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Beginner/intermediate? Progression?
Hi guys! I'm new here, in fact this is my very first post 🙂
After attending classes for many months and being absolutely awful and thinking of giving up, I've (finally!) made progress. I've managed to get quite a few spins looking nice, as well as a few combos, one-handed spins, climbs (can now reach the top of the pole, despite starting out barely even able to get off the ground!) and a couple of holds (horizontal, scissors, a couple of varied pole sits and the one in my profile picture – our teacher calls it a Peter Pan).
Despite the fact that I've been to a lot of lessons, I would definitely still call myself a beginner. I have never done an invert or anything like that – I am a bit clumsy, especially when it comes to being upside down, so I am still yet to do a headstand 😛 I am also VERY inflexible, and my strength is not great, just better than when I started – I still can't manage a split grip. But I just had a look at some of the lessons, and I can do pretty much everything in beginner, and a lot of the spins in the intermediate section! I'm just interested to know, where would you guys say the line between beginner and intermediate level is? I'm also interested to know if there is anyone else at the same level as me (got a good few spins down but not doing inverts yet) as it would be good to have a chat 🙂 thanks everyone!
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11 Replies
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Your question is a really good one and there is no definitive answer. I have been to studios that required you to be able to climb to get to the next level, I have been to studios that require an invert to be considered the next level. There is no defined marker. This also depends on if the studio is a "trick" studio or a "dance" studio.
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Oh, and WELCOME!!!!
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Im still fairly new to pole too, I started around October and have only recently got my invert, and I know myself its more to do with the kick than fully having the strength to get up there myself! Although I am working on it! While I still feel very beginner especially looking at aaaalll the stuff still to learn, at the same time I remember watching the girls doing the moves we are doing at the start, and thinking they were a very good intermediate! So who really knows for sure 🙂
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Thanks for your responses! Glad it's not just me who is a little confused about the divide between the two levels. I guess I'll just keep attending classes and try to push myself and who knows, maybe one day I'll get the elusive invert! Which will quite frankly be a miracle, as I didn't even have the strength to do the monkey bars as a child 😛
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Welcome! I am also sort of in your boat. I poled at a studio for about a year and thought I was pretty good. Then I moved and stopped going to classes. I got a home pole a few months later and started using the lessons here. I can do a lot of static spins, some intermediate tricks and even an advanced one (superman) so I thought I was "intermediate". But over time I realized that my moves needed a lot of tuning up. I couldn't do them nearly as cleanly or consistently as many members of this site, and I also wasn't using proper body mechanics. So now I call myself a beginner again, even though I can do a superman on a good day.
The terms beginner – intermediate – expert are so relative, especially in pole where there are no official standards. I've taken some "intermediate" level workshops where I was embarrassed to be there, and also some where I was far from the most novice dancer. What matters is what you can do, what you want to do, and how you plan to get there. If there's a trick that terrifies you, and you never want to learn it, that's ok too.
Also, if someone in your class has previous experience in yoga, gymnastics, dance, etc. they may be able to do some things more easily. Even if they haven't used those muscles in a long time, the memory is still there. I poled with a couple of former gymnasts and dancers and it was hard not to feel discouraged around them. But it's not fair to compare. You seem focused on what you have achieved for yourself, and you should be proud! 🙂
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Oh my goodness, looking at your photo I would not say we are in the same boat!! Haha, Very impressive 🙂
I agree with your point about yoga/dance/gymnastics etc, the difference is really clear in my class between people who have a dance/gym background and those who don't. I've heard pilates is very good for flexibility and core so I might look into taking that up if I can find a class.
And thanks! I am crap compared to some others in my class, but I am proud of how far I've come, when I think about what I can do now compared to my first awful lesson 😛
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Hey hunny and welcome. I rember being this excited at pole hehe when I first started. I flew through what should of bin the 6 weeks begginers course in two lessons in July when I started n moved to intermediates but never moved up to advanced but I dnt class my self in any catagre no more. I found I have bits from all groups I’m good at n bits I’m not. I could invert before I got my brackit grip and do flatline scorpio to superman before I got crossknee. I like the class I’m in and dnt want to move up a class n not be with my new pole friends. One thing I will say is just enjoy it n go slow. I jumped through the small steps to get to what I thought was the cool tricks I had no intrest in spins I just wanted to learn tricks get upside down . Well I then lernt with out the smaller things I had nuthing to fill inbetween the tricks. So one day in class I joined begginers again to fill in the gaps. So just think if you ever see ne one fly through the begginers n u feel left behind at least when u do get to a invert stage u got all the spins n pretty detaile to make up a good routine unlike the people who flew through to get to the tricks like I did.:)) xxx
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Thank you Zoey, that's really helpful 🙂 it's interesting to hear from someone who has done it opposite to me – gone fast and got to inverts, so technically in the intermediate section, but then hasn't done a lot of beginner stuff.
I agree with your point about having pretty delicate beginner moves to link the tricks. I have seen a lot of routines on YouTube where people don't fit it to the music, and just do one aerial trick after another. Beacuse I've taken my time on spins etc, I feel like I could put together a fairly decent basic spinning routine if I wanted to, even though I can't do inverts yet.
This is a great routine, and a lot of what I love about it is that although there are some inverts, it doesn't just rely on fancy tricks – so much of what makes it good is the delicate pretty spins and dancey moves, not all of which are advanced. I can do everything that she does in the first 40 seconds or so and I'm still just a beginner really 🙂 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dSLqBqIRXg
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I still now struggle on rotine building. I rember cuming across a video of loads of tricks before I started n thought wow. It wasnt till I acturly joined here n sum one said to me no point having loads of tricks if you cnt link it and build a routine. So that’s why I went bk to begginers and tried floor work. I still suck bad at floor work I hate it coz I cnt look graceful or pretty doing it I look more like sum one drunk rolling round the floor . I lernt its not the tricks that make a good dancer. Its being flexible sexy confident good linking, floor work lots of things togather but most important your passion. You should you tube miss pole dance uk amature. They arnt alowed to invert in there routine. So sum great insperation on there :). Xxx
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Haha, the only floor work I've tried is where you kind of snake your body down, unhook your leg from the pole, and then snake back up, bum first – I can't do it, I can't get my arse to lift up before my head does haha! I'm good at pirouettes and stuff like that, just not floor-based dancing. And thanks, that's great! I'll have a look 🙂
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You will have to upload a video. I’m working on my cat crawl ( looks a little like I’m in pain or somethink haha) my bk roll I always end up rolling to far away and have to do a very ugly crawl bk towards the pole. I have problems moving slowly everything is very fast with me. Xxx
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