The TOP 10 basic pole dance moves for beginners. These moves can be central to learning how to pole dance :
In todays guide, our resident pole dance instructor takes you through her favorite moves and how to perform them well.
So, let’s take a closer look at the basic pole dance moves for beginners. Good luck!
Beginner pole spins
We’ve chosen a few easy, simple spins that look beautiful and spectacular. Most likely, you will be taught to perform them in the dance school at the first lesson of pole dance. You can also learn these in online pole classes if you have your own pole at home.
1. The Chair Spin:
A classic to start with. Here’s how to do the chair spin in 5 easy steps:
- Stand by the pole with your feet on the floor
- Place your inside hand (the one closest to the pole) high on the pole, and your outside arm at chest height.
- Swing your outside leg back and then to create momentum while your other knee is lifted and raises to meet the other leg
- Use your outside hand to push your body away from the pole (otherwise, you’ll bump your hips on the pole) resulting in bruises. So, focus on maintaining a safe distance from the pole with your outside hand.
- When you’re near the end, put your feet down and perform a graceful roll up.
Once you’ve mastered this from a standing start, why not try walking in to the chair spin pose.
Another variation of the chair spin is when you take your legs off the parquet and put them in a foot-on-foot position. Do not forget to bend your back when performing the element to make the posture look even more still and elegant.
The spin is can be performed on both static and rotating poles. After more practice, when you find that your hands and grip become stronger, you can eventually try the chair spin on one hand.
2. Front and Backward Frog Spins:
These are great poses for beginners on the pylon and a lot of fun. Perform this move in 3 steps:
Forward Frog Spin:
- Grasp the pole with both hands, as in the previous chair spin exercise.
- Then we make a swing forward and around the pole, grab the pole under the knee with leg close to the pole.
- Raise your second leg and connect both legs at the toe to form the ‘frog’ posture.
The element also has a variation of the execution backward, as the ‘backward frog’:
- Note that the starting position in this twist is different. The arm close to the pole is at eye level and has a grip on the pole in the armpit area.
- The furthest arm is flat and holds the pole above the head.
- From this position, push your feet back. When you start spinning, cling to the pole with your near-foot under your knee and bring your socks together.
3. Soldier’s spin
It is an important link between more complex tricks in compositions and dance numbers.
To perform the soldier spin:
- Stand in front of the pole
- Take two hands higher to be able to pull up further on the arms.
- Step right foot forward, left foot forward, swing a little to start spinning.
- Then push your feet off the parquet and at the same time pull up on our hands so that your hands are at chest or neck level.
- In the straight position, we spin in the “soldier” position.
Beginners Pole Moves with Acrobatic elements
The following elements, in addition to plastics, will require you to have basic skills in acrobatics.
4. Basic Climb
Climbing up the pole is a crucial part of a developing dancers repertoire.
To begin climbing up the pole, follow these simple steps:
- Lay one leg up on the pole slightly diagonally that way with the inside of the knee and ankle pressed against the pole. Feel the grip on the pole.
- Place your hands as high as possible by grabbing the ring upwards.
- You should place the second leg in front of the pole on the back of the shin under the heel.
- Clamp the pole with your tibia and knee sides. Make sure the front foot is tight and not beveled.
- Straighten the body by holding the pole with your hands and feet.
- Bend your hands and lean your body into the pole. Now you will hold on to your hips as well.
- Next, you need to move your hands higher and holding hands, move your bent legs also upward. Hold the pole by your ankles.
- Then, with your back leg push away from the pole to move the hold to your knees.
- Repeat all the movements you’ve already done before: straighten up, move your arms, tighten your legs, move your knees.
The second option is to use the forearm. That is, one hand remains straight, and the other – bent. The elbow is just below the shoulder and we rest our forearm on the pole diagonally. The use of an elbow allows you to use your knees at once and avoid needing to push them away from the pole.
5. Horizon and Basic Plank:
We recommend that you learn how to make the horizon on the static pole from the floor.
- Stand as close to the pole as possible and grip the pole with your hands at approximately head level.
- Pinch your stomach to the pole and raise your legs forward on both sides of the pole and squeeze it with your thighs.
- Turn your pelvis one way, for example to the left.
- Your feet should be crossed and use the heel of the upper leg to prevent it from sliding off the lower leg. Your toes should be pointed.
- While keeping the body twisted, lower your hands down the pole and then gradually straighten them out.
- Let go of the hand of the same name lower leg (in our case – left leg). So you hold the pole with your right hand and hip, with the body straight or with a slightly bent back.
- If you feel that your thighs are not gripped enough with your pole, you can start practicing the horizon without falling completely horizontally with the floor, and leave the body diagonally to the floor, degrees 45 degrees. Over time, you will reach the desired position.
6. Hello Boys
How to perform the ‘hello boys’ pole move:
- Perform a base climb
- Clamp the pole between straight legs, twisting the pelvis into the lower leg on the side so that the back surface of the hip is pressed well against the pole.
- Tilt harder towards the lower leg and grip the pole with the hand on the same side, just below the thigh.
- Continue to hold the second bent arm approximately at head level.
- Next, you should feel the grip of the lower leg’s thigh on the pole, never carrying the weight on the lower hand. We should not sit on the hand, it only helps a little.
- Turn your body backward by straightening the upper arm, this will allow for a better hip-to-pole grip.
- Feel whether you are holding on to your hip or hand.If you can hold your thigh and hands with confidence, try to tear off your upper leg from the pole.
- If it is possible to hold on to the hip, move the upper leg to the side in the “spread” position.
7. Hood Ornament (Cricket)
So to tackle the Hood Ornament pose, follow these simple steps:
- Stand sideways to the pole as close as possible on your fingers. Grasp the pole with your near armpit and place your far arm straight arm as high as possible.
