Pole sports

Poles have been used in mallakhamba and circuses. 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 developed 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]

Mallakhamba has been demonstrated to improve mood.[12] 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] Although online articles and websites draw historical connections between the ancient activities and contemporary pole dance and pole sports, how much and in what ways mallakhamba and Chinese poling may have affected their development is unclear. Online conversations suggest contemporary connections, such as the adoption of moves from Chinese poling by pole athletes.[16] Researchers suggest other influences on contemporary pole sports. This includes maypole dancing.[17]

Poling is commonly associated with striptease, and poling for fitness and sport grew out of exotic-dance clubs.[17][10] Not all exotic-dance clubs have poles, however, and not all exotic dancers make a pole central to their performance.[18] Fitness model, performer and former exotic dancer Fawnia Mondey-Dietrich is often credited with developing the first instructional pole dance videos and classes during the 1990s.[19][20] Classes in exotic pole, pole fitness and pole dance have been offered in exotic-dance clubs, bars, gyms and specialized pole studios.[21][22] Pole studios (studios focused on teaching pole) have also sprung up in Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe. They offer classes with erotic components and classes focused on fitness and athletics;[21][4] for instance, Power Pole Sports offers training in competitive pole sports and judging.[23]

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).[9] In addition to strength and flexibility, pole sports can be painful.[21] Researchers have begun to study the physiological effects of poling and potential risks for injury.[3]

Poling has not developed into a fitness activity and sport without tension.[24] Some feminists say that poling is part of the larger sexualization of culture and is objectifying.[25] Pole classes have provided opportunities for students to bond with and support each other, however, and encourages athleticism.[21][17][26] Poling has sex-positive aspects, may challenge gender and sexual stereotypes, and studies have indicated that polers can feel empowered.[21][10][27][28][29]

Disagreements have existed between exotic dancers and fitness-sport polers, who are trying to demonstrate that a pole can be more than erotic and belongs in other settings than strip clubs.[17][10][30] Terminology can be controversial, and those trying to distance pole dancing from its erotic connotations refer to "pole fitness".[21][10][31] Dancers have argued that distancing can be divisive, be stigmatizing, serve as a source of cultural appropriation, and ignore contributions made by erotic dancers to poling. A Twitter debate occurred, with polers using the hashtag #notastripper to distance poling from exotic dance; erotic dancers and supporters used the hashtags #yesastripper and #eroticnotexotic.[32][33] AM Davies created "Yes, A Stripper" podcast.[34] According to some polers, the pole community needs to come together and support all forms of poling.[35]

Poling is practiced in classes, in professional and international competitions, strip clubs, and onstage in non-strip clubs;[10] Felix Cane and others have performed in Cirque du Soleil.[36] The IPSF hosts world competitions in pole sports and ultra, artistic and para pole.[9]

Scholars of sport and leisure note a process in which physical activities develop into sports.[37] According to Allen Guttman, modern sports are characterized by secularism, equality of opportunity, specialization of roles, rationalization, bureaucratic organization, quantification and the quest for records.[37]

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. "Pole sports: This flagship discipline includes artistic elements but is based more heavily on athleticism and technical merit, and judged by an original Code of Points in line with other Olympic standard sports such as diving, ice skating and gymnastics."[9]