Sweaty hands – non slip tricks

Have you ever tried to spin and ended up on the floor too quickly? Or maybe your hands slip down the pole when you’re trying to lift yourself up?
A lot of people have problems slipping instead of gripping when they first start pole dancing, it is especially noticable when inverting for the first time – as if going upside down wasn’t scary enough! 

There are a few things you can do do prevent getting sweaty hands but perhaps the most important thing you can do is just relax – pace yourself and don’t try to do it all at once.

Practise makes perfect too, the more you are on the pole, the more you get used to working with it.  Luckily, as part of your learning, you will naturally ease up as you become more confident and learn about grip, momentum, thrust, gravitational pull – all of this just comes with time and practise.

• Don’t moisturise - This includes fake tan!  No body lotions, oils, or even sunscreen is also a common problem during the summer months.
• Clean your pole regularly - After every few spins the pole tends to grub up and get slippery, so a quick wipe with a baby wipe – followed by a dry cloth will do.  The pole needs to be left completely dry before you go back on.
• Wash your hands - If you start to get a bit sweaty, just quickly wash your hands then dry your hands and legs off so you don’t end sticking OR slithering all over the pole.
• Cheat - It’s not a good idea to do this ALL the time, but try a quick dab of acetone (nail polish remover) or gin on the hands and inner thighs.  I found this was a brilliant tip for when I was doing a pole photo shoot and needed to hold difficult moves for longer periods of time than I normally would.  It will give an immediate dryness to the skin to help get you through those crucial moments.
• Alternate between exercises – focus on leg moves, then arm moves – or just take a quick break.

There are also some pole moves you could practise to help toughen your hands up …..

• Hang tough – Simple, but effective. The hang tough really develops your grip, building strength in your hands. Try to hold this as long as you can to improve your grip AND upper body strength.
• The Crucifix– The crucifix focuses on building grip in your thighs, again allowing your strength (and perhaps pain threshold!) to develop.
• Spins – Concentrate on a variety of spins. Kick off with as much momentum as you can and try to make your spins as consistent and smooth as possible.

If you have tried all of the above and are still struggling, then maybe it’s time to try a grip aid.  There are various products available to improve grip, none are SPECIFICALLY for pole dance, but after speaking to various instructors and students over the years it would seem that there are some products developed for different sports that are perfectly suitable for pole.

Please see the ‘Grip Aids’ article for more information.