5 Things Your Pole Instructor Hates to Hear You Say

[Alex Taylor | PWN]

Ok, ‘hate’ is probably too strong of a word. More like, ‘not super duper fond of’. Below is a lighthearted list of comments (in no particular order) that we, as pole instructors, occasionally hear from our students in some varied form or another regardless of skill level, and kind of wish we didn’t. This is not to say that I, myself, haven’t been guilty of uttering such words. Teachers were, after all, students first—and the good ones still are. But having had the privilege of instructing countless classes over the past few years, one learns that being a good student is just as crucial to a fulfilling pole journey as it is to having a good teacher.

1. I don’t get what I’m supposed to do, so I’ll just go up and have you tell me.

Listen, we completely understand that when it comes to learning a new move, words only go so far. More often than not, experiencing even just a part of a trick or transition firsthand is the best way to understand where your points of contact are or what’s rotating and where, even if you, as the student, aren’t able to fully execute the move yet. What isn’t helpful (or safe) is when a student chooses not to take the time to comprehend the breakdown, gets on the pole, and then expects the teacher to physically guide them through each step in the short time it usually takes before their grip starts to slip, all the while spotting them throughout the whole process. Confusion and frustration ensue, strength is needlessly spent, and we’re back to square one. There have been numerous studies on the power of visualization; if you can see in your mind’s eye what your body needs to do during a specific trick, your chances of success increase dramatically. Even if you get stuck—physically or mentally—once you’re actually on the pole, you’ll have a better idea of what to do the next time you try, especially after your instructor helpfully points out what went wrong.

2. This move you’re teaching kind of looks like that other one. What’s the point?

Details, people. Style. Variation. I remember showing a student cup grip for the first time, specifically in an ayesha. Her response took me a bit by surprise, “If I can do my ayesha with twisted grip, what’s the point in learning it with cup?” I explained that different grips allow for more fluid transitions into subsequent moves, but she was right in a way. What is the point in learning any move? Well, that’s entirely up to us. As awesomely tight knit as our community is, we’re all on our own unique pole journey. That’s the beauty; we can pick and choose what to learn and master. There’s something for everyone, but not every trick is for everybody. Are there a bunch of moves that are visually similar? No doubt. There’s only so much a human body can do on a metal stick, even though innovative shapes and transitions created by our fellow dancers inspire us daily. As both an instructor and a student, I relish the challenge of taking what I know and expanding upon the variations, even if they’re not immediately obvious. But I totally get there are those who would rather stick to learning moves that look completely different from one another. Nonetheless, the next time you’re not feeling what’s being taught in class that day, I humbly ask that you respect the possibility of its value to another student.

3. I don’t know what to do anymore. Teach me something new!

This one completely depends on the situation. We’ve all been there: the dreaded plateau. Sometimes all it takes is learning a new trick to re-ignite our passion; other times we find that shifting our focus—from tricks to flow, for example—is what lifts us out of our rut. When my students clamor for something new, that’s awesome. I mean, what kind of teacher doesn’t love a motivated learner? Occasionally, however, a student will express boredom of what they know without having mastered the fundamentals, and that’s when the comment above rustles my jimmies. Case in point, I would be more than happy to teach you a combo you’ve never tried before involving an aerial invert, but why don’t we solidify our inverts from the floor first? Nah, I just want to learn something new. Well, alrighty then. At the end of the day, all we want as your pole instructor is for you to improve, and it irks us (some more than others) when a student forgoes improvement for novelty.

4. There’s no way I can do that.

No one knows our bodies better than ourselves. Sometimes we’ll see a move on Facebook or Instagram and know without a shadow of a doubt that our body is physically incapable of doing it. Chances are, however, your regular pole teacher is also fairly aware of your body’s current limitations as well as potential, which allows us to effectively help you push past them. Some of my favorite moments as an instructor are when a student initially refuses to try a move for fear of guaranteed failure, and I get to prove him/her wrong. Pole can be downright terrifying, and it’s smart to have a little fear, but if you trust your instructor, you may end up surprising yourself. They say it doesn’t get easier; you just get stronger.

5. …

So, uh, was it good for you? Any pole instructor will tell you that a silent class is the worst. Chatty Cathies talking over your lesson aren’t much better, but when I’m one-on-one with a student, it can be hard to gauge how their experience was after trying a particular move, which in turn, makes it more difficult to offer tips. Your pained expression and string of expletives says a lot, but if you abort a trick mid-way and don’t offer any clue as to why, I’m forced to assume what when wrong by sight and wisdom alone. Sometimes that’s enough, but it’s always helpful for you as the student to tell us what didn’t feel right so that we’re better informed when giving advice on how to correct it. Did you feel your top hand slipping? Was your shoulder stuck? Did you find it hard to balance? Was it just painful as fuck? Good to know!

So there you have it. Now you can be sufficiently paranoid about saying something in class that your teacher is going to blog about later. Just kidding. I obviously don’t speak for all pole dance instructors, but if sharing my own experience helps students get more out of their classes, we all win.

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