POLE POSITION: NEW POLE TRICK "ENTER THE JADE"

HUGE SHOUTS TO ALL THE DANCERS OUT THERE...

HERE'S A NEW TRICK TO LEARN ITS CALLED "ENTER THE JADE"

It’s obvious you need full body strength for successful pole dancing and as a result, no two people can grasp the same moves in the same way. Because we all have different strengths, weaknesses, body shapes and flexibility, what may work for one person on their first attempt may not work for another until their 10th.

Enter The Jade (pictured above). I did it, er, some semblance of it on my first try (*faints*).

Hit the jump for more…

The Jade is a move that I stumbled upon during one of my marathon YouTube pole stalking sessions (where I search pole dancing videos all day) and I didn’t think I’d be able to do it until I was well into my training as a polerina. However, one day during the last class of aShockra Studio workshop, my teacher taught us how to prep for it and said that if you felt comfortable with the prep then go for it. I went for it. This is the result:

The picture above is my second attempt. In order to do The Jade successfully, you have to hold on to the pole with your thighs by doing a leg hang and then wrapping your outside hip on the pole. It feels as weird and awkward as it sounds.

My jade isn’t the best because my split needs a lot of work, but the sheer excitement of nailing a move that I didn’t fathom would come to me for a while is much more electrifying than what I can describe. I debated whether I should post these pics or not for because while I’m happy that I have the idea of the move, I’m not happy with how it looks. But the good news is that seeing the picture has allowed me to pinpoint what I need to work on. Aside from my split (which is much better on the floor, I promise you), I need to push my hips up even further.

In the pic above I’m using any ounce of remaining strength that I have to push my hip up so that my split would be flatter. Again, I didn’t nail it but I look at these first steps as the basic framework. I’m glad I decided to take an honest look at what I’m doing instead of my initial reaction, which was to delete the pics because they weren’t perfect. When it comes to pole (and most things in life), you have to face the problem directly in order to find an effective solution. With more yoga and strength training, I will get to where I need to be so, stay tuned.

By the way, The Jade is presumably named after the woman who created it, that’s freaking awesome!