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Certification is Important
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Here is a list of PFA approved certification programs. PFA has been striving to standardize the pole industry in many many ways. They are who worked with MaryEllyn to set up the first comprehensive pole insurance for both studios and instructors.
http://www.polefitnessassociation.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=75&Itemid=90
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a fitness certification is fine, but personally this whole "certification program" doen't matter to me
didnt knew about felix got a certification, i knew she created her own certification program tho.
but most of the pole stars don t
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I have been taught by non-certified people that are all about proper form and safety, but its because they put it in the fore front. So far I haven't had any injuries. Which is great, but they also don't overlly push us if we are scared to do it. It is important to have certification because peole are more trusting and frankly I would like to have one if I was teaching, but there are plenty of non-certified instructors that do it right.
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I believe Alethea Austin is certified too. She does the Xpert Xpole Certification Course. As for Jenyne she has an instructor's certification, but she does so many other things, that I'm not sure which certifications she has.
you can look at certification in two ways an extra piece of paper so you can charge more, or Someone who paid their own money to learn how to do things the right way and will hopefully teach it the right way. Now there are Doctor's all over the world with certification that have been sued for mal-practice, it happens, but if something should happen to you (God Forbid) while you are learning its easier to hold a certified person responsible legally then a non-certified person because (I'm coming from a legal point of view) Someone is going to wonder why would you do that knowing that that person was not certified rather than , That person is certified and new that you can't do this that or the other. Does that make since. Really its a roll of a dice either way, but I know I want to be certified if I'm teaching someone and if you get the right certification then it can prove how "GOOD" you really are, not just a cracker jack certificate, I mean a CERTIFICATE.
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Experience and certifications are great and all, but recently I went to a studio that had both, and it was the worst studio I ever visited. A lack of understanding human beings is what gets me—if someone is not ready for a move, don't push them. If your intermediate class states, "we WILL be learning how to do _____" Don't come into the middle of the class expecting everyone to do ________. The studio I went to was absolutely shitty in this respect. The owner taught the class and asked someone who had never done shouldermounts from anything but the floor to do them standing up. Then the owner did not spot that student. Guess what happened to that student? She fell and nearly broke her ass. You can have a certificate and be a "pro" (the owner has had world wide competition first places under her belt) and still 100% suck at teaching AND saftey. I would much rather have someone uncertified tell me not to do X and why then have some "professional" expect me to kick out moves that they've never even taught me.
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CapFeb,
That is Sucky! I'm so lucky that I have never had that experience. My instructors always teach from the ground and if your too scared they tell you DON'T DO IT! When you feel you are they will spot you.
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When Felix and Alethea and Karol and (you name it) first got on the scene none of them had certifications. They do now but not when they first started going out teaching. I had this conversation; 5 years ago when pole started taking off there were no certifications. Most of the knowledge of moves came out of clubs or circus. It was not a matter of if the move was safe or not, it was a matter of it looking cool. Look at how many people have busted their shouulders doing twisted grips, which did not exist before Sarah Cretul. Look how many people have busted ribs because of the Allegra. Hell, even Felix is currently out of commission due to a shoulder injury that she needs surgery on.
The most any of us can do is just research, research, research. Thankfully Veena is still a very active site; many of the others have died.
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To paraphrase/quote aerial dancer Rebekah Leach: certifications are meant to show that you have obtained a particular knowledge and document from a 3rd party source that you've put in time & effort to be good at what you do. HOWEVER, technically speaking there is no such thing as certification in aerial dance of any sort!
What is valued in the industry is EXPERIENCE. What makes a qualified, well-trained instructor is much more than waht can be learned in 2 days or 2 weeks. It is just not possible to get everything you need in that time.
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I think this is similar to other industries as well. I ran into this problem when planning my wedding. It used to be, if you hired a photographer or a DJ, you got someone who did it as their only job. They went to school for it, might even have a degree in it, had state of the art equipment, belonged to professional organizations, and generally came with references. There also weren't that many choices, unless you lived in a big city.
