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How do I start to learn?

Where the heck do I go to try this?  Can I learn at home?

Although I started learning pole at home, in my opinion, the best place to start learning the basics of pole is an in-person studio. You may have one (or several!) near you! Starting at a studio means you don't have to invest in buying a pole to start learning, which can be a huge barrier for entry - not to mention a big commitment before you've even gotten into pole! In-person classes also give you live feedback on what you're doing, ensure you're safe, and help you progress in a manner that best fits your abilities. It's also really fun to pole with a supportive group, and a great way to make friends! Once you progress past the basics it is a lot easier to pick things up on your own at home, as well.

BUT in-person lessons can be pretty pricey, and pole-ing is already an expensive hobby! In-person classes just aren't accessible to everyone. If you have access to a pole and prefer online classes, the coolest thing about pole is that you can directly support a small business by paying someone to teach you. Here are my favourite recommendations:

Studio Veena
Veena has a VERY THOROUGH lesson plan. She offers very clear and detailed instructions, shows a few different entries for moves, and explains grip points. She is also very active on her website to help you if you run into trouble! She offers all levels of pole, strength training, flexibility, and choreos/combos. Even some hula hoop and aerial hammock! She also has a program you can follow even if you don't have a pole at home. I LOVE her "30 Day" programs too and I achieved my shoulder mount that way!
Veena also has a teachers guide which can be super helpful in helping guide your own learning! I've noticed that my local pole studios use "the Veena Method" to teach their students, so it's clearly a very handy guide. 

Veena also offers a two week free trial, no payment method required! 

Practical Pole
Bex from Practical Pole spends a lot of time going over foundational skills and how to do things safely, and she has a great course for improving your foundational skills even if you aren't a new poler! This is what first drew me to PP. A lot of instructors (online or in-person) tend to race you through shapes, which can become an issue for many of us (me), and lead to injury or quitting in frustration. Practical pole has very thorough video tutorials that are neurodivergent friendly, and tons more information on hyper-mobility than I've seen from other instructors! She also puts off live Zoom classes every now and again. I have found it very, very helpful to learn from her.

In my experience, the hardest part of learning at home is figuring out a progressive way to learn that makes sense, but both of these options offer very clear and thoughtful lesson plans to follow! Personally, I subscribe to both with no plans to stop.

How do I choose a pole?

What the heck is the difference between all these pole brands? Are poles from amazon safe - or do I need to spend $500+ on a professional X-pole or similar?

Many people discourage you from using anything other than X-pole or Lupit Pole. Some even go as far as to say any other poles are dangerous. As someone who's used both off-brand and X-Poles, I respectfully disagree (to some extent - definitely take care when purchasing poles!). With careful consideration, you can find a more affordable pole that isn't dangerous. This is the pole I used for almost three years, with no problems. It is relatively inexpensive, easy to put together, and sturdy. I highly recommend this if you're just starting out - you can always save toward a "better" pole in the future! (Which is what I did, full disclosure!).  

Make sure you always read reviews before buying something that is this much of an investment. THIS video has a pole instructor giving great practical instruction on how to figure out the quality of a pole, so that if you decide to buy an off-brand pole, you can avoid the ones that are poorly made. 

You should also make sure that your pole can be set to both spin and static mode - some poles are static-only and I think you'll definitely want to give spin pole a try! Lots of static pole moves look more beautiful and graceful on spin - it's nice to have the option for both, even if you plan to use one mode a lot more than the other. 

What do you wear?

Do I need to buy expensive pole wear?

Heck no! Although some of it is soooo beautiful and you might be tempted! 

You'll definitely need some sort of "sporty" clothing that allows you to have lots of skin bare. To start, workout shorts are fine. But eventually, you'll need your arms, stomach, legs, and part of your butt uncovered if you want to be able to do everything on a pole. If you can afford pole wear and you want it, do whatever you'd like! Personally, I'm pretty frugal, so the first thing I did was to start cutting leggings I already owned into booty shorts for gripping the pole. 

The most common clothing type I see people wear for pole is actually swimsuits! Swimsuits are usually a lot cheaper than pole wear, are made of a stretchy, moisture-wicking material that dries quickly, and leave the necessary areas of skin exposed. In my experience, the major difference between pole wear and swim wear is that swim wear can have a very narrow crotch - something that might not translate well to certain pole moves, so I'd advise you to try any on before you purchase, and make sure it securely covers everything! Some polers also swear by rave wear, which often looks more like fancy pole wear than a swimsuit does, but can be a bit pricier - and the same crotch rules still apply!

