Safety

Make sure you're safe while pole dancing

When undertaking any form of exercise you run the risk of injury. Pole dancing is no exception, in fact, you could do major damage to yourself while performing some of the more complicated tricks. Don’t let this put you off. When learning in a secure environment a good teacher will always demonstrate a move/combination and stay close while each student tries; ready to catch or push into position.

Although you cannot eliminate every risk there are steps you can take to minimise your chances of anything serious. Here are some tips to help keep you safe:

Warm up and cool down
Before each class your warm up should be thorough. This will get the blood flowing around your muscles and not only will it prepare your body for working out, it allows a greater range of movement; so that you can extend your lines to look better.

It is equally important to cool down to make sure that your muscles recover quicker – so you’re ready for your next pole dance session.

Buddy system
If your teacher is helping another student make sure you don’t try a tricky move without a buddy standing by to be ready to help.

Crash mats
At early stages of learning the tricks you perform will be basic compared to what you learn after a few months. Once you start hanging upside down it’s advisable to use crash mats that your school should have, or to consider investing in your own if practising at home. Remember though that a thick crash mat will make moves such as hand-stands very difficult, due to extra instability.

Pole grip
When you get hot you’ll perspire and find it harder to hold onto the pole. To avoid unecessary falls prepare yourself by not using moisturiser on the day you dance and using a combination of products applied to yourself and the pole to help you stick. These include hair spray, shave foam (without aloe or other softners), methylated spirit and hand grips (anti-persperent specifically for your hands).

Know when to stop
When you’re getting tired your concentration tends to lapse and you’ll make more mistakes. Take notice of when your body’s reaching it’s limits and take a break as often as you need to. Remember that everyone has off days when your body – or mind – can’t handle pole dancing. So don’t be disheartened when nothing seems to be going right. Stick to basics and save your harder tricks for another day.