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Does this sound right to you?
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Well, it sounds like this teacher was limited in her own knowledge of the building blocks for each move. Never ceases to amaze me the people that would agree a gymnast should learn to do a forward roll on the ground before doing a somersault in the air, but pole dancers, hey, sure let 'em go straight to a twisted grip lift their first week.
Go with your gut, Anonny. You obviously weren't comfortable there…maybe they have another student or two who might want to take a road trip with you or practice the Veena lessons together.
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Part of the fun of poling is the little routines. I have to say routines help you fine tune ALL of your pole moves, not just the tricks. If girls want to just learn tricks, then they can take a pole tricks class. Pole dance/fitness should keep you moving to get some cardio action going. I know girls who can do so many spins, but can't do a body wave or floor work as well.
I say work on Veena's lessons, and make your own routines (and post them.)
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Thanks girls 🙂 I totally agree! I can’t not do any floor work well and would love to improve.
I do have Veenas lessons. I have been on this site for awhile I just (unfortunately) felt the need to male an anonymous profile to make this post. It’s a really crap situation and I don’t want to have someone say “hey! I know that girl” and go tell the teacher!!!
Rest assured I have posted a number of vids already onto this site and a heap of progress photos AND I have an awesome network of friends on here!
Thanks for all the advice, links etc. You have just helped me to know what’s been happening is NOT right.
Hugs to all 🙂 -
I am a gymnastics teacher and I agree with all that has been said about teaching here. Each person is different and they will progress at their own pace. A good teacher in any sport will be able to assess the skill level of their students and privide them with the building blocks to reach the next goal. I have classes where skill level will vary quite a bit from kid to kid. I have found that starting at the basics with all of them works well, but only if you challenge the more advanced. For instance, the bridge- those who can do a sturdy, strong bridge work on kicking over. Those that can kick over work on adding the back bend and then putting the two together to make the back walkover. I never start my students off with the back walkover! As with pole; i don’t expect someone to teach me an iron X if i cant do a cartwheel mount. You need to learn the basics, build the muscles, and train the correct body position before moving onto advanced moves. The fact that the teach gossips in class is just un-professional. Pole classes are expensive and you should feel satisfied with them. Don’t feel bad for taking your money elsewhere if they can’t provide the service you paid them for.
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i think its also important to read a company's mission statement and who their target audience is. some studios are into pole dance more vs. pole tricks and vica versa. so it seems you need to find a studio that suits what you are looking for. but ladies who go to studios go for socialization, support, music, goot teaching, and atmosphere. some people also commit to exercise better when they are in a group setting. but if you are not going for those reasons then online lessons might be the way to go.
i can definitely see why teachers go slow..like the old saying goes "slow and steady wins the race". i know quite a few people who have ongoing injuries from learning things too fast. BUT there are ways to challenge your more advanced students in classes.
this is one of the downsides to mixed level classes. it truly is hard to please everyone. when you have people in a class brand new to the pole and then someone else who wants to learn to do an extended butterfly…we are talking a vast difference in skill level. one of the reasons why i love levels b/c then you dont have to worry about that as much b/c everyone is at similiar levels. maybe you need to keep an eye out for advanced workshops in your area.
i cant speak for other teacher who knows less…but i know i have teachers who only teach levels 1-3 and they rock! their passion is with beginner students and they just dont have the desire to learn or teach iron x's. i also have teachers who teach more of the higher levels b/c that is where their passion is. and i have personally been to workshops with top competitors who can do all of these things and their classes were not good at all. (no structure, no variety in music,no modifications, not personable..etc…). i think there is a big misconception in the pole world that you have to be able to do every trick in the book to be a teacher and that is not true. there is so much more to teaching than being able to do all the "hard" tricks.
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Anngiern –
Your commment makes me feel better about my situation. I have been poling for YEARS! In my classes, most of what we did were spins and strength moves. My teacher didn't even know about the harder tricks since that was not covered in her pole certification training. Being trained by her, i am now really good at spins, but aweful at tricks, but I feel confident in my spin skills to pass the knowledge on. I'm glad to hear there are more teachers out there who are only teaching the lower levels. I thought that might be a major flaw for me. I have to stop second guessing myself. I did the same thing before starting my bellydance classes and my classes turned out really well.
