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Certification is Important
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Can u recommend any good certification websites? I would like to b certified but idk who is legit and who isn’t. I have found certs that cost $400 per phase with 4-6 phases!! That’s a lot of money!! Plus i am in sac and there doesn’t seem to b anything here. Thx webmaster 🙂
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Polewalker916 I'm sorry I can't make any recomendation but I bet if you started a new discussion post explaining your requirements you would get some great recomendations.
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Polewalker: look at my post a few above. It lists cert programs that are PFA approved.
As for profit, I have opposing views on this. ONe, I think some of the people have gotten into it for profitable reasons. But then I know there are others that have been sought after to "teach me what you know". These are people who have spent hundreds if not thousands on their own education. Are they not entitled to a fair value of their worth? Most of us would not bat at eye to pay $100+ for a 60 or 90 minute workshop but when it comes to someone spending hours and days with you, training you we freak over even $500.
If I could justify the cost I would take a few for my own education, because I do see that there is a whole aspect that is not and cannot be learned in a general class.
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I will add that I would not do it to prove that I am worthy of teaching. I would do it for the same reason I take classes at as many studios as I can…..I am a knowledge junkie. Heavens knows what I would do if I ever hit the lottery. To take classes without caring what grade you got!
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I am a knowledge junkie too! I love learning and HATE studying. For me, I will be taking a pole cert course because it counts as CEU's for the ACE GFI cert. That's my only real reason. I don't think certs are necesarry in individual things, necessarily. I taught bellydance without a cert! As long as you know proper form, proper teaching for different groups, how to adjust moves to make them easier or harder, etc, you should be capable enough to teach. You should also be taking classes from others, to expand your knowledge.
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Just putting in my 2 sense……..
I believe in the pole industry there is no such thing as a true certification course… actually except maybe 1.
Pole “certifications” are considered continueing education for other nationally recognized fitness associations. To be a nationally recognized fitness certification you have to pay 1000s of $ to a third party entity for grading and such…. you have to show proof of cpr/aed and first aid… and you have to completely continueing education every so many years
With that said…. I do believe that if you want to be the best instructor possible you should want to take a instructor course just as you would jump on the chance to take a workshop or private with a pro
And also just because someone is a pro and started pole dancing before the rest of us and are awesome dancers. Doesn’t actually mean they are a great instructors. As an example there are pros teaching ballistic stretching for flexibility training when the research shows that ballistic stretching is actually detrimental. This research has been out for 20+ years. the pro pioneers had to learn things by trial and error.. they hurt themselves figuring out what did and didn’t work……….. its the same idea when you don’t want your kids to make the same mistakes you did… this is why they are now taking pole courses and working to develop courses
And good legitimate “certifications” do not come out of thin air. There are developed over long periods of timeand lots of research and then submitted to agencies like ace and afaa who then study it to make sure it is teaching proper fitness procedures.
With all that said I do not believe certifications are a be all and end all. Experience is obviously important. Whether that’s years of pole dancing.. personal training.. or college degrees
I think it comes down to what’s been said… research!! Research your instructors and studios…………… however most people starting out do not know anything about pole let alone what makes a good or bad instructor and studio
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I honestly got my xpert certification just to be safe. I am self taught at home and never grew learning from another teacher. It was nice to see if I was doing things right while explaining. And spotting. I am not yet teaching and I prob will never own my own studio. I just will fill in for a friend at hers when she is not available since thats all i really want to do. I dont mind if i dont teach at all. I just like that I have some good tips. =) Plus it was really fun so lol.
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I developed a teacher training program called Discoveries Dance. It is a 16 hour training approved by ACE, AFAA, PFA & PDC. I wrote it on my summer break in 2010 and I have continually added to it and improved over time with the help of constant reseach and the review/input of three Physical Therapists, a chiropractor, an orthopedic surgeon, a PHd level forearm injury specialist and even Amber Richards who is pursuing her doctoral degree in Physical Therapy. I keep the cost of my training low, in fact I think it's the lowest available, since most pole teachers are young and just starting out and I think the information I provide will help drive the acceptance of pole dance as a safe, growing and popular form of physical exercise. The money I have made goes either back into my company or to charity (animal rescue, cancer, addictions treatment, etc). I have a full-time job in Education that pays my bills, so I do this on the side because I love pole and the pole community. I strongly feel a pole teacher needs to know anatomy, expecially of the rotator cuff and scapular stabilizer, in addition to the prime movers of the body and it is absolutely essential that she/he knows how to keep a student safe. I think they need to know exercise science, CPR, First Aid, management skills and of course teaching skills. I have never had anyone take my program and tell me that they already knew the information I provide. I am hoping that this knowledge spreads its way out into the community and we can all be better for it. I have worked with many teachers who are already teaching safe classes and I have worked with some who were doing some dangerous things. In order to take my training in the first place, people must have solid beginner and intermediate skills, a solid invert without kicking up, and some advanced moves. They can not in fact pass the post-training testing (which I estimate takes at least 8 hours) unless they can execute advanced movements. I also strongly feel that those who teach pole should have either a group fitness or personal training certification. These nationally accredited programs are the real deal and the knowledge they provide is invaluable. I am proud of my training and what it has to offer, but I expect that an interested student reseach all programs to see if what they want from a training matches what the certification provides.
