Waist Pocket Hold

Difficulty: Introductory

Category: Grip

Pre-requisite Moves:

• N/A

The Waist Pocket Hold is a valuable support for many other holds. Here, the pole will rest in the small of your waist. For more advanced pole dancers, you will use this grip as you lean back into your Chopper or Basic Invert, or to hold your Yogini. Beginner pole dance moves that utilize the waist pocket grip is the High Kick Hold, Backspin, or for Pole Abs conditioning.

The waist is the soft spot right above your hip bones, and it will greatly help you gain leverage as you move with the pole. Men may find this spot trickier to find as the “small of the waist” is less defined. You should be able to catch the pole right above your hips as you lean back easily without supporting your weight with your hands, but you should not be bracing against the hip bones or any ribs.

Move Steps

For a right-sided hold, the pole should be on the right side of your body.

For a left-sided hold, the pole should be on the left side of your body.

1. Find the space between your hip bone and your ribcage. For women, this is typically where the small of the waist is.
   For men, this spot is not as defined, so it may sit a little higher or lower, depending on body type.

2. Rotate your hips forward (or backward, depending on the move) until the pole fits into that space along your waist.

Safety Tips

• Be careful to never brace yourself on the hip bone or ribs themselves. Dynamic movement (i.e., inverts or pole abs) over the ribs and hip bone can cause injury. Always make sure that the pole is firmly tucked into the small of the waist between the hips and ribs, never on them. This part of your torso should be fleshy and should not cause any discomfort if you move your upper or lower body around on the pole.

This move previously appeared in our Guide to Grips and Holds article.