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sensualscimitar
cool 🙂 i am glad my comment helped you. again i think it goes back to that particular business target audience and who they market to. i have ladies who just take sensual dance classes and have no interest in pole and vica versa. my target market is the everyday woman with little or no dance background. they are looking for a fun class that gives them a good workout but also is challenging at the same time. most people dont want to be USPDF competitors. they want to have fun and maybe show something to their significant other 😉 that is who we market to.
but there are studios who do market to the people who want to take their pole skills to a very advanced level (like be spun in l.a.) or some studios are all about the empowerment (like s factor). students just have to find what works for their goals.
but as a teacher i think its very important for you to teach what you are passionate about (good job fit). it is never a bad thing to keep learning additional tricks/ harder tricks b/c it increases your skill set. but if you heart is not in it your clients will pick up on that. but also dont be afraid to try 🙂 it could be a technique thing and with the right teacher you might be totally capable of doing those tricks.
in the end there is an art to teaching beginner students as well an art to teaching advanced students.
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OMG.. I am so glad I read this post today..Anngiern your comment has help me to with my confidence level as well. I have been presented with an opportunity to teach pole here in my city that doesnt have a pole studio and was weary too because I classify myself as beginner/intermediate but cant do many big tricks…and I too want my target audience to be everyday women looking to jazz up there workouts with a little fun and sexiness
But I didnt think I had enough skills to teach others…. "i think there is a big misconception in the pole world that you have to be able to do every trick in the book to be a teacher and that is not true. there is so much more to teaching than being able to do all the "hard" tricks" th this "
This quote really brought it home for me
Sensualscimitar
we are our biggest obstacle in doing what we want to do ..just like with your bellydance class it turned out great for you and im sure you knew more then you thought when it came to teaching others..I hope I have that same experience..Im gonna start the lessons in August and let fate take it from there..you guys are awesome..sending cyberhttps://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cheers.gifhugs
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WOW… I am so glad my comments are helping people. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cool.gif I am planning to start offering teacher training next year because it is something I am passionate about and want to share the knowledge with others.
Many of your students will be beginner. Dont get me wrong..furthuring your pole skills will always be a bonus b/c once your students pass that level you can keep going with them. But I see nothing wrong with instructors teaching beginner/intermediate students very well and then passing them along (so to speak) to the advanced instructors when they have mastered the beginner/intermediate level moves.
Yes when you are planning to be a teacher and instruct a class you have to take into consideration: warm up, cool down, class structure, music, if you are going to do light choreography (just sequence of moves) or are you going to do a routine to actual counts to one particular song, what is the focus of your class going to be (just tricks), class name(does the description actually match what your teaching) ,etc… So much goes into teaching a class. But once you get the hang of it..it becomes much more simple. Students look at all of these things when deciding whether or not they are going to come back to your class.
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Granted I have never been an instructor and I am self taught with the use of these lessons but I can see how you would be disappointed in both teaching styles and also how you felt confused by one instructor showing you one way of doing something and another instructor contradicting what the other one said (unless I am confused and this happened at 2 different places?) but either way when the question arose I think the instructor could have acknowledged the basic way before showing the advanced way or just acknowledged it somehow to make it less confusing for people who were asking about the other way. and i feel that responsibility lies on the owner to make sure the instructors are teaching consistently regardless of them being employed there at the same time or not. I do agree with what others said about finding the type of teaching style/studio that best fits your needs and it probably will take some shopping around. A lot of people do a combination of veena lessons and a studio or veena lessons and an open pole session once a week etc.
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This is just my personal opinion but I really don’t like the idea of having a beginner/intermediate teacher to teach me! Why should I pay someone who is at my level or lower to teach me? I want a teacher that has a wide range of skills, knowledge, safety precautions AND teaching experience. I dont care how good you are at “beginner level” i want a fully experienced teacher! I’d prefer to save money and teach myself than have the above.
@glitterhips- no your not confused, this is all at the same studio. Constant conflicting teaching and unprofessional teachers!
