How the shoulder stand helped me understand advanced pole moves

Video tutorial below ↓

When I started freestyling and creating my own pole combos and flows, the Shoulder Stand became my best friend, whenever I found myself on the floor. 

The teacher used to give us a freestyle exercise, where you have to dance on three poles: floorwork and low pole moves on the first pole, spinning moves on the second one and static off the floor moves on the last one. The Shoulder Stand „saved“ my freestyle routine, whenever I found myself in the middle of the room and didn’t know what to do next. It helped me when I was on the floor next to the pole. It even helped me transition between poles.

But most of all, the Shoulder Stand helped me understand how stacking knees, hips and shoulders improves the balance, which was super useful for pole moves like Ayesha, Iguana and Inverted Pencil, as well as for Handstands.

The Shoulder Stand requires core strength and balance, that can be achieved with a few simple exercises. When I know I’ll teach the move in a class, I implement the preparation exercises from my tutorial into the warmup in the beginning of the class. But a good Shoulder Stand also requires a good technique. Stacking the shoulders over the hips while keeping the back straight is essential for a proper and solid alignment.

I’ve also put three different ways to get into a shoulder stand for you. I suggest to try them all on both sides.

You’ll see this cool move in breakdance, pole dance, contemporary, gymnastics, and it is a great pose for photo shootings.

P.S.: Psst. You don’t need to have a flat straddle to have a flat shoulder stand. Even a small straddle is enough make this optical illusion, when seen from the front, because the legs are slightly to the front, and not 180° to the side.

Join the conversation:
How did the Shoulder Stand helped you become better with other moves? Write down in the comments.