- The near-arm should be bent, with elbow facing down.
- Now cling to the pole with your near knee. That is, press your straight leg in front under the knee, then bend it.
- The knee looks down, the pelvis looks forward.
- Now, hold by your arms and under the knee, raising your far leg and move straight back. Lean back into the pole with your ankle.
If you feel confident in this position, while holding your armpit by the pole, try to release your near arm and straighten it in front of you.
Then you can look to straighten both of your hands. The next step, as you continue to improve, is to perform this element after climbing up the pole.
8. Chopper (Invert V, Straddle)
This is a great pose. A few steps to perform the Chopper:
- Position yourself sideways to the pole.
- Place your inside arm with a forearm grip at shoulder height, and your outside arm just above it.
- Stand on your tiptoes and step forward with your inside foot, making sure your hips are in front of the pole.
- As you pull on the pole with your arms, lift your tiptoes off the ground while keeping your legs straight.
- Open your legs in a V-shape and allow your head to drop back. Aim to have your arms as straight as possible in this position.
- You did it!
- Now, to exit the pose, lift your head toward the pole and carefully lower your legs, keeping them slow and controlled.
By entering and exiting the move slowly, you will be building up muscular strength, which over time will help to make this move even more controlled.
9. Martini
Tasty drink and a cheeky little pole move. To perform the Martini:
- Lift and lean the straight leg to the front surface of the pole under the knee and bend the leg.
- Then, while maintaining a good knee grip, lower the pelvis down, increasing the area of grip on the pole.
- Hold the pole with both hands, with the near one on top.
- Now raise the far leg and move it straight from the front of the pole, press it against the near leg, the stretched foot looks up into the diagonal.
- The elbow hooks at the back of the pole and with the palm of your hand holds the straight leg from the front.
- If you’re sure you’re holding on well, you can remove the other hand from gripping the pole and get creative with your pose.
- You’ve made a martini!
10. The hang on the leg
We’ll cover a couple of variations of this move, hanging on the near and the far leg.
The base hang on the far leg
- Run the chopper, lift the pelvis as high as possible.
- Keep your shoulders down, do not raise them to your head. Stretch your back as far as possible without rounding it up.
- Place your far leg against the pole under your knee and bend your knee as tightly as possible.
- Move the lower leg back straight, but make sure you stay on the pole well with your knee and side. Also, clamp the pole with the armpit of your near hand.
- If you feel confident in this position, gently move your hand backward first, holding the pole firmly under your armpit and then do the same by your far arm.
You’ve done the hanging on your far leg!
The hanging on your near leg
If you hold the pole under your knee in the hanging on the far leg, the hanging on the near leg assumes that the inner surface of the hip and shin will grip.
Run the chopper, but do not lift or press the pelvis too close to the pole. Leave it slightly behind. Hold the pole sideways to the pole and grip the pole with your near-foot in the inner thigh and tibia area. After that, lower the top of the body down and grip the pole with the armpit. Lower your head down. If you hold on well, keep your hands back, keeping your armpit, hip, and shin together.
Bonus Move: 11. Barrel with wide grip
We know this was a ‘top 10’ moves article but why not enjoy one last move for the road?!
To perform the barrel with a wide grip:
- Stand facing the pole, grip the pole with your hands with a wide grip, the lower arm with the ring facing down straight (but do not turn off your elbow).
- The upper arm with the ring facing up is bent about 90 degrees in the elbow. Watch your wrists, do not let them twist.
- Next, raise the bent leg and the lower arm of the same side and press the front of the thigh against the pole.
- At the same time, tilt the body slightly towards the lower arm.
- Then, hold on firmly to the pole and gently lift the second leg upwards and press the front of the hip against the pole.
- At the same time, lean towards the lower arm. Hold this so that your belly presses against the pole too.
- As you enter the barrel, your lower arm slips slightly down and your upper arm straightens (but not completely).
- Try to keep the body parallel to the floor.
You have made a barrel with a wide support grip!
Tips for beginners
- Wipe the pole all the time. Before, during and after training, wipe the pole with an alcohol solution and a soft cloth at all times. This will help to keep the pole dry all the time for a better grip on your skin. This means that there is less chance to get injured, and in general, it is easier to perform tricks and elements on a dry wiped pole.
- Wear shorts and a top. Many beginners are embarrassed to wear suitable pole dance clothing in the first few lessons. Don’t worry! This shape will allow you to stay on the pole better and not to slide. Again, it’s safer than training in leggings and T-shirts. You’ll always have to make hooks under your knees, armpits, waist level, and between your thighs. Doing this with your skin open is much easier.
- Think about magnesia. Many pole dancers use a special remedy for dry skin – magnesia. It’s the same substance that bodybuilders use, for example, to lubricate their hands to take the weight of the barbell. In the case of the pole, magnesium powder like this one on Amazon is most suitable. But if your palms are dry enough without it and do not sweat, try without it.
- Don’t worry if you can’t do something at first. In the beginning it can be difficult. But with a little effort, you will not notice how progress will become more obvious not only for you but also for the coach. It won’t be so difficult for you to do climbing, you will be able to do a variety of twists and beautiful handstands after a few weeks of training. The main thing is to keep your hands up and work on yourself. Remember, nothing is easy to start with and you will definitely succeed with some effort!
When you’ve mastered these starter pole moves, it’s time to take a look at intermediate pole dance moves.
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Professional Dancer, Dance coach. Favorite dance style – Pole Dance. Favorite Move – Sword Simakhina. A graduate of Saint Marys. Former Chief Editor and Owner of DanceBibles.com