You would think that the studio owner would keep this all under control BUT the studio owner just happens to be the teacher that is only at a beginner/intermediate level. In my opinion, this is BAD. I can only guess that I’m not the only person that feels this way. When it’s blatantly obvious what goes on there it’s hard to imagine other students aren’t feeling the same way as me.
There isn’t much of a choice with studios in my area, theirs is the only one. Which makes me feel it’s more of a money making ploy rather than a legit buisness as there is no competition for them at all.
If I ever happen to attend a new dance school, I will be asking MANY questions before I give them my hard earned money. -
To me it is more a matter of: 1) does the teacher have proper qualifications (i.e. education, insurance, etc.), 2) do they know what they are teaching well? 3) are they continuing their dance/fintess education? My first teacher knew higher level moves, but refused to teach them. My second teacher didn't know as many difficult tricks, but what she did know, she knew very well and taught it very well. Both were continuing their pole education.
Personally, I don't WANT to teach advanced pole because of liability issues. Most girls learning pole are not aspiring to be acrobats. I am gearing my classes towards those that want a fun and challenging workout, and maybe want that sensual factor. The goal of my classes is not to have girls start out aready at my level. I want total newbies (which is very likely here.) I think you are a special case where you already have a lot of experience and you just need to find a qualified person to help you advance further. You are a very rare breed.
I taught bellydance for YEARS, and I never taught the dangerous moves such as deep backbends and turkish drops (a turkish drop is when you go into a back band, then drop flat to the floor so that your feet are straddling your butt.) It is a very dangerous move with a high liklihood of injury. I'm one person, and I don't want to risk getting sued. I started out teaching bellydance after about a year of dancing myself, and continued to go to workshops to further my bellydance knowledge (I even spent a week in Maui with 2 of the more popular dancers.) From there, I danced professionally for another 4 years.
I think it is also fine to learn from someone who has been dancing their entire lives, so they know the fundamentals of safety and technique, but may not be pros at pole. From what I have seen, most girls who are poling aren't at the pro level, and may not want to be. It's sort of like having a tutor for school. If you are in calculus, and someone needs tutoring in pre-calc, you are totally qualified to tutor that individual, but f you have someone in an equal or higher class than you, then you cannot teach them what you don't know.
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One of the difficulties that many studios face, well at least those I know of, is finding instructors that are qualified/experienced enough to teach. They are, without exception, always passionate advocates of pole but as has been experienced above, thats not always enough. Thankfully with Instructor Certification becoming more prevalent and as consumers demand it I am sure things will change. The offshoot of this however is classes are likely to become more expensive as studios own costs go up. In the meantime, one thing I am doing is getting together often to practice with other girls at a similar level so we can help each other out. Ultimately it is you who are responsible for your progress or otherwise, not your instructor.
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One of the difficulties that many studios face, well at least those I know of, is finding instructors that are qualified/experienced enough to teach. They are, without exception, always passionate advocates of pole but as has been experienced above, thats not always enough. Thankfully with Instructor Certification becoming more prevalent and as consumers demand it I am sure things will change. The offshoot of this however is classes are likely to become more expensive as studios own costs go up. In the meantime, one thing I am doing is getting together often to practice with other girls at a similar level so we can help each other out. Ultimately it is you who are responsible for your progress or otherwise, not your instructor.
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Find another studio who is caring and supportive.
I'm not a certified teacher but I'm passionate about pole. I'm consumed with it day and night. When I teach, my goal is to empower women and boost their confidence. I'm not there to intimidate or assume I'm better than anyone else. We have 9 poles in the studio and inevitably you have people at all levels of fitness, strength and abilities when they enter as beginners and more so with the advance, the gaps can be huge. I stick with the basics and add on for those who are ready for the next challenge. If students asks me to "show off" I'll do it but only by request.
Unfortunately, I've witnessed teachers who show off and they do it deliberately and I think it's a shame because it makes others feel inferior and less than. I've seen first time students stand there, mouth open with this look of defeat. Why do you want clients who pay good money to feel like dopes? I don't get it.
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