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Pole Instructor Mistakes?
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You definitely need to explore studios! The in-studio classes I go to are 1 hour & 45 minutes. At least 30 minutes in the beginning are spent on warming up with a combination of stretching, light conditioning, easy floor work, and a climbing pole flow (climbing from pole to pole for half a song). My instructor, who is also my Pilates instructor outside of pole, explains what we are stretching, what muscles to engage, reminds us to breathe. She explains how to protect joints, muscles, etc. as she is teaching. That side hook spin on spinning that this instructor taught you is not something that my instructor or that I would even teach to any beginner. I would suggest finding a studio that focuses on progression in their teaching. She had no idea what kind of shape your shoulder was in and didn't even prepare you to hang your body off the pole – sideways and spinning!?! Do your body a favor. Try other studios and work on the beginner stuff here on SV.
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So I listened to you ladies and went ahead and booked a class tonight. Unfortunately there arent that many studios around me, most of them are at least an hour to an hour and a half away, almost bordering into NY. ): But I did find one close enough, and I’ve been chatting with a woman there on and off for the past week…I’m just going to go in and compare to see my vibes from each one. Plus its half off an intro class tonight so BOO-YA! 😀 I’ll keep you ladies posted on what happens.
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I really believe that appropriate warm up/stretching is very important before each pole session to avoid injury & to properly warm up your muscles. I also think its important to do moves & spins that progressively build your strength.
Definitely explore other studios if you can. When you find the studio that’s right for you, you’ll know it.
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I'm from the Hartford area and have taken multiple classes at both of the studios that you are mentioning. I personally prefer the teaching style at the first studio you went to. The intro class is different than the average pole class, since everyone only takes it once. Definitely give it another shot in the Beginner 1 classes, which usually have more people in them. Feel free to message me if you want to know more about either studio!
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That's one thing that frustrates me about the studio where I go. It's not a strictly pole studio, it is a "class gym" – no treadmills and ellipticals and such, but lots of classes in a variety of disciplines – pole, aerial silks, TRX, barre, Pilates, Zumba, hooping, weights, you name it. Trouble is, they have only 2 classrooms and only one of them has poles in it, and with SO many things on the schedule, they make their classes really short – 45 minutes. Kudos to the instructors, because they do a great job with what limited time they have, they never skip warmups and send us to the back of the room to cool down & stretch while the next class is coming in. And typically we do go a little bit longer than 45 minutes, as long as the next class is able to start on time.
But still, it's not ideal. It's like, just as I'm getting really warmed up and mentally/emotionally "there" for practice, the class is almost over. They've been dicking around with the schedule lately, posting fewer of the classes I like (Intermediate, Freestyle and Sexy Pole). And the classes fill up INCREDIBLY fast. If you are not online the moment they post the new schedule, you're gonna be on the waitlist for classes a month out. I like to plan ahead so this drives me nuts, I don't like not knowing if I'm going to a class until the morning of. I bought a six-month membership back in February but I don't think I'm going to renew it when it's over – I'll wait to pay for classes until I know I'm actually in them, thanks.
I go there primarily because I love the instructors, and it's not too far from my house or my work, but I do wish it was a full-time pole studio. 🙁
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Very few studios can exists as just pole studios. There is not a single on in NE Ohio and I want to say even into eastern PA that teaches just pole. Not even the Columbus studios either. It is much easier to make the rent when you can teach a Zumba class to 30 people as opposed to a pole class to just 5 or 8. The studios that are teaching burlesque and twerking and aerials actually are keeping students because as they get further in most students want to learn these skills so the ability to keep it in house is just good business sense.
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Aerial studio, then. The studio in the city where I used to live does Aerial, Silks and Burlesque and has been in business for at least 5 years that I know of.
