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Ask any pole dancer and they’ll confirm that they love the shoulder mount dancing move in 2024 as its essential fundamental.
This dancing move is one of the favorites because it doesn’t need a lot of exercises to be perfect.
When beginners get every move of shoulder mount, a whole new world of moves will unfold.
As long as you are a pole dancer, you’ll have to learn the shoulder moves and tricks whether you like them or not.
As a matter of fact, shoulder moves are very essential in pole dancing.
These moves give you a new angle that lets you play with and adopt lots of new moves to try.
As simple as many pole dancers would assume, shoulder Mount is not a very easy dancing move to try.
It actually requires a lot of skills, practice, and strength to get the right results.
This article focuses on the main grips that you can use for a shoulder mount.
In my situation, I prefer a cup grip with both hands near the head, rather than the split grip This is easier because the hands don’t get in the way of your legs.
To be perfect in this, always aim at lifting higher and not to kick up.
Most starters start with the legs behind the pole.
This is one of the easiest ways of giving yourself momentum.
As you gain experience, you might have to think about taking both legs in front of the pole and lift up.
Here are important tips to help you perfect your shoulder move pole dance.
Preparations
Before we delve any deeper, I actually want to help you prepare for this essential move in pole dancing.
First of all, you must be ready for pain at the back of your shoulders.
When most of us are starting, we end up only trying 3 shoulder mounts before the pain becomes extreme.
At the first attempt, you might end up with a very bruised shoulder which calls for conditioning.
Before trying, you need to take some serious conditioning exercises.
Start with your back on the pole.
The spine should be on the other side of the pole.
The hands should be in a cup grip with the fingers and thumbs on the same side of the pole.
The Thumb should equally be closer to the ground.
To gain more stability, the inside hand is lower while the outside being slightly above head height.
A good example is to assume that the pole is on the right of the spine.
In this case, the arm would be inside and lower on the pole.
The left hand would be automatically slightly above.
As a beginner, it’s very important to maintain contact between the pole and your back.
You can adopt other methods as you gain more experience.
After you are set, now you’ve to imagine that you are going to throw the pole out of the room.
This is actually the amount of force and grip you need on the pole launch your feet off the ground.
The elbows will automatically come in towards the head as you pull the pole.
Remember: Avoid jumping off the group with your feet as this could lead to injury.
The shoulder mount pulls down it should be a seamless pull.
The pressure against your shoulder is not comfortable at first, so allow some practise and time to get used to it.
What you need to know before your first Pole dance class
There are countless Pole dance classes out there with their varying rules about what to wear and how to start.
Depending on the studio you have signed for pole dance classes, you must take my advice with a pinch of salt.
If in doubt about some of the information I’ve shared here, please get in touch with your studio for further guidance.
What to wear
Most people usually consider wearing knee-length shorts and a tank top.
This is actually what you should think about.
In pole dancing, you automatically don’t need any fancy exercise wear.
You can consider standard exercise wear for your first days.
Unless you’ve been instructed otherwise, you will need to follow standard wear and preparations.
But as I’ve already mentioned, some of the studios will obviously ask for specific clothes as a beginner.
What should you bring on your first Shoulder Mount pole dance?
You don’t have to bring a lot of things during your first shoulder Mount pole dance.
You can actually carry yourself a change of clothes which depends on the weather and personal preferences.
You might also consider deodorant and hairbrush or something else that you expect to use.
I advise people to carry a bottle of Dry hands.
What to eat before your shoulder mount
An hour before class, you might consider getting a hearty snack probably because you’re going to need this energy.
You should consider a protein bar because it will keep you full for longer and at the same time has a good amount of slow-release carbs that will keep your energy levels up to the task.
What to avoid during preparations
Don’t use any drug especially which can make you unconscious or impair your judgment.
You should avoid alcohol at all costs.
This is probably because practising Shoulder Mount pole dance under any drug influence could increase the chances of an accident.
Do not moisturize your hands or body on the day you are about to take this challenge.
Most dancers consider using moisturizers especially after noticing their hands are very dry.
This is not a good idea because as you sweat, the moisturizer will cause problems with slipping and hinder your moves by preventing you to get a stable grip.
The Kicks
As a beginner in Shoulder Mount Pole dancing, you perhaps don’t want to get upside down.
Just try to kick one leg up towards the pole followed by the other.
One leg should come up first followed by the other.
You should actually start with the outside leg and then the inside leg.
Your target, in this case, is to keep the contact between the pole and the shoulder as I explained above.
You should at all costs try to keep the core tight as you lift your legs.
With time, try to get higher and higher.
During the tucks, the idea is the same as taking the kicks.
