My neck tensed up just typing that. What is a nemesis trick? A nemesis trick is a trick that by all accounts you should be able to do, there is no good reason you can’t do it; it’s not like you are not strong enough or haven’t been working on it for a while, for whatever reason you just can’t do it.
Ask anyone who has been pole dancing for fitness, who has been poling for a while, I can almost guarantee that they have one- or several.
Sometimes it is just a mental block. For me for example: the Holly Drop, it is not a very advanced trick- in fact it is pretty easy, but for the life of me, I could not do it fluidly. Last week, however I got it. After hours of work learning to trust myself, I can proudly say, the Holly Drop is mine.
I have found that having more than one person explain the trick to you and demo it is really helpful. Sometimes it is just slightly different wording that makes all of the difference or a slightly different approach. Maybe the other person offers some other exercises to help you get ready for the trick. That is one of the really cool things about the pole community is there are so many resources online and so many people who really want to help.
Another trick I was having an awful time with is the Superman. Again, not really an advanced trick, just one that I was struggling with, I always felt like my hand would slip off of the pole. I tried grips I tried different ways of getting into the trick (I still cannot get into it from an Advanced Apprentice). A few months ago, it dawned on me that part of the issue was related to the fact that I am a pretty tiny person. My hands being so small could not reach around the pole and get a good grip. It just wasn’t going to happen. When my studio got smaller poles (45mm) I was able to work on this trick and finally incorporate it into a free style dance at the end of class.
There are a few ways I have approached my nemesis tricks. I have left it for later- for a day that I felt particularly strong, particularly daring, or just needed something to do. I have beat the darn thing into submission, I did this with my first nemesis- the Flyer Dancer, but not all tricks work that way. Or you can just forget about that certain trick, I have personally not taken this approach yet, I tend towards the determined end of the spectrum. Usually, I end up with some combination of letting it rest and beating the trick into submission. Also, as with my small hand issue- consider if there are other factors influencing you making some tricks harder than necessary.
Do what works for you. One strategy may work with one trick but not with another. My biggest recommendations when faced with a nemesis trick are to get multiple points of view talk about it with a few instructors, work on it with them. The other is to dissect the trick- know the trick so well- know exactly where you get into trouble.
Almost all pole dancers have some nemesis trick or nemesis combination. It does not make you a bad pole dancer. Try and use that nemesis trick to motivate you to work on your pole skills. If you decide you just do not want to do that trick, that is fine, there are endless tricks out there. There are a lot of pole dancers who just do not do certain tricks for one reason or another.
