[EbonyPoleArtist]

I’m going to chime in here as a pole dance instructor. Far too often I see students rushing through levels without having solid fundamentals. Then they become the chronic repeaters (not that there is anything wrong with repeating!) but actually being stuck in a level because they don’t have the pre-requisite moves. At my studio we have 10 levels, and when I took over Level 8 I had students who could not execute a basic shoulder mount or even a layback, but were expecting to learn handsprings, janerios, pegasus etc.

I’m not saying this is your situation but just a perspective for anyone who feels down about feeling like crap. I used to walk out of classes many, many times feeling low that I couldn’t **do anything**, but when I analysed it, I could find my way to a solution. So you really need to ask yourself: what is it that’s missing for you? Conditioning? Work on that. Flexibility? Work on that. Just one particular move that you like the look of but can’t do? Work on that. Pick just a few things at a time and slowly and surely you WILL see progress if you FOCUS your energy on those things.

As I always say to my students:
– Pole isn’t just about getting your instagram worthy tricks that people push you into just you can say “ta-da!”. You have to WORK for the move so you can do it safely by yourself every single time.
– there’s 15 students and one of me. I can’t rescue everyone in my class who can’t do laybacks if that’s the level they are in. If you can’t do the pre-requisite moves, you SHOULDN’T be moving up levels, period.
– if you’re feeling ‘bummed out’ that you can’t ‘do something’ , then do something about it that empowers you. Take a break or take a private, whatever it is that you need to stay motivated, then do it.

Sorry for my boss-like response to the original question. I love my students dearly but it drives me crazy to have them moving up without respect for the program, let alone their safety. Best of luck with your progress xxx