Pole sports

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Pole sports, or poling, merges dance and acrobatics using a vertical metal pole. Athletes climb up, spin from, hang off, flip onto, jump off, and invert on poles. Poling requires agility, strength, balance, endurance, and flexibility. A 2017 study of 52 female pole dancers indicated that pole-dance fitness improves strength and posture. [1] Poling can serve as a form of cardiorespiratory exercise and can improve muscle strength and flexibility. [2] [3] Pole-sports athletes include men and women of a variety of ages and physical abilities, including para-athletes, who perform alone or with others (for example, in doubles competitions).

Contents

Poling developed into a fitness activity and sport during the 1990s and 2000s, with national and international pole competitions. Poling has become a dance, fitness activity and sport, and continues to evolve. [4] The International Pole Sports Federation (IPSF), formed in 2009 by Tim Trautman and Katie Coates, is endeavoring to make poling an Olympic sport. [5] The federation has held world championships since 2012, and poling was one of seven sports granted observer status by the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) in 2017. [6] Professional pole-sports leagues have been formed, notably Oksana Grishina's O.G. Pole Fitness (which holds its annual championship at Mr. Olympia) [7] and the Pole Championship Series (which holds its annual championship at the Arnold Sports Festival). [8]

In a pole competition, each athlete generally performs a routine to music. Athletes are judged on their ability to perform complex movements (e.g. spins and strength and flexibility poses), choreography, style, and expressiveness. Poles in IPSF pole-sports competitions are brass, 45 mm (1.77 in) in diameter, with 4m (13.12 feet) of usable height. In competition, athletes regularly use a static (non-spinning) pole and a spinning pole. Their skin helps performers grip the slippery poles, and athletes wear clothing which exposes the skin on their shoulders, waist, arms and legs. [9] The IPSF requires competitors to cover their pelvis, gluteal muscles and (for women) breasts. When using Chinese poles (which differ from IPSF poles), thicker clothing protects the body.[ citation needed ]

Background

Historically, poles have been used in various sports, dances, and recreational activities, including mallakhamba, the Filipino dance Singkil, maypole dancing, [10] and circuses. For example, mallakhamba traces its origins to the 12th-century malla-yuddha, a type of wrestling in India. [11] It commonly uses a 2.25-metre (7 ft 5 in) wooden pole and a cotton rope. The practice has a spiritual component, involves acrobatic and yogic movements, and was first developed as a tool for wrestlers. [11] [12] Mallakhamba has grown into a contemporary sport:

When mallakhamb re-emerged in the nationalist period before Indian independence, it was practiced separate to wrestling. At this point, paradoxically, the actual form of mallakhamb in its new incarnation became influenced by English competitive sports and took on the structural framework of colonial British gymnastics. It was at this point that mallakhamb became an organized sport and was most often practiced in Western-style gymnasiums and urban sport grounds. [11]

According to Qifeng and Xining, acrobatic Chinese pole-climbing was first mentioned 2,000 years ago. [13] Its techniques arose from tree-climbing in agriculture. Chinese poling is an acrobatic activity which has been part of Cirque du Soleil and is taught for recreational purposes in aerial gyms, such as Aerial Athletica in Las Vegas. [14] [15] [ non-primary source needed ]

Poling for fitness and sport grew out of strip clubs and striptease. [9] [10] [16] Not all strip dance clubs have poles, however, and not all strippers make a pole central to their performance. [17] Classes in "exotic" pole, pole fitness and pole dance have been offered in strip clubs, bars, gyms and specialized pole studios. [18] [19] This included Image Studio in Canada in the 1980s, where male and female "exotic dancers" were trained in pole dance, floor work, and choreography. [20] Fitness model, performer and former stripper Fawnia Mondey-Dietrich is often credited with developing some of the first instructional pole dance videos in the 1990s. [21] [ non-primary source needed ] Pole studios (studios focused on teaching pole) have sprung up in Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe. [10] They offer classes focused on fitness and athletics as well as those with erotic components. [4] [18]