These days, anyone can buy an inexpensive DSLR or basic DJ equipment and speakers. Then he/she can call themselves a photographer/DJ, put an ad on Craigslist, and start getting bookings. To the average consumer, it's hard to tell the difference between someone who is skilled and qualified, and someone who is just out to make a buck. Many times, you get what you pay for. But not always. The consumer has to be vigilant about who they interview and hire.
There are plenty of amazing instructors out there who have never gotten certified in anything. There are other people who are lifelong fitness professionals who maintain their certifications and take book learning very seriously.There are also people who bought a pole, watched a few videos on Youtube or took some beginner classes, and decided they were ready to teach. Some of them may have gotten "certifications" that are meaningless. The certifications are not absolutely necessary to qualify someone to teach pole, but they can help a consumer make sense of who is or isn't a qualified teacher.
For what it's worth, I would like to hear that an instructor has some type of background in fitness, but it doesn't have to be pole specific. I have taken classes with pole teachers who are also:
Certified personal trainers
Gymnasts
BFAs in dance
Yoga teachersAll of them brought interesting ideas to the table. A lack of a pole diploma hanging on the wall was not a big deal to me.
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Oh yeah when things like this first get going no body has certifications its when it gets to a popular point that all of a sudden people say, "You know maybe we should get some". I once saw a picture of Felix in Vertical Magazine where she fell right off the pole and did some major damage to her self, so yeah accidents will happen there is no denying that I just think that the discussion is on whether or not certification is important to you or not. If not then cool go about your business, if so then same thing. Sometimes for me it depens on what it is. Like I have said before not all of my instructors are certified, but they are extra careful and do not push(nor will I be pushed), so its not a big ordeal, but if I'm going to surgery or need a lawyer, best believe I want certifications. Its all of our personal choices. Hell I have a cousin that shot himself in the foot with his own gun, but he is certified (BIG TIME CERTIFIED). Accidents happens.
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So why do you think Felix and the pro’s now have certs when they didn’t before? Maybe to make our sport legitimate, an hold some standards, and show that yes experience and training mean you have skill in pole, safety, the body, etc. if they didn’t feel nesseccary, then why bother???
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I don't think they had them before because there weren't any certs out there. I think certs are awesome, I have one myself, but I also wouldn't use them as the final benchmark in whether a teacher is 'qualified' or not.
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For the same reason they carry insurance when they did not before. Many carry them because they are sponsors/spokesmodels of the products (FlyGym, XPole, etc).
This went from asking about would you take a class from someone who does not have a cert to getting upset at those that do not share your point of view.
Sparrow has been in this game quite a long time, too. I think some of us that have been around prior to these certifications even existing don't pay too much attention to them. I mean, who certified Fawnia before she made up her program? Who certified KT Coates? Who certified Sheila Kelley? We are putting importance on a certification that was created out of thin air based on EXPERIENCE.
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Good Point, but the question is, How important is it to you? If you are a trail blazer and paid your dues when there was no such thing,or if you are at an amazing studio that doesn't have it then it doesn't. For people like my mother that is all about certificates (Ballet Dancer), it does. I just hope that they at least have First Aid and CPR at least.
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We are a young industry and there are a TREMENDOUS number of certs out there right now. These certs all share one commonality, PROFIT. People pay the certifier for their stamp of approval. Generally people take that certification and use it to make money since they are now CERTIFIED and therefore appear to have some level of expertise. There are even studios who guarantee you a job if you take their very expensive certification course. Profit is why everyone has one or offers one.
This, of course, doesn't make certifications bad. Certifications can be a very effective way to initially measure an instructor. If they come from a certification agent that you trust. We have some very good certifications in our industry and we have some very, very bad ones too.
Because our industry is young, and everyone is still trying to find their place in it, there is far more value in researching the instructor or studio you are planning on using than any sticker on the door can ever tell you.
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