Let's talk knee pads. Floor work has a major role to play in pole dancing and there's a lot of knee action involved with this. We slide on them, pivot on them and drop on to them again and again and again. Thus making the humble knee pad an essential tool for all pole dancers if you want to avoid some serious pain and bruising during classes, training and pole competitions. Not all knee pads suit all purposes when it comes to pole, so let's take a close up look and make sure you're getting the right knee pads for the job at hand.

Poledancerka Knee Pads

They’re pretty, they’re delicate, they’re VEGAN and they’ve graced the knees of some of the best pole dancers in the world. But are they the right knee pad for you?

The answer is yes! I think these have a place in all polers lives.

I was a little dubious of these at first as I tend to bash my knees around pretty hard with my floor work and they just didn’t look like they had enough padding to really cushion the blow of knee caps meeting floorboards. But having used these for my last competition and for the preparation leading up to it, I’ve been converted.

The design is brilliant, the back of the knee is bare for maximum grip, there’s a sticky grip strip on the inside of the knees for extra pole stickiness, the front of the knee pad slides smoothly across the hardwood surfaces so you can pivot and slink your way around the floor, and they look really nice. Previous to these knee pads I’d been rocking the hardy but not so aesthetically pleasing volleyball kneepad.

Great for:

• Competing in, they’re the best looking knee pad on the market right now and there’s not much you can’t do in them in terms of pole dancing tricks
• Pole dance classes such as poleography or exotic which incorporate floor work
• General pole dancing practice where you need some knee cushioning

Not so good for:

• Repeating the same floor moves again and again and again trying to perfect them, this calls for serious knee protection and while these provide some cushioning you’re still going to feel the pain
• More than 1 hour of pole dancing which includes a decent amount of floor work, again the constant contact of knee on floor will start to cause you pain

Creatures of XIX Velcro Knee Pads

They’re rough and tough, they’re built for purpose, not necessarily performance, and they have VELCRO. It’s revolutionary, a knee pad that you can whip on and off without fussing around with your heels or other attire. These babies are so easy to get on and off you won’t even have to think twice about it. And damn do they have some padding in them, I could kip and drop split all day in these babies without turning my knees all shades of blue and purple.

They’re not built for climbing or pole tricks, there’s no tack strip and not enough exposed skin on the back of the knee that I’d feel secure on the pole. These babies are purpose built for working the floor.

Great for:

• Working on kips, splits, drop splits, and all manner of floor play
• Pole classes where there’s a lot of floor work and no pole tricks
• Quickly slapping on to practice certain elements you’re not confident enough in yet to go knee pad free

No so good for:

• Performing, they’re not the prettiest knee pad out there
• Pole tricks, there’s no grip strips and not a lot of bare skin on the back of the knee

These are both great knee pads to have in your pole bag and will have you covered for whatever pole dancing adventures you wish to embark on. Happy poling xx