Tabletop Tuck

Difficulty: Intermediate

Category: Trick

Type: Static Pole

Points of Contact: 3

Pre-requisite Moves:

• Tabletop Hold

The Tabletop Tuck is a versatile move that can help you transition into a variety of other pole moves and provides a unique shape and illusion of a one-handed trick. With the back arm in a “tabletop hold” position behind the back, it is important that anyone attempting this move has at least a semi-flexible range of motion in the shoulders and can easily hold the body’s weight up.

Move Steps

1. Standing next to the pole, wrap your inside arm around the pole in a stronghold grip.
2. Take your outside arm around your back, behind the small of your waist, and grab the pole with the thumb facing up towards the ceiling.
3. Engage the shoulders, back and arms, squeezing your body against the pole.
4. Sink your weight down as you tuck the legs up towards your chest.

Safety Tips

• Do not hang loosely from the shoulder in this move. This will put unnecessary pressure on the bottom arm, and will cause you to rely too much on the top arm. By equally balancing the two arms and keeping them strong and engaged, you can prevent any strain that may occur in the shoulders.

Common Mistakes

• Collapsing Into the Pole: If you keep collapsing into the pole, check to make sure you are pushing with the bottom arm and keeping the top arm engaged. This will help keep your arms balanced. Additionally, make sure you keep the core engaged as you tuck the legs up and keep them up. The tighter you squeeze and engage the core muscles, the less weight you are letting sink down into your feet, and the more centered your weight will remain on the pole. As you sink, you may experience some of your bodyweight collapsing into the pole. This is normal, but there should not be any undue pressure putting strain on either of the arms.