kick up from there. For me this was the perfect workaround because it removed that layer of fear that I had built up surrounding my previous foot break and allowed me to feel like this technique was more manageable. See below how its done.
This first clip is from the day I learned the workaround at TGR. The second clip was recorded a few weeks later during open pole at Kandy & Krome.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkQvg2HOQFw
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeZ3Sxu66m8
Once I had mastered this technique I decided to refocus on the traditional twisted grip pickup. Weeks later I was visiting VFD and the topic of twisted grip came up. After a handful of unsuccessful attempts Karen came around and physically lifted my body out and up so that I could feel the proper motion that my body was to follow and then Eureka… it hit me! It was something about feeling the complete motion of the trick (without breaking my foot) that finally made things click. While my subsequent attempts during class that night didn’t get me up into the trick, I did however get 110% closer than I had ever gotten before. Still feeling brave when I got home I decided to try it once more, and to my surprise (although with a bit of struggle) I was able to get up! (See the video of that night below.)
My First Twisted Grip on my Right Side
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18b6PbHToD4
So fast forward to present day. Now that I’ve mastered the twisted grip kick up on my right side, I have moved on to working on holding my iron x, lifting (and not kicking) up into my twisted grip and also twisted grip on my left side. Progress on the left side is finally coming along and I am still working on building up my core enough to hold the iron x and lift into the trick…which I hope to one day do on BOTH sides.
My First Twisted Grip on my Left Side
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rW72F7ESm90
I remember when I first started to learn shoulder mounting, seemed like it would be years before I got it. It’s taken more than a year to finally get to a point where I don’t struggle or do what I call a “soccer kick” into it. And while I still haven’t mastered it, I can definitely see and feel significant improvement in my execution. I’ve also played around with a few different grips…princess being my preferred grip when aerial shoulder mounting. Having a secure, yet comfortable grip plays a big part in a successful mount, but what I’ve also discovered as I try to progress into multiple aerial mounts is the amount of core strength and control needed. Lately I’ve been working on strengthing my core so that I can ease into my mount and hopefully one day deadlift with straight legs into it. So far I’ve been able to double and triple shoulder mount. I’m hoping to clean up the multiple execution and maybe even get a fourth mount in…possibly from the floor. I’ll keep adding videos tracking my progress below!
If you are working on your shoulder mount here are a few things that have helped me along the way:
1. As you are lifting up into your mount you may allow your elbows to push out away from each other, but you actually want to do the opposite. When you’re going up, make sure that you squeeze your elbows towards each other.
2. Although kicking may help you get up there it is actually cheating your core out of developing the muscles that you need to glide into it. Focus more on your technique and really using your core to lift up. The rest will follow 🙂
3. Play with the grips. Initially I found that princess grip worked best for me. Now I’m able to do both princess and cup grip.
4. Try mounting on both sides.
Double Shoulder Mount
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do9RroV-OR0
Triple Shoulder Mount
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG8sN5xLIf4
This is my favorite shot from the Zensual Winter Showcase and graduation ceremony. They invited me to shoot the event and I had a blast crawling around the studio capturing some amazing action shots! Their small but intimate event featured a group performance, several solo performances, a fun and creative Grinch routine, yummy snacks and a raffle.
I am honored to see the support that we are getting from studios that have been inspired to start scheduling FreeStyle Friday practice into studio time. I never imagined that a personal challenge could bloom and become part of the weekly schedule at pole studios.
This is a great way to summarize the “WHY” of many of the goals that I’ve set for myself this year. I’m always writing down random words, thoughts and ideas – many times in my phone’s note pad app. I was going through my phone and I came across this quote that I came up with and realized how perfect it would be as a start to this post. Funny because I was actually planning to use it for a product description for a client, but now I’ve decided to keep it for myself instead.
I remember when I first started to learn shoulder mounting, seemed like it would be years before I got it. It’s taken more than a year to finally get to a point where I don’t struggle or do what I call a “soccer kick” into it. And while I still haven’t mastered it, I can definitely see and feel significant improvement in my execution. I’ve also played around with a few different grips…princess being my preferred grip when aerial shoulder mounting. Having a secure, yet comfortable grip plays a big part in a successful mount, but what I’ve also discovered as I try to progress into multiple aerial mounts is the amount of core strength and control needed. Lately I’ve been working on strengthing my core so that I can ease into my mount and hopefully one day deadlift with straight legs into it. So far I’ve been able to double and triple shoulder mount. I’m hoping to clean up the multiple execution and maybe even get a fourth mount in…possibly from the floor. I’ll keep adding videos tracking my progress below!