Tips for Spinning Pole: Dizziness, Speed Control, Fluidity, & More!

Spin pole requires a different kind of strength, balance, and control compared to static pole. Whether you're new to spin or refining your technique, I hope these tips will help you navigate the challenges and improve your overall relationship with spin pole. I, too, experienced some challenges when I first started doing pole (in 2014), however with time, consistent practice, and an understanding of the mechanics around spin pole, it is now my preferred way to pole!!

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1. Start With the Basics

Spin pole has distinct mechanics, and adapting to it takes time (just like with anything, really)! Begin with moves that you are already comfortable with on static pole. This allows you to focus on adjusting to the spin without the added complexity of learning new tricks simultaneously. Start with right side up tricks and then move towards your favorite inverted tricks!

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2. Understanding Dizziness vs. Motion Sickness

Dizziness & Motion Sickness in pole dancing is something I hear about a lot with students, so first of all, if this is you, you are not alone!!

Let's start with the "why" behind dizziness: In simple terms, when we spin, a fluid in the internal ear called endolymph fluid begins to move at the same speed. But in the beginning, this doesn’t necessarily happen instantly, which is sometimes why we’ll feel dizzy when we first start spinning, but if we continue (in a controlled matter of course), the dizziness may subside. On a similar note, when we stop spinning, there can be a delay in the endolymph fluid settling, which is why we may feel dizzy after a spin pass. Over time and with consistent practice, the body adjusts, and dizziness may decrease. This is what happened to me! It got exponentially better the more i practiced spin pole!

Strategies to Reduce Dizziness:  

I’ve heard of soooo many things in the pole dance community. Some might help you & some may not. Best thing to do is experiment with these & stick with the ones that help you:

• Once back on the ground, spin in the opposite direction (This always made me more dizzy lol)

• Lift and lower the heels a few times in a small jump motion

• Do something basic on the spin pole in both directions before starting more advanced moves

• Stay consistent with practicing spin pole. We know that with many things, consistency is KEY

• Control your speed (we'll chat more about this below)

One more quick tip: When putting together a routine for a performance or competition, it can be helpful to put in some slow floorwork after a spinning pass to help you "reset" if you do happen to come down dizzy. Just keep smiling and moving, and the audience will have no idea :)

Now, let's chat the "why" behind motion sickness/ nausea: Again, keeping this simple, motion sickness can occur when the body senses movement but the eyes do not register the same motion. This mismatch can cause nausea.

Strategies to Reduce Motion Sickness:

Note: Some of the things that I see suggested to combat nausea in spin pole can sometimes make things worse. Things like spotting the pole, spotting a point on the wall, or spotting a body part aren’t always helpful. Going back to the the "why" behind motion sickness, if ears are sensing movement, but our eyes are fixed on a certain point, this can LEAD to motion sickness. We also have to remember that spotting can be really helpful when we ARE the center of the spin (think ballet turns, figure skaters, salsa dancers, doing spins on the Lyra, Trapeze, or Aerial Hammock). With pole however, the pole is the center and we are spinning around the pole. This might be why the spotting technique isn't always helpful for us pole dancers. However, it's always important to remember that different things work for different people, so if spotting helps YOU, continue!!

So, now with the strategies (other than spotting):

• Ginger candies or a ginger tea before pole class

• Experiment with having your chest leading your spin vs your back leading the spin. I know for me personally, when my back is leading the spin on my 2nd awesome side, it leads to motion sickness. Knowing that, I make sure to not do that & that's okay!! There are so many other things I can enjoy :)

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3. Controlling Speed on the Spin Pole

Looking at this in a physics perspective, when you move your body or body part away from the pole, you’ll slow down (due to more resistance), and vice versa, when you bring your body close to the pole, you’ll speed up. That’s why, when we open up into a horizontal split on the pole (jade, chopsticks, etc), we’ll slow down and when we open into a vertical split on the pole (vertical jade for example), we might maintain our spin or even speed up depending on where we came from. Or a beginner example, if you’re doing a fireman spin on spin, and find yourself going really fast, you can extend a leg out or reach an arm out away from the pole and you’ll slow down. What I usually recommend for learning how to control speed is.. practice different moves and experiment with extending legs, arms, chest, head, etc away from the pole and then bring your body close & see what happens! One more thing to remember when starting a spin on spin pole (vs a spin on static pole), instead of "falling" into the spin (like we'd normally do for static pole), aim to have your "energy" more "upwards" vs "forwards".

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4. Being "Flowy" on Spin Pole

Make your movements slower than you would on static. If we’re talking about performing or competing, the audience will not be able to follow all your movements if they are fast. We might think we are spending forever in certain positions, but we have to remember that our audience doesn’t have a 360 view. Holding moves for at least 2 full rotations can really help your audience “stay with you”. Recording yourself can help you determine just how slow you need to move to give the visual that you like!

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Final Thoughts

Spin pole requires patience, consistent practice, and adaptation!! And hey, it might not be your jam, and that's okay too. However, I hope that if it is something that you'd like to improve, that these tips help you do it! If you have any questions or comments, OR other things that have helped you with your spin pole practice, please comment below! I'd love to connect with you. If you're interested in learning from me, download the Pole with Steph App on iOS & Android. It's an App I created to help you in all areas of your training (pole technique, flexibility training, & cross-training).

Thanks for reading, my friends!

xoxo Coach Steph

Follow me on Instagram at www.instagram.com/stephanietallant_pole

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