5 Ways to Beat Sweaty Hand Syndrome
20 Apr 2007
Lucy
11 Comments →
Do you sometimes have problems gripping the pole because of sweaty or slippery hands?
You’re not alone – about 80% of my students have suffered from the same problem at some point. Luckily there are some simple steps you can take to minimize the problem. Here are my top 5 tips for dealing with sweaty hands and keep you hanging on that pole!
1. Just relax!
Take a deep breath try to relax. Simple, but it works. The more relaxed your muscles are, the less stress you will feel and the drier your hands will become.
Concentrate on your breathing – slow the rate right down. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth a couple of times in a row. Focus on filling your body with oxygen and energy and then go for it!
2. Take a break
Sweaty hands are much more of a problem when people are learning new moves – this is the most common problem mentioned in my beginners’ classes. Even my advanced students (even I!) start to get sweaty hands when learning new moves.
Alternate between exercises – focus on leg moves, then arm moves – or just take a quick break.
It’s all too easy (far too easy!) to get carried away with pole work, but – as with any form of exercise – it’s important to pace yourself, particularly if you’re just starting out.
3. Practice makes perfect
When you learn a new move, you’ll start to develop a muscle memory of the most effective way to perform it. You’ll end up placing a lot less strain on your hands – and gripping better – simply because you’re moving more efficiently.
As you practice and build up your repertoire, you’ll find you learn how to grip the pole better to stop yourself sliding. Of course your hands will also get much stronger, which helps a lot too!
4. Don’t moisturise
OK, this may seem obvious, but you’d probably be amazed how often people forget because it just forms part of their daily routine. Sunscreen is also a common problem during the summer months.
So if you have used any moisturiser or creams, make sure you give your hands a good scrub with soap before jumping on a pole.
5. Keep your pole clean
A lot of people tend to over grip the pole when they first begin pole dancing. If you are just starting out, you may end up losing quite a bit of skin from your hands and legs and leaving an icky residue on the pole.
This is quite normal and, as you progress, you’ll learn to relax your grip naturally as you become more confident with your pole work.
But just make sure you keep the pole nice and clean in the meantime! A firm wipe down with a clean towel should do the trick nicely.
If you’re still having problems gripping the pole there are a number of products you can use to help. We’ll be covering those shortly, so check back soon or subscribe now to get updates delivered as soon as we post them.
11 comments
Wonderful tips for keeping the hands dry. To keep the pole clean of residue, some people use window cleaners. I use rubbing alcohol on my hands and pole to help clean off any oils.
There are also methods to use for learning new tricks like wearing lambskin leather gloves. They stick wonderfully to the pole! I like to cut off the fingertips on mine.
What fabulous suggestions! The lambskin leather gloves are a brilliant idea - I have never heard about that one! Will have to check it out for future recommendations! Thank you!
Sometimes I’ve put on my rubber gloves I use for housecleaning when I am trying something tricky and need a good grip. Unfortunately they make your hands even sweatier while they are on, and I have to let them dry afterward. The lambskin gloves sound like a much better solultion, thanks!
[…] actually my tip, but one from Jenyne, who recommended using leather gloves with their fingers cut off to give you added grip. Do make sure the gloves fit […]
Has anyone tried using Gillette shave gel to help with pole grip? I have heard that a small amount on hands and thighs help maintain grip, just wondering if anyone has experience with the gel.
Has anybody tried gym chalk or baby powder?
Since rock climbers use gym chalk to get their hands dry, do you think it would work for us, as we’re working on metal?
Oops, sorry, I hadn’t read the ‘5 products to help you…’ article yet.
Those tips really did help. Im a beginner and I tend to loose a little skin on my hands but thats all.
Does anyone know how you keep your legs up long enough in spins like ‘the chair/merry go round’ move. Cause im finding it tricky, please can someone reply. thanks xx
Hello Haylz,
I would suggest you practice a side ‘hang tough’ using the meery go round position. Stand with the pole on your dominant side. Place your hands in the high and chest grip - and then without the spin, lift your standing legs slowly off the ground into a tuck position. Obviously take care whilst doing this as if your hands stand to give way you could have a rather hard landing, so take some precautions like you do when you train the standard hang tough. If you find the position unstable, try changing your hand grip to the opposite as you may find more support in the opposite hand grip. If you practice sustaining this static position for about 5 secs like you do with the standard hang tough, I think you will find the spin much easier to obtain!
Also with regards to this type of spin, try to find lots of bravery as you enter the spin. The more momentum you have for this particular spin, the easier it becomes (but do take care because of this factor!)
Also, doing some abdominal work in the gym or during your pole training session will really help the lower abs and you use them to lift your legs and sustain the merry go round position.
Good luck!
x
Try a Sage Tea Soak
There’s something called a Sage Tea solution what you do is…
a. Buy Sage Tea from your supermarket
b. Fill a large bowl with room temperature water
c. Put the sage tea bags in the bowl and let the tea dissolve a bit.
d. soak your hands for 15 minutes in the bowl.
Sage Tea will act as an astringent to dry the skin and prevent excessive sweating for many days to follow.
Don’t just do this soak one day. Do it everyday for 5 days straight (15 minutes at a time) and you’ll see great results.
If your hands tan from the tea, just wash them in the sink with antibacterial soap. The residue will come off easily.
You can find tons other suggestions and natural solutions at: http://www.Prevent-Sweating.com
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