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ANGEL!!!! So good to see you posting!
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Thx for posting that angel!! It looks to be very informative. I would want to do it just to learn all that stuff for myself. Thx again for the info!!
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Lots to chew over here.
There are a lot of the pros who are now certified and have been for year. I'm pretty certain even Jenyne took Fawnia's Pole Fitness cert when she taught at her studio.
"Certification" is a process by which someone is tested to assure that they meet certain standards which are acheived through training, practice and experience. It's a test of their level of expertise.
Some people believe that a third-party must approve a certification program in order for it to truly be a "certification". This is not true.
However, there are many things to consider when researching a certification program. The ETED program is approved by AFAA but I know that they do not have any pole experts, and neither does ACE, who go over the programs they approve. They are verifying that it meets certain criteria for CEUs ….not as an expertise in pole dance training.
Other organizations like the PFA and the PDC evaluate programs for their pole expertise and accuracy.
However, a certification program can be great without passing these standards. A teacher can be great without taking certification. Also some people can pass the certifications and go on to be irresponsible teachers…there is only so much the programs can guarantee once they walk out the door after they are finished.
Some certification programs however do not guarantee expertise – they are more "training" programs much like continuing education or just a way to further your knowledge as you would by taking any workshop.
There are many things to consider when looking for a good instructor….do they continue to educate themselves, learn and practice? have they taken ongoing courses? Do they have experience taking workshops regularly as well as even multiple certifications to further their own experience? Then, meet with them and get a feel for what they are like in the class room. A lot of people can pass a certification and still be a poor teacher. Not to mention you can't just take the "certification" listed after their name as proof of quality since some are really poor programs.
As for profit…I make a lot more teaching classes than I do on certifications. I put about 22 hours into each person I certify…that's around $50 an hour, not to mention continuing support after they are certified. Everything I do it for some profit as I'm not a philanthropist but I offer certification, like Angel does, because I care about the pole community and want to share with others so that we have good instructors out there!
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Mary Ellyn is spot on, on every observation she made.
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I think everyone has their valid points, however I do not believe that a certification makes someone a better teacher then someone uncertified. First off, who do you think creates all these certifications? Pole dancers with a lot of experience! And who certified them? No one, because they invented it. Unless of course they did personal training certs. While I've heard that many certifications have had wonderful impacts on pole professionals, which is great, I think nothing beats well rounded experience. And just because someone can hang a shingle and own a studio doesn't make them a great teacher either. Almost every studio I have worked at has taught students wrong technique like jumping into inverts (!!!!) which I've had to go back and correct. Some studios leave out crucial strength building moves and even choreography and dance moves, and just jump from trick to trick with no prepping for those more advance tricks. I taught at one studio that never taught students a basic crucifix, but went from invert, to CAR, to Superman….I was baffled on how this syllabus worked! I think nothing beats experience and someone who has been in the industry for a long time. I did competitive gymnastics and dance since I was 3, and took gymnastics spotting classes when i helped coach the younger girls. I was primarily self taught pole, but when I got my first teaching offer I spent months developing a syllabus that worked and made sense. I did research on every level I had access for (loooong before certs even existed). I took every workshop available, and still do when I can afford it. I've been poling for 8 years now, and teaching for 5. I've even compared my syllabus and methods right along side with some of the certification books, and am proud to see that I teach correctly! I did a LOT of research into it and came up with something great, and am very proud of it. I think it also helps when an instructor is passionate about what they do and it shows, I get so excited when a student succeeds! Safety first is something that should be looked at when looking at a potential instructor. Are students rushing into more advance moves too fast? Or are they taking the time to develop in to strong and confident dancers, and find their own style? If I could afford to take a certification course, I'm not saying that I wouldn't because we can always be learning and I love to learn the most I possible can. Also in the aerial industry, most coaches do not have certifications. My aerial coach is a comprehensive teacher and performer, and excellent at it. I'm in training with her to become an aerial teacher also. It takes time and experience, so if you are looking into those area's for a qualified instructor, here is a great article: http://www.laurawitwer.com/2011/08/04/choose-an-awesome-aerial-coach-instead-of-a-sucky-one/
Just my 2 cents, not saying everyone has to agree
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Incidentally…I was certified before I developed a certification.
Certification is not the be all and end all. It doesn't guarantee a good or a bad instructor. Neither does a ton of experience nor personal trainer/group fitness certification. Even a strong dance back ground doesn't guarantee you'd be a good pole dancer or pole dance instructor.
A good pole dance instructor is a huge variety of things that come together in a person the right way…everything aligns correctly to make a good instructor.
The link Alicia posted is very interesting though I strongly disagree with the first statement which makes no sense. You don't have to be able to perform to know how to teach well.:
"If no one is willing to pay your instructor to perform (sorry, gotta be candid here), chances are they’re not that good. Your instructor should have “been around the block” in the biz, and have several years of paid professional work under their belt."
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Yea Mary Ellen I agree with that too, I’ve taken workshops from great performers that weren’t as good at teaching and left me dissapointed. I guess what we can learn is that there no specific pinpointed list of things that can guarantee that someone is a great instructor, except to do your own research and come to your own conclusion.
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