October 13, 2026

One move, three names: why pole terminology does not agree

Pole move names do not agree because nobody ever set one list that everyone uses. Studios, teachers, online move dictionaries and the competition federations each name moves their own way, so a single shape can carry three names, and a single name can point at two different shapes. Holly Munson, a pole instructor and the founder of PoleFreaks, puts it plainly: "We all have different names for pole dancing moves depending on where we learn and who teaches us." For a beginner, the fix is simple: learn the shape, and treat the name as your studio's label for it.

Here is what that looks like in practice, with every pairing taken from a page we read.

Can one move really have three names?

Yes, and the clearest case is a leg hang held flat, parallel to the floor.

Munson wrote in 2013 that she had always called this move the "Gemini Plank", but kept running into the name "Flatlined Scorpio". After comparing sources she concluded it was the same move: "Therefore same move, different name." The International Pole Sports Federation (IPSF), in its online code catalogue, lists a strength element called "Inside leg hang flatline". That is three names, from three corners of the pole world, for one held shape.

The names underneath it are just as unsettled. Munson found that "nobody seems to agree on which is which" when it comes to Gemini and Scorpio: one site called the Gemini an inside leg hang, while a popular YouTube teacher called it an outside leg hang. The school she first trained at used a third name, "Angel", for the outside leg hang, and she later decided that "it is only the pole school that I attended that called this move an Angel". She also reports that the Pole Dance Dictionary listed a Gemini as "also known as a Closed Scorpio, Hands Free Gemini, Closed Inside Leg Hand and Seahorse just to name a few."

The federations sidestep the argument by describing the position. The Pole Sports & Arts World Federation (POSA), in its Code of Points 2025, lists an "Inside Leg Hang" strength element with the requirement "Body and leg parallel to the floor". Our glossary entry for the leg hang also describes the hook rather than leaning on a name: one leg hooks the pole at the knee and holds the body.

Can one name mean two different moves?

Yes, and that is the more confusing direction, because you think you understood.

PolePedia, a free online move dictionary, lists alternate names on each move page. Read across its pages and some names turn up twice:

"Showgirl Spin" is listed as another name for both its Attitude Spin and its Front Hook Spin.
"Front Spin" is listed for both the Front Hook Spin and the Steparound Spin.
"Sit Spin" and "Seated Spin" are listed for both the Chair Spin and the Dip Spin.
"Around the World" is listed for both the Dip Spin and the Steparound Spin.

None of this is a mistake on PolePedia's part. It is a dictionary recording what people actually say, and people say the same words for different things. If an instructor at a new studio calls for a "front spin", the shape could be either one.

How different are studio names?

Different enough that a basic move can carry several. PolePedia's page for the Hello Boys lists "Hello Sailor" and "Wrist Seat" as other names.

Studios also coin house names. Elite Pole and Fitness in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, in a syllabus it published for January 2020, tells Level 1 students they will be "getting comfortable in our basic inversion (aka Bat)". PolePedia's Basic Invert page lists "Tuck Invert" as its other name. If you move from a studio that says "bat" to one that says "tuck invert", you may already know the move. (When you are ready for one is a separate question, covered in when can you invert on pole.)

Some moves pile up names. PolePedia's Jasmine page lists "Apprentice", "Outside Knee Hook" and "Chest Man", plus two advanced versions, and it is the only page we read that says where a name came from: "The alternate name for this move, the Chest Man, was created because of how much emphasis is put on pushing the chest out during this move."

Even the most basic moves have several names. PolePedia gives the fireman spin as "Fireman’s Spin" or "Ankle Spin", the pole sit as "Basic Sit" or "Ladysit", and its basic climb as "X-Climb", "Pole Climb", "Crucifix Climb" or "Front Climb".

Why do the competition codes use such long names?

Because they name by technique. The IPSF's code catalogue lists spins such as "Fireman Spin Crossed Ankle" and "Attitude Spin Outside Heel on Pole": the familiar studio name, then the detail a judge needs.

The IPSF explains its approach on its new move submission page. An athlete who invents a move submits it with a name, but if that name does not fit the IPSF coding, its Technical Committee decides on one that does. "Your chosen name will become the AKA" after the coded name, and "Moves already in the code can not be renamed or claimed."

POSA's code shows the same layering. Its Code of Points 2025 says that for a newly submitted element, the head judge sends the federation "A technical description of the element(s) and the name(s) of the athlete(s) who submitted it." Its element list then carries entries such as "Spider (AKA Frog)" and "Hoodornament (Angel)". That "Angel" is not the outside leg hang Munson's school taught under the same name; POSA's version is an armpit hold. Same word, different move, again.

The two federations also do not share a list. Both use the terms "inside leg hang" and "brass monkey", for example, but each has its own codes and wording. If you are thinking about competing, our guide to a first pole competition covers what to read first.

Why did it end up like this?

The source that addresses it points to who does the teaching. Munson's explanation is that names depend on "where we learn and who teaches us." For how pole grew up without a single governing list, see where pole dancing comes from.

Beyond that, we have not found a source that explains why any particular name won in any particular place, so we will not guess.

How should a beginner handle it?

Three habits make the name problem mostly go away.

Learn the shape, then the name. Which leg is hooked, where your hands are, what touches the pole. Munson's commenter Cindy, under the 2013 article, solved the Gemini and Scorpio problem by "calling the moves literally", inside or outside leg hang by which leg was hooked. The federation codes do the same thing.
Use your studio's words in your studio. Your instructor's syllabus is the list that matters for your classes and for moving up a level; pole class levels explained covers how those levels work.
Ask when a name does not match. If a video, a drop-in teacher or a friend from another studio uses a name you do not know, ask them to show the shape, or describe it back to them. Assume it might be a move you already know.

Quick answers

Why do pole moves have different names? There was no central list. Studios, teachers and dictionaries named moves independently, and as one instructor puts it, names depend on where you learn and who teaches you.

Is a Gemini an inside or outside leg hang? It depends who you ask. One instructor found sources that disagreed, and settled on Gemini for inside and Scorpio for outside for herself. The federation codes we read avoid both names and say "inside leg hang".

Can two moves share one name? Yes. PolePedia lists "Showgirl Spin" as another name for both its Attitude Spin and its Front Hook Spin, and "Front Spin" for both the Front Hook Spin and the Steparound Spin.

What names do pole competitions use? Descriptive, technical ones. The IPSF says it may rename a submitted move to fit its coding and keep the athlete's chosen name as the AKA.

What should I do if my new studio uses different names? Look at the shape, not the name, and ask the instructor. You may already know the move under another label.