The Anchor Grip is a vital hold in pole dancing that is utilized in many different pole dance tricks, climbs, spins, and more. This grip will help anchor your body against the pole so you are not trying to out-muscle any moves. You can think of this grip as the beginning of a fulcrum to help you move up and down the pole. You should be able to completely release your legs from the pole, or bring them up away from the floor in this hold without your body collapsing in.
The Armpit Hold is not a favorite for many, pinching sensitive areas of the skin, but it can result in some gorgeous shapes such as Teddy which utilizes the front of the armpit, or the Chopstick Split or Hercules which utilizes the back of the armpit.
Overall, once you get comfortable with the armpit hold, it can become one of your best friends in pole dancing, especially as you move into more advanced tricks with fewer points of contact.
The Back Ankle Grip is a useful hold in quite a few inverted moves, particularly when they are extended. Whether you are bendy or bold, chances are, you have used this hold before without ever giving it much thought. It is such a small movement overall, but it can help you push your limits to extend your body away from the pole, giving you beautiful, clean lines.
When doing this hold, if you feel like you are slipping out of it, you have made a case for pointing your toes! Pointing your toes in this hold can push the heel of your foot out into a “hook” and giving your body that extra skin contact it needs to secure everything in place.
The Baseball Grip the most basic hold you will learn in pole dancing, and it is used in a wide variety of moves from beginner to expert level. Imagine you are holding a baseball bat instead of a pole. Your thumbs are wrapped around the pole, on the opposite side of the rest of your fingers. You’ll use this in any number of moves from a basic body roll, to a cradle spin, to a two-handed Meathook.
This Basic Foot Hold is a versatile move where your toes are pointed towards the floor (or ceiling, for inverted moves) and most of your foot is on the pole, providing a strong point of contact.
The key to this hold is to make sure you feel secure, which may mean for some feet, depending on structure or flexibility, that may be easier to maintain with the heel to the side of the pole instead of directly on it. The balls of the feet should always be firmly pressed into the pole. Moving the heel like this will give you another contact point in the arch of your foot.
