Grippy Pole Wear
Grippy pole wear has its pros and cons when it comes to your weekly pole class. Especially in winter when grip is always changing with the weather, it is an easy accessory to want to use all the time. While grippy pole wear can enhance performance by providing extra traction, it may hinder the development of the strength and skin conditioning essential for progressing in pole fitness. When using garments that increase grip, the body relies less on its natural strength to hold onto the pole, meaning the muscles involved in gripping and stabilizing aren't worked as intensely. Over time, this can delay the development of upper body and core strength needed for more advanced pole moves. Additionally, pole dancing requires skin conditioning—getting accustomed to the friction between the skin and pole to build resistance and tolerance. Relying on grippy wear can reduce the amount of skin-to-pole contact, potentially leading to slower adaptation and less resilience in areas like the forearms, thighs, and torso. In the long run, this might hinder overall performance and progress, as developing both strength and skin conditioning is key for mastering pole techniques and advancing safely.
Grippy pole wear is not permitted when learning new inverts or being cleared on your inverts. You must be able to safely demonstrate your inverts before doing them with the assistance of grippy pole wear.