Yeah, I also was told to just lock out my bottom arm and the pole will bend. Unfortunately, that killed my form for the longest time and it was for months that i was able to correct it.
It sounds like a lot of people (including myself) wanted to bend the pole so badly that we developed poor habits. It took me months to switch from a locked arm to the slightly bent one that allowed me to swing.
Anybody know someone who bent the pole on their first try? I can name one...