Get a Grip!

“HELP! I keep sliding off the pole!” Is this something you’ve said or heard before? Have no fear, I’m here to answer all your grip aid questions!

To start, what are grip aids? Grip aids are anything you apply to your skin to help you stick to the pole better. Grip aids come in many different forms including powders, gels, lotions, sprays, and waxes. Grip aids can be applied to your hands, knee pits, sides, or anywhere else you might need a little extra tackiness on the pole.

Great! Now how do I know which grip aid is right for me?

Step 1 to selecting the right grip aid for you is assessing what is causing you to slide off the pole. The first question you want to ask is whether you’re sliding because of your skin type or from lack of grip strength. You might have sweaty hands that just can’t seem to stay dry long enough for you to do a fireman spin. Contrarily, you might have skin so dry that no matter how hard you hang on, you just keep sliding down to the ground. Different grip aids are going to provide different results so stop, take a second, and assess what kind of grip issue you’re having.

For my sweaty palmed friends, Dry Hands and EnviroGrip are going to be your best bet. Both of these grip aids are liquid chalk and designed to soak up and stop sweat from coming through your hands to keep you from sliding off the pole. Both grips are best applied after warming up before going onto the pole. You’ll want to shake the bottle, pour out a dime size amount onto the palm of your hand, then rub your hands together and allow the chalk to dry before beginning your training. Something to keep in mind while using these grips is that you may eventually sweat through them and have to re-apply throughout your training session.

For all of my lovelies with dry skin, you’re going to want to take a different approach to grip. Mighty Grip is a powder grip that is heat activated. Post warm-up pour a small amount of the powder out onto your hand and rub your hands together to activate the powder and create tackiness on your hands. Mighty Grip can also be applied to feet and body for added grip. Other solutions to slipperiness from dry skin are Dew Point and iTac2. Dew Point is a spray grip aid best applied to the body, but can also be used on hands. Dew Point is designed to add a little moisture to dry skin to create more tackiness. Simply spray the grip onto your skin, rub it in and allow it to settle before going onto the pole. Dew Point comes in three different strengths ranging from Lite to Ultra based on your skin needs. While Dew Point can be used on dry hands, it can become slick once mixed with sweat, so you’ll want to regularly be checking in to make sure your hands aren’t become slippery from the grip aid. iTac2 is a wax which can be used to add grip to your hands or body. iTac2 comes in either a jar or stick and once applied, leaves a very sticky film on the skin. This grip aid comes in two different strengths depending on the amount of grip needed. This grip provides the most stick on the pole, but can also cause problems if you apply the grip to your hands and try to do a spin. When using grip on your body, keep in mind that it can cause skin to feel more pinchy when executing tricks.

If grip strength is the problem, the best course of action is grip strengthening exercises. Some things to practice are: ensuring neutral wrist alignment (hand at same angle as forearm), continuing to practice poling and squeezing tightly with your hands as you slide down the pole, practicing squeezing and releasing hands, and practising dead hangs (hanging in a neutral position from your hands while continuing to engage back and shoulder muscles).

Cool! I was using one grip aid in the winter, but now that it’s spring I feel like it’s not working as well as it used to. Why is that?

One of the most challenging things about poling in Saskatchewan is that we have a variable climate that ranges from very cold and dry in the winter to hot and more humid in the summer. Because of this, you might find that your skin changes over the course of the year which can change which grip option works best for you. If you’re finding that the grip you’ve been using is no longer serving its purpose as well as it used to, don’t be afraid to shake things up and try a new grip aid option!

Sweet! I’ve heard people say you shouldn’t use grip aids because you can become reliant on them. Is that true?

This is a very controversial topic in the pole community. In a class setting, grip aids are a fantastic resource to help you along on your pole journey and there is absolutely nothing wrong with using and reapplying them as often as you need. The only times it’s important to moderate how frequently you use grip aids is in a performance or competition setting. When performing live, you get one chance to apply your grip aid before taking the stage and from there you have to deal with whatever grip situation is presented. You may be performing, then half way through realize you’re starting to lose grip in your hands or on your body. In this circumstance, you can’t pause your performance to run off stage and apply more grip. One other thing to consider is that if you use grip aids frequently, you may feel increased anxiety when poling without them, which can cause increased sweating making your grip more slippery. Again, in a class setting this is not problem because you can buy more grip at the studio.

Lastly, no matter what grip aid you choose, don’t forget to ensure your pole is thoroughly cleaned at the end of your practice or class! Some grip aids can leave a bit of a residue or film behind on the pole, and we want to ensure that the pole is thoroughly cleaned so it can be disinfected properly.

Awesome! Thank you I’m ready to grab some grip and dance my heart out!

-Aidan


***Disclaimer***
This is not an exhaustive list of all pole grips. Only grips that are currently being sold at Saskatoon Pole & Dance Studio were mentioned in this post. If none of these grips fulfill your needs, there are plenty of other options for you to try. All information in this post is based off of personal experience, product reviews, the Saskatoon Pole & Dance Studio instructor manual, Polepedia Grip Aid Guide (https://polepedia.com/grip-aid-guide/) and Polepedia Grip Strength Conditioning (https://polepedia.com/grip-strength/). If you have any questions or want to talk to someone about grip aid options for you feel free to email or direct message the studio.