Getting a grip on the dance pole is a big deal.  Beginners often struggle with getting a strong enough hand grip to just learn the basic pole dance moves while more intermediate and advanced pole dancers need extra grip to train for longer periods of time.

There are many creams and lotions commonly used to enhance the grip on the pole including PFD Grip Aid Gel, PFD Grip Aid Tac,  dry hands, Tite grip, and dew point and more, but sometimes a liquid or cream grip just isn’t enough for effective training and that’s when grip gear comes into the picture.

Previously I have spoken in a video about getting a better grip on the pole by properly cleaning the pole and using various creams and powders.  In this video (and previous articles I have written) I have discouraged the over use of grip gear, creams, and powders.

The reason I have discouraged their over use is that I believe it’s vitally important to give your hands and body the opportunity to develop the strength necessary to grip the pole.

Getting that strength to grip the dance pole, both in the skin in terms of pain tolerance and in the muscles, takes time.  Grip aids should never completely replace your own bodies ability to grip the pole, however, they can complement the learning process to promote ease of training and added safety when learning as a beginner or learning more advanced pole tricks.

The benefits of using pole fitness grip gear versus creams or lotion grip aids are:

• Increased safety when learning to invert or do advanced pole tricks. Learning these moves can be exhausting and a weak grip when attempting to learn exhausting tricks is a safety hazard you can avoid with a good pair of tacky pole fitness grip gloves.
• Ability to bring your mental focus to other areas of the body. You all know how important proper posture and form are to me.  There are so many things to think about when you are trying to remember choreography and remember your dancing posture.  Tacky grip gloves give you such a good grip that your mind can be free to focus on other things (like posture) without the fear of slipping.
• Decreased Skin Pain and Bruising. Learning pole tricks can be painful to the skin, especially the inner thighs.  It takes time to develop the strength in the skin to pole dance and it also takes time for your pain tolerance to develop in the skin.  Once is does get stronger and develop, repeating a single pole move over and over again while learning can still be painful.  Inner thigh protectors with tack and inner arm protectors with tack can alleviate the pain while repeating the same move over and over again.
• Protection With Grip.   Pole dancing grip gear and pole dancing foot protectors can extend dancing times.   We all love to dance and it’s not fun when bruising or pain slows that process down when your heart wants to keep going!   Protective grip gear with tack can also give your grip a fantastic boost when your skin has had enough for the day, allowing you to keep going is a safer way.

It’s not necessary to torture your body or skin while learning pole fitness dancing.

IT IS important to give your body and skin the opportunity to develop the strength to grip the pole without any grips aids at all.

If you can find the right moment and “balance” regarding when it’s right to use a wonderful tool such as pole fitness grip gear and grip lotions then these can be great tools to further your pole journey in a SAFE way.

Are you already using grip gear?  Please leave a comment below and share your story!

As always, please share the love and pass this article around.  Awareness and education are key to keeping everyone safe as they embark on a pole fitness journey, especially for those of us who are learning from home.