Students in pole classes learn how to perform spins, supporting their body weight with their hands. They learn how to climb the pole, invert (flip upside down), and perform complicated maneuvers or tricks. [4] Pole classes are physically challenging, and poling requires a high level of understanding how the body's points of contact work with the pole. As pole athletes develop skill, they can use fewer body points of contact with the pole and make more aerial moves without being on the ground (including deadlifting their bodies from a stationary aerial position parallel to the pole into an inverted – upside-down – position). [22] [ non-primary source needed ] In addition to strength and flexibility, pole sports can be painful. [18] Researchers have begun studying the physiological effects of poling and potential risks for injury. [3]

Poling has not developed into a fitness activity and sport without tension. [23] Some feminists say that poling is part of the larger sexualization of culture and is objectifying. [24] Pole classes have provided opportunities for students to bond with and support each other, however, and encourages athleticism. [10] [18] Poling has sex-positive aspects, may challenge gender and sexual stereotypes, and studies have indicated that polers can feel empowered. [9] [18] [25] [26] [27]

Some of the first pole studios promoting pole to the general public for fitness, leisure, and sport were started by strippers, such as Tantra Fitness. [28] However, tensions have developed between some strippers and fitness-sport polers, such as when strippers have not been welcome in pole studios and competitions, or when hobbyists have distanced themselves from stripping. [9] [10] [18] Strippers have argued that distancing can be divisive, be stigmatizing, serve as a source of cultural appropriation, and ignore the fundamental contributions made by strippers to poling. For example, a Twitter debate occurred, with polers using the hashtag #notastripper to distance poling from strippers; strippers and supporters used the hashtags #yesastripper and #eroticnotexotic. [29]

Poling is now practiced in classes, in professional and international competitions, strip clubs, and onstage in non-strip clubs; [9] Felix Cane and others have performed in Cirque du Soleil. [30] [ non-primary source needed ] The IPSF hosts world competitions in pole sports and ultra, artistic and para pole. [22] [ non-primary source needed ]

Sport

Pole dance has become pole sports; the International Pole Sports Federation was founded in 2008, [5] with national federations, competitive teams, formalized rules and a code of points. Poling tricks have multiplied as the pole community has developed and shared new techniques. Some athletes perform acrobatic tricks, jumps and other maneuvers, making poling an extreme sport.[ citation needed ]

Companies have formed to support pole sports, manufacturing competition poles and poles for home and practice. Performers use a variety of grip aids to minimize sweat or aid stickiness. Other companies provide clothing to polers.[ citation needed ]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aerobics</span> Form of physical exercise

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calisthenics</span> Form of strength training exercises