Staying on the pole is an issue for me...?

What if I sweat A LOT? Will I still be able to progress? I keep sliding down!

Are you me?! JK. I have severe hyperhidrosis, so there are a LOT of things I can't do (like handle cash). Pole, thankfully, is not one of them. It's definitely WAY harder to pole if you're very sweaty like me, and it will require purchasing a lot of extra aids, but it CAN BE DONE. Not many advanced polers suffer from hyperhidrosis, so it's super easy to feel alone and discouraged. Especially when they say grip aids or gloves are cheating, or that strengthening your grip is the real solution. They just don't understand what it is actually like! But I promise, with some trial and error and a lot of grit, you CAN do it. 

What works for me is grip aids mixed with grippy gloves. 

I apply Tite Grip an hour before I plan to pole. Then I apply it again a half an hour before. And again fifteen minutes before. And AGAIN about five minutes before (yes, it's a lot! Hyperhidrosis is a real bitch!). While poling, I apply and reapply Dry Hands as needed, so probably about every ten minutes for me. I go through grip aid like it's candy, so be aware that for sweatys, poling is going to be a more expensive hobby than for most polers. 

On top of grip aid, I often require grippy gloves. Gloves can help if you just can't stay on that pole, but you know you're strong enough! But while gloves do help, they aren't perfect - your hands will still slip around a little inside them, and they will stop you from being able to do stationary spins or slide downs. 

It's all a work in progress to find what works best for you. Be warned that some polers will try and convince you that using gloves is "cheating". 🙄 To them I say - we should all be able to enjoy our hobby however is easiest for us, and if I go to the Olympics, we can worry about gloves then! Don't let people make you feel bad about using aids for your hobby!!! 

It's also just pretty shitty to make someone feel ashamed for needing any sort of aid for anything, especially if it's someone without hyperhidrosis who ultimately has no idea what they're talking about, because they have no idea what it's like. Everyone deserves to enjoy their hobby!

If you can't afford Mighty Grip pole gloves right now, my favourite alternative are these football gloves. Football gloves serve much the same purpose as pole-specific gloves, and are usually a lot cheaper, and sometimes better made, than the gloves made for pole. If you grip too much with fingered gloves don't fret! You can always buy "half-finger" football gloves. 

How do I point my toes?!

What if I get bad leg cramps/my feet just don't look pointed that when I think I'm pointing them?

It can be a struggle. For those of us with no dance background, pointing your toes can be a nightmare. My feet are completely flat and at first wouldn't even bend that way at all. "Point from your ankle" is not a cue that changed anything for me... my feet just didn't have strong enough muscles to point! 

I started googling this problem and found that lots of people have the same issue, and there are some arch/foot strengthening exercises that can help! I think a good place to start is this article by Pole PT, which has a few suggested exercises along with videos. These have made a big difference for me.

Always keep in mind that looking perfect is overrated, and people who pole come with different bodies and abilities. Not everyone can (or does) point their toes, and it doesn't make them any less of an athlete or dancer.

REMEMBER: There are NO RULES in pole! Only safe and unsafe! Everything else is 100% up to you! And that's the beauty of it. 

My final advice:

•  If you ever plan to learn hard tricks or go upside down, invest in some sort of crash mat! I resisted buying one for a long time because they are so damn expensive! That said, I bought one before I did any real inverting. You only get one body, and it's worth a lot more than a crash mat. I've had two family members with TBIs and they are life changing, and not in a good way. If you buy ONE thing, make it this. And learn to fall properly.

•  DON'T feel discouraged because you aren't "flowy" enough, graceful enough, or strong enough! (ALL things I've beaten myself up for) It should be fun! As long as you're moving and enjoying yourself, everything else will come with time. Personally, I LOVE hobbies that keep you active without feeling like work - and pole can definitely be that! Get the tricks down first, and then you can go back and focus on making them look perfect and effortless with tips like adding a lot of transitions, moving slowly through tricks, and finding stable footing so you aren't "hopping" around.

•  FILM YOURSELF when you're first starting out and when you're working on learning a new trick! This can feel a little embarrassing to do, but even if you are surrounded by mirrors, it can be super difficult to tell how your moves look while actually working out. Taking a video and watching it back will help you see what you need to work on much easier. Plus, if you did something cool that you want to share - now you've got it on video! :)

Happy Pole-ing! :)