The demand at my studio strikes me as high enough to merit adding more pole classes to the schedule instead of cutting them back – what with the waitlists on pretty much every pole class. They charge more for pole classes too. I have to go to at least 3 classes a month to get my money's worth from my membership – between my own schedule limitations and the waitlist issue, it doesn't work out that way, hence why I don't want to re-up my membership. Like I said, I'll pay for the classes when I know I'll actually be attending them.
And I wouldn't have a problem if it was only a few extra classes to pad the schedule and make the business run, but they just have SO many options there (and they keep adding more!), that to get everything on the schedule in a week (in the peak times), they have to make the classes shorter than I'd like them.
Two of my best friends teach there, and I LOVE training with them, so I continue to make this "my" studio. I'd kind of feel like an asshole ditching them to go to another studio, especially since there aren't any studios that are as convenient to me location-wise as this one. I only know of two alternatives within the area I'm willing to drive, one is way out of the way of anywhere else I go, and the other has a bad reputation for really catty, nasty behavior.
I'm pretty sure once my membership at this studio expires I'll still go to classes now and then, but I'll also re-enlist in Veena's lessons and probably practice at home more.
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Correction – The studio in the city where I used to live does Pole, Aerial Silks and Burlesque.
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Usually the only reason a studio cuts back on popular classes is when they do not have enough instructors. There are very few instructors up here in Cleveland and if you are talking about the studio I think you are, aren't some of the instructors preparing for competitions? That alone will tear up your body, not to mention having to teach on top of it. Trust me, I know it sucks. Cleveland is going to be losing an instructor as of July and she covers classes at 2 studios.
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Yeah, I'm just venting mostly. From what I have heard (and have insider knowledge), it's less about teacher availability and more about offering new classes that the non-pole students have expressed interest in.
There's a core group of very dedicated/interested pole dancers there who are already filling and over-filling the classes (and new ones coming up through the ranks from the Beginner levels), but we're still a smaller sliver of the overall studio clientele. I get that, and the non-pole students deserve their classes too – I'm not trying to say this studio should run their business differently. Just that the current model, and especially the recent cutbacks, are not ideal for the serious, pole-and-nothing-else member.
If I had my druthers, as they say, I'd be a regular at a studio where pole is more central (if not exclusive) and didn't have as much competition from non-pole/non-aerial classes and students. That's all. I'll take what I can get, though, I'm just going to change how I pay for it.
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Vent away. But also, have you brought this up with the studio? Explain to them that they will be losing money because they do not offer enough classes for the need and you routinely get shut out of class. A good business owner will take a look at things.
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The students who are interested in the classes that have been cut back are being encouraged by the instructors to make sure they say something to the studio owner about how much they loooove those classes and want to see more of them, because that's how those new classes got on the roster, by expressions of interest. I personally have not done so yet but it's among the many many things on my to-do list.
I do know that one of the Intermediate instructors is moving to another state soon, which makes me nervous – I don't know if they're going to fill her slot with other instructors, or reduce the Intermediate classes in favor of something else with a high demand (creating even more competition to get into those Intermediate classes). I'll have to wait and see…
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ohhh i think off myself lucky at my class. we have ten poles in one room. then bk room has two hoops two silks and one trspeze. i go monday to wednesdsy pole starts st 7 n i ho sbouy 8.45. im there about two hoirs. we have a instructor on one side doing begginers and other side is int/ advanced with two more instructors. itgets busy. buy now i moved to advance i dnt really shsre a pole often :). xxx
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Don’t mean to hijack the thread or change the subject ladies, just saying my class went great last night! I definitely prefer this one, at least thats what the intro class showed me. It was more organized, we started off with a 10 minute warmup and stretching exersize, then the instructor taught us 5 moves, a pretty dismount, and some strengthening techniques. I definitely got better vibes off this studio than the first one. In the end she told me I was free to move on the beginner one since I caught on so quick! Im super excited! 😀
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Oh no, if anything I hijacked your thread, Jadorebree! Glad you had a good experience at your second studio.
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