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References

  1. ↑ Nawrocka Agnieszka, Mynarski Arkadiusz, Powerska Aneta, Rozpara Michał, Garbaciak Wiesław (2017). "Effects of exercise training experience on hand grip strength, body composition and postural stability in fitness pole dancers". The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. 57 (9): 1098–1103. doi:10.23736/S0022-4707.16.06510-5. PMID   27385549.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ↑ Nicholas, Joanna C.; McDonald, Kirsty A.; Peeling, Peter; Jackson, Ben; Dimmock, James A.; Alderson, Jacqueline A.; Donnelly, Cyril J. (2019). "Pole Dancing for Fitness". Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 33 (10): 2704–2710. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000002889. ISSN   1064-8011. PMID   30507730. S2CID   54511109.
  3. 1 2 Naczk, M; Kowalewska, A; Naczk, A (2020). "The risk of injuries and physiological benefits of pole dancing". The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. 60 (6): 883–888. doi:10.23736/S0022-4707.20.10379-7. PMID   32162500. S2CID   212678004.
  4. 1 2 3 Fennell, Dana (2018). "Pole studios as spaces between the adult entertainment, art, fitness and sporting fields". Sport in Society. 21 (12): 1957–1973. doi:10.1080/17430437.2018.1445995. S2CID   148619542.
  5. 1 2 "History of Pole Sports and the IPSF". www.polesports.org. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  6. ↑ "Observers". gaisf.org. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  7. ↑ "Olympia Hosts First Pole Competition | Pole Press". polepress.org. Archived from the original on 2019-02-25.
  8. ↑ "5 Years of Pole at the Arnold: Interview with Lindsey Kimura". 4 February 2019.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Dale, Joshua Paul (2013). "The Future of Pole Dance". The Australasian Journal of Popular Culture. 2 (3): 381–396. doi:10.1386/ajpc.2.3.381_1.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Griffiths, Kerry (2016). Femininity, Feminism and Recreational Pole Dancing. Routledge.
  11. 1 2 3 Burtt, Jon. "Mallakhamb: An Investigation into the Indian Physical Practice of Rope and Pole Mallakhamb". The International Journal of the Arts in Society. 5.
  12. ↑ Tatke Neeta, Purandare Mrinalini (2014). "Enhancement of Optimism as a Result of Participation in Competitive Sport - Mallakhamb". Journal of Psychosocial Research. 9: 71–80.
  13. ↑ Fu Quifeng, Li Xining (2003). A Primer of Chinese Acrobatics. Foreign Language Press.
  14. ↑ "Cirque du Soleil Presskit" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-03.
  15. ↑ "Home | Aerial Athletica". Home | Aerial Athletica. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  16. ↑ Fennell, Dana; Hipke, Clay A. (2023-11-07). "Flying as Self-Expression: Autonomy and Pole Dancing in Strip Clubs". Deviant Behavior: 1–16. doi:10.1080/01639625.2023.2280100. ISSN   0163-9625.
  17. ↑ Roach, Catherine M. (2007). Stripping, Sex, and Popular Culture. Berg.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Holland, Samantha (2010). Pole Dancing, Empowerment, and Embodiment. Palgrave Macmillan.
  19. ↑ Holland, Samantha; Attwood, Feona (2009). "Keeping it Fit in Six Inch Heels: The Mainstreaming of Pole Dancing". In Attwood (ed.). Mainstreaming Sex. I.B. Tauris.
  20. ↑ Ross, Becki L. (2009). Burlesque West: showgirls, sex, and sin in postwar Vancouver. Toronto: Univ. of Toronto Press. ISBN   978-0-8020-9646-3.
  21. ↑ "Interview with Fawnia Dietrich | Vertical Wise". Vertical Wise. 2015-08-26. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  22. 1 2 "World Pole Sports Championships". www.polesports.org. Archived from the original on 2018-02-03. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  23. ↑ Kim, Yunjung; Kwon, Sun-Yong (July 2019). ""I'm a Poler, and Proud of It": South Korean Women's Managed Experiences in a Stigmatized Serious Leisure Activity". Social Sciences. 8 (7): 199. doi: 10.3390/socsci8070199 .
  24. ↑ "Empowering Or Sexist: Should Pole Dancing Be Classed As A Sport?". HuffPost UK. 2017-10-17. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  25. ↑ Whitehead, Kally; Kurz, Tim (2009). "'Empowerment' and the Pole: A Discursive Investigation of the Reinvention of Pole Dancing as a Recreational Activity". Feminism & Psychology. 19 (2): 224–244. doi:10.1177/0959353509102218. hdl: 10871/11306 . S2CID   144679486.
  26. ↑ Fennell, Dana (2020-12-14). "Pole Sports: Considering Stigma". Sport, Ethics and Philosophy. 16: 96–110. doi:10.1080/17511321.2020.1856914. ISSN   1751-1321. S2CID   230587251.
  27. ↑ Kim, Yunjung; Kwon, Sun Yong (2020-11-02). ""Before I am biologically a male, I am me": Exploring gender identity of South Korean male exotic polers". International Review for the Sociology of Sport. 56 (7): 1035–1050. doi:10.1177/1012690220968767. ISSN   1012-6902. S2CID   228833083.
  28. ↑ "Tantra Fitness | The Best Pole & Dance Fitness Studio serving the Greater Vancouver Area. Pole Dance Lessons, Group Fitness Classes, Pole Parties for Bachelorettes/Stagettes, Aerial Hoops, Silks, and Aerial Yoga. Locations in Vancouver and Richmond". tantrafitness.com. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  29. ↑ "Pole Dancers Using the #NotAStripper Hashtag Get Well-Deserved Pushback From Strippers". www.themarysue.com. January 2016. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  30. ↑ "An Interview with Pole Superstar Felix Cane". Bad Kitty Blog | Pole Dancing Fitness Lifestyle News. 2017-07-11. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
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