However, we are mainly trying to tuck the legs up to the chest and rotate the hips slightly to lift the legs higher.
But remember we’re still trying to keep the contact between the pole and the back.
Shoulder Mount Pole dancing-Step-by-step guide
Now that you are prepared and have insights about exactly what is needed of you, I want to guide you step by step on how to try pole dancing.
During each of the steps explained below, take high levels of caution because there’s the risk of a mishap especially if it’s your first time.
Step 1: Stand with your back on the pole
This should be the first step for all Pole dancers.
It’s a preparation step to make sure that the spine is on one side of the pole.
As explained above, the inside arm should be in a cup grip above the shoulder while the outside arm should be above it.
Leave enough room for the head to come through the gap as you practice.
Step 2: Ensure you have the right momentum
The other step that you might need before starting is to make sure you have the right grip and momentum.
To achieve this, bring the inside foot forward and keep the outside one slightly behind the pole.
Step 3: Pull the pole
Now imagine that you are throwing the pole outside the room.
This is actually one of the easiest ways of starting with Shoulder mount pole dance.
The elbow should come in as you imagine this.
Step 4: The basic invent
The fourth step is to take the outside leg up and hook it over the front side of the pole.
The other left should come behind the pole and eventually, you are required to squeeze your legs on the pole to get the grip in the legs.
Step 5: It’s now time to move your collar bone away from the pole
This step aims at moving the head to look down on the floor.
To achieve this, you should move the collar bone away from the pole.
Step 6: Normal Invent
Now you should straighten the body and come down as you can hold.
Step 7: After you are confident with this move, you can now try to lift both legs at the same time.
You can as well consider pushing your hips up to the ceiling.
You might not be able to take this step on your first try but I can promise you it gets easier with time.
Safety and cautions when trying Shoulder Mount Pole dance
If you’ve already dipped your toe into Shoulder Mount Pole dancing and you want to try some of expert moves, you certainly should be aware of all the safety and cautions associated with this move.
It looks fun and easy but always put your safety first.
Here are some safety rules to put in your fingertips during Shoulder Mount pole dancing.
Avoid using dancing gloves
Shoulder Mount pole dancers are encouraged to keep their palms bare.
As a matter of fact, many dancing gloves in the market help climb the pole easily and safely.
But remember dancing gloves usually covers your pals which can cause you to slip as you try more advanced shoulder mount pole dance moves.
If you are a beginner, your best should be to avoid them entirely.
Always perform a load test on the pole
Never try shoulder mount pole dance without proper load tests.
Pole dancers can get too eager sometimes and might fail to do any form of test.
The last thing you need as a beginner is to come down with the pole.
Make sure that the pole is tight and secure.
If you feel any slight movements then I would recommend not trying that.
Always stretch
When trying Shoulder Mount pole dance, there are higher chances of tearing a ligament or muscle.
If you don’t want this to happen, you might consider intensive preps that involve stretching before getting to the pole.
Always tighten your grip and use Grip aids
The grip should be tight and ready to hold your weight.
If sweat is getting in your way of performing your favorite shoulder mount moves, then use grip aids because they can help to make the grip tighter.
There are actually different grip aids for different skin types.
There are different types of grip problems that different pole dancers can encounter.
They include dry grip, oily skin, sweating, and hyperhidrosis.
People with a dry grip can use Itac2, Dew Point, The Shaving cream method, and Pole physics to overcome that.
People with oily skin and sweating hands can consider Dry hand method, the dish soap method, and Tite grip ii.
People with Hyperhidrosis can opt for Mueller stickum spray, The Dish Soap method, sticky leggings, Mighty grip gloves, and ankle grips among many other methods.
FAQs
How do you do a shoulder Mount for pole dancing?
Shoulder Mount for pole dancing is not a very tricky dancing style, you just have to follow the methods explained above to achieve the right flexibility and be in a better position to try this pole dancing style.
How do I become stronger with pole dancing?
To be a proficient pole dancer, you need a couple of days of practice which is very fundamental in achieving the right flexibility.
You must also be a quick learner and someone that is ready to learn on daily basis.
Can you pole dance if you are not flexible?
You don’t need to be already fit in order to begin pole dancing.
However, you must practice and become fit over time.
To be a good pole dancer, you need to internalize all the pole dancing exercises explained above.
Do you need to be strong to pole dance?
Definitely, you must be able to carry your body weight.
As a matter of fact, pole dancing requires a lot of upper-body strength.
But this doesn’t mean you should be very strong at the time of joining pole dance classes.
Conclusion
Now you have all the information about Shoulder Mount pole dance, pre-dance tips, Grip aids for people with different grip problems, and risks and cautions that you should consider while trying Shoulder Mount Pole dance.