Welcome to our movement knowledge hub. Here, you’ll find practical tips and insights to help you on your journey. Our goal is to provide you with relevant information that empowers you to make informed choices about your health and movement journey.
Remember the first time you touched a pole and kept sliding off? You were probably told that with time you will build more grip strength – and while that is true, sometimes the forces literally work against us. And that is the moment we can get a little help. Grip aids are one of those things almost every pole dancer ends up experimenting with. As combos get harder, hands get sweatier, studios get colder (or weirdly humid), maybe you even encountered an unfamiliar pole finish and suddenly your grip decides to disappear mid-invert.
The right grip aid can make a huge difference – not just for performance, but for safety and confidence too.
Am I less of a pole dancer if I use grip aid…am i…cheating?
Simply said: No, using grip is not cheating. It’s a tool. Just like chalk in climbing or in gymnastics. Every sport where grip matters, you will essentially see a type of grip aid. We train to get stronger, not to fight biology, weather, and metal physics at the same time. Studios and Instructors might have different policies about their use, so make sure to check in with them before using them, especially when it comes to very sticky grips that might damage pole finishes. Be aware that excessive reliance on very sticky products when you do not need them can slow the development of natural grip control.
In this guide you will learn anything and everything about the different types of grip aids available, how to use them correctly, find the one that fits you (and your skin + movement practice) the best, as well as our own personal recommendations (not affiliated). Make sure to also check out our guide to different pole finishes.
So let’s start to get grippy!
As said before you can improve grip strength immensely by building strength. This will naturally already happen the more you train, but you can also add some specific strength conditioning to your routine. Some movers will always need some kind of grip aid, for example in case of hyperhidrosis. Next to that, with seasons changing, hormonal changes and different movement practices it can be that not everyone grip aid will always work the same for you. A lot of people will need a little bit of extra tack in winter, but in summer actually rather a drying agent. We hope with this guide you will find your own little arrangement (don’t worry we also included our budget friendly tips here).
The first step you need to start with is the right preperation. Regardless of which grip aid you are using (or if you do not even use any), it is important to keep your hands and pole clean. In our studio we swear by diluted clear alcohol (isopropanol). This is the most effective, cost efficient pole cleaner you can have and easily make yourself. For your hands, make sure to wash them throughly. Stay away from any oily or moisturising soaps – again here we love using dishsoap or very plain basic soap. If you are “degreasing” your hands a lot, use those rest days to get that moisture back in! Especially when struggling with body grip, one of the most important things becomes warming up properly. Don’t be lazy with static stretches – for your own safety and your grip, get your heart rate up and some slight sweatyness going!
Another thing to keep in mind is pole finishes but also your training environment. In warmer climates you will notice that pole finishes likee brass give a better grip than others. In colder climates or in winter, you would slip endlessy if you are on a cold brass pole. Cold metal in general with warm skin can cause condensation, so make sure to always warm up your pole with some basic spins and conditioning. Or if you are lucky, you can find a pole warmer online, this is literally like a heated blanket for your pole. Some people also use a heater directly next to it or a hairdryer. This might be especially useful if you are training in a very big space that can no be heated easily.
We said this before. but want to point it out again: Learning grip control is extremely important, so if you find yourself not even able to do conditioning without grip aid (except of course due to medical conditions), take a step back. Give your grip strength some TLC by cross training or going back to some simpler conditioning. We see it more and more in class that people right away use a lot of extreme sticky grip for simple conditioning. Do not forget that the point of conditioning is to build grip strength!
THE BIG POINTS:
Most grip aids fall into three main types. Once you know which problem you’re trying to solve, choosing gets way easier.
| CATEGORY | WHAT IT DOES | BEST FOR | COMMON INGREDIENTS / EXAMPLES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adherents | Adds stick/tack to the skin | Dry skin, cold weather, strong holds | Beeswax, rosin blends |
| Antiperspirants | Reduces sweat and moisture | Sweaty hands, humid studios | Alcohol, silica, chalk-style products |
| Moisture + Tack | Adds slight moisture + light grip | Very dry skin, body/leg grip | Aloe vera gel, water-based body grips |
These products create a tacky layer that helps your skin actually “stick” onto the pole – amazing in winter when your skin is dry and the pole feels like an icicle. Also super helpful for leg and body grips. These are generally preferred when maximum tackiness is requireed.
Be careful: Too much can make spins feel clunky and leave residue behind. Most of the time you will not be able to slide with them. Please make sure to clean your pole properly when using these grips, note that some studios will forbid the use of these grips due to improper cleaning and therefore damage to equipment.
OUR FAVOURITES (not affiliated):
If you struggle with sweaty hands, especially hyperhidrosis (a condition causing excessive sweat), or dance in high humidity areas, these will be your saviors.
A simple, cost-effective initial step is spraying rubbing alcohol on the hands, which helps minimize perspiration and oil secretion and should be done before applying a more specialized grip product. Products in this category often contain drying agents like silica or high-proof alcohol.
As always make sure to clean your pole and the area around it propely when working with chalk as it can become even more slippery for people with dry skin.
OUR FAVOURITES (not affiliated):
Yes — skin can be too dry to grip. When skin is overly dry, it can slide just as much as sweaty skin. Products such as aloe vera gel or shaving gel work surprisingly well on the body and can be paired with a powder that provides stick. The goal is to provide a very light layer of moisture that can activate the tackifying agents in other grip products or simply make the skin less prone to flaking and sliding.
OUR FAVOURITES (not affiliated):
Sweaty / Oily Skin
Start with an antiperspirant to dry the skin. If you still need more security, add a small amount of adherent on top.
Dry Skin
Try moisture + tack or a light adherent. Also: warm up properly – cold, dry skin grips terribly.
Normal Skin
You might only need grip for harder tricks, new studios, or certain weather days.
Your grip can change wildly depending on where you train and how you want to train.
| Situation | What’s Happening | What Helps |
|---|---|---|
| Cold studio | Skin = dry, pole = cold & slippery | Adherent (tacky grip) + longer warm-up |
| Hot / humid studio | Skin = sweaty | Antiperspirant first, reapply if needed |
| New pole / finish | Different metals feel different | Bring both a drying and a tacky option |
Chrome, stainless steel, brass – they all feel different. Your “holy grail” grip at home might feel useless somewhere else.
Depending on which body parts or type of movement you are planning for, your grip can make it or break it. For climbing and inversion you want realiability, so work together with a drying layer and a light tack. Again remember what we discussed earlier when it comes to relying too much on grip! If you are requiring more leg and body grip, work with lighter adherents or moisture and tack products. Never ever use strong tack products on your bodyskin because they will not allow you to slide and it can be very painful, as well as causing friction type burn. The same goes for moves that require your hand to slide, rather not use tacky grip in that cause because will be too stuck else.
Grip, sweat, and skin oils build up fast. Wipe the pole after each session with a clean cloth and rubbing alcohol, do not be shy to use some pressure too! Avoid harsh cleaners (yes glass clearner is too harsh) since they can damage the finish and irritate skin.
Your future self, the studio and everyone else in class will thank you.