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About to start teaching, I have some ?’s
What moves do you start teaching your new students first?
How long do you spend on warm-up with students who have no pole experience?
Do you recommend creating a routine to teach in the first lesson? if yes, would you be so kind as to give me an example of a routine you might use.
How can you tell when the student's body has been pushed far enough. I know motivating them past what they think they're capable of is beneficial but how far is too far? I dont want to hurt anyone!
I have KT Coates certification along with her handbook so im not completely clueless, more so just seeking input from others to have more confidence in my plan when I get into my first lesson.
Thanks!!!
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7 Replies
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Everyone is so different – what style of pole are you teaching? Dance? Dance with heels? More fitness based? how long are the classes? Are they drop in or a series?
I spend anywhere from 10 minutes to a half hour warming people up – it depends on the warm up I'm doing since I have a floor and pole warm up so it's not like anyone is getting board.
I always start teaching transitions first then decide as a group if they are ready to pick their feet up off the ground and that decision is based on a lot of things including how coordinated everyone is.
Start with a good, solid warm up, some transitions and floor work – make sure they are comfortable with those things because if they have a hard time with coordination they can get injured on harder moves.
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Also check with the studio your teaching at. They may have a idea in place on how they would like you to teach classes. I know when I was going to Xpose we had a warm up and then we would learn a routine and if there was new stuff being taught we would spend more time on those things. Then the last 5min was routine time and cool down.
Im a HUGE postive reenforcer! I try to encourage people to push themseleves or just let go if they are scared. I will always be the first person to cheer for you when you get a new move.
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I been teaching for a year and half and I use more of a fitness based classes, I do my warm up for about 10 minutes and then cool down for 5 …. there is so much adivce one thing please be careful hor you correct someone because if you don't do it with tact and encourgment they might not come back. I see a lot of teachers mean the right thing but say it the wrong way. Also I try to be friendly with people because most of the time people re scared coming into classes like this so I try to provide them with warmth and welcomeness. Also find out from the other instuctors how they do things and maybe sit in on some of there classes. Also the break down of a move is very important. I wish you luck
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We do a little routine for students who are brand new to pole. It's very simple, mostly transitional moves. Ex: half-pirouette, hip circles or body waves, sexy squat, hooking a leg on the pole, different ways to move around the pole, step-around, and maybe a fireman spin. The spin can be tricky because I'll have some ladies who are already strong enough to do a spin correctly and some that do not have enough upper body strength. For them I have the option of a standing fireman spin in which they use straighter legs and stand up almost immediately.
My goal is always to make sure my students are safe and having fun, therefore having alternative options is a must. I may have students who are on the more advanced side of the "beginner" curriculum and students who are just starting out in the same class together, as we have drop-in style classes. Having easier or more difficult versions of the moves I teach is important so that everyone is technically working on the same concept, therefore creating a sense of togetherness and pole comradery, but also being appropriately challenged according to their individual ability.
With regards to knowing your students' limitations… I pay close attention to the strength level of each of my students. Pole moves are set up in categories in my mind, each category with a difficulty trajectory. Take thigh grip moves for example. If the pole sit is solid, then on to variations on pole sit. When all of the variations are solid then on to two-handed plank. When that is solid, the one-handed plank. Then leg variations in a plank. And so on and so forth. With these trajectories in mind I am able to keep things safe yet challenging and fun.
Obviously you also want to be aware of any body language signs that mean they've had enough or are experiencing muscle fatigue, and be sensitive to that. I often ask my students how they feel. I can't pretend to be a mind-reader. I do my best, but often it's best to ask. I had a student once who's cheeks flushed really easily. At first it looked like she might've over-exerted herself. Instead of assuming, I asked her how she was feeling. She said, great! And proceeded to inform me that her cheeks get red frequently and I needn't be concerned. Another example is a student who seemed possibly disoriented. She didn't say a word to me about it but I decided to ask her how she felt. She admitted to feeling a bit dizzy, so I asked her to have some water and rest for a few minutes (as opposed to trying to "keep up" with the class).
Pole really is so individualized. It's difficult to answer the question "how far is too far?" because it will be different for each student. My advice is to observe closely, keep open communication, and stay on the cautious side if you are unsure.
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Wow everyones got some great advice here! 🙂
I've been teaching almost 4 years, and had to start completly from scratch and reinvent my syllabus a few times until it is where is now. So I comletly understand where you are comming from!The first thing I do in class is a good warm up (especially with these cold northern winter days comming!), which is kinda a combination of fitness, dance and pilates. In the warm up I have them do a few strenghthening exercises right from the get go like an ab circuit and a few push ups that progress to more as they advance.
Second, I spend some time teaching them to walk around the pole and across the floor. From there I do a progressive transition series which is really 4 transition steps around the pole that end up turning into the framework for half spins, and then spins. If the students are catching on well, I have them end with a Firemand or Flirty Fireman if they breeze through all the steps.
Then I teach them a short routine. My routines usually are more dance inspired then anything seeing as I danced for so long 🙂 I have them do it on both sides, then do a 5-10 min cool down stretch. Sometimes if theres time I'll do a quick demo of some more intermediate/advance moves and combos (sometimes students beg for it!) because they are curious as to what they are capeable of doing.
My only other advice would be to smile, be encouraging (sometimes I over do this and get too excited lol), and always be open to questions and comments.
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When I started 18 months ago I went to a couple of different studios in the first three months…. the one thing that really stands out in my mind is that doing a very easy, simple routine, in the very first lesson, really showed me how much fun it could be and how the basic moves we'd learnt (walk, hold a pretty pose, half turns, etc) could be put together to look sexy. So obviously by week two I had forgotten EVERYTHING but seeing it in action, and doing it myself, really motivated me to come back. So I would definitely recommend a basic routine just to get the new students enthusiastic right from the start! Whereas I've been to new studios since, where they don't teach any routines until much later, and spoken to the new students and alot have confessed they feel lost and like it's all pointless at the start.
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My pole instructor drills us on the warm up from day 1, but she is VERY motivational aswel as hardcore, I love this beefy warm up as it really gets me pumped for pole. It includes, squats, core work, push ups, pull ups on the pole. Now I do this warm up at home every time I pole, even when I’m knackered because I know it gets me really good and warm. She taught us well. We now use weights in the warm up too.
We also started with a routine from day go (4 weeks routine, 1 week just tricks) I like this because it gives your lessons a purpose. If you aren’t feeling good about a move you can practice the routine instead.
We don’t do ‘sexy’ style it’s more dance. I prefer that, ESP when I started as I felt like a prat doing even the body rolls..now the class and instructor are familiar we can ask for different styles.
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