I completely agree. You definitely shouldn’t be advertising yourself as an instructor if you haven’t been doing the moves long enough yourself or had fitness instructing and pole training. Although I do support getting together as a group rather than trying to learn by yourself if going to lessons isn’t an option.. I know a girl that broke vertebrae because she was training new moves without a spotter. Also just because you are a licensed instructor does not mean you’re doing things properly by any means so girls really need to be careful.. A lot of women decide to teach and tend to either get greedy and drag their classes out to get more money or teach way too fast and have injured students. Sometimes a good Youtube tutorial video is better for you than weeks of lessons. Sad but true..

It’s like you were reading my thoughts! I actually had a good friend whom I danced Ballet/Modern with years ago tell me recently that she wanted to open a Pole Studio in her town-since there wasnt any. I went through the whole discussion with her on why she shouldnt-being that she has never even formally taken a class from a professional…just youtube moves-my favorite thing to hear-ha! Anyway-she made the comment that ‘just beacause she wasn’t trying to train people to pole dance in the Olympics, it doesnt mean (she) shouldnt share her ‘love’ of pole dancing for fun…’ It really has nearly runined our friendship. And I definitely have lost respect for her as a person and especially as a fellow performer and dancer. It’s a direct slap-in-the-face and extremely degrading to those who have trained for years and truly earned the right to share their skills and experience- to think that even their own friends would take that position. Dont do it! If you’re not ready-don’t try it! You should be BETTER on the pole than whatever ADVANCED person may come into your studio. You should know and understand technical dance moves and have a strong background in gymnastics skills, performance and choreography experience and knowing how to break down moves and teach someone who has zero of that background. Safety and quality are key terms here. You have liability and RE-liability to think about when you teach….YOU are liable for peoples safety and security in your studio and classes. You should also be RE-liable-meaning trustworthy and honest in what you are offering to the public. If you cannot offer them the BEST quality, professional skills available at any level…DONT! Its unfair, degrading and un-truthful and it makes you a FRAUD and a THIEF. JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN, DOESN’T MEAN YOU SHOULD! Be happy, proud and satisfied with where you are at in your own progression. If you desire to teach someday-do the work and put in the time necessary to do it right. You’ll be better for it-and your students will thank you!

Chastitie – maybe you should show her this post!

Thank you,Well said passionate and informative perfect insider report I would like to reproduce this with your permission in my studios newsletter. I’m in Hartford Ct and would love it if you would visit if ever in the area.

Holly – glad you liked it! I’ll email you about the reproduction – and I would love to visit your studio some day!

One of the teachers at the studio I take classes at was a finalist at the East Coast USPDA contest a few weeks ago. Needless to say, I believe she is highly qualified to teach. However, there is a girl at the studio, who was a stripper for a while, that feels the need to hold her own class during class! She will show, or try to show, newer girls inverts and other things on a corner pole. The teacher (the finalist) is so frustrated with this girl. Just because she was a stripper, she feels that she can interrupt class with her own teachings. And, she has not mastered the skills in what she is trying to teach! This article made me think of this girl, and I wouldn’t be suprised if she would try to teach her own classes somewhere else in the near future.

[...] time and again for newbie pole dancers, tips on how to tell if their teacher is any good (see How to Teach Pole and Be a Danger to the Public, Top Ten Traits of Pole Dance Instructors, Pole Dance Teachers to Avoid, and How to Find a Pole [...]

Jennifer,

Thank you very much for including this subject on your site. Recently, I have drawn more from the martial arts in terms of outlining for new students what they can come to expect with regard to a conservative, and safe, time-line for properly executing certain pole moves.

To support our studio’s safety policies, I also try to mention the accidents that can happen and the injuries that follow, which commonly are head-and-neck with certain inversions (e.g., full lay-outs, reverse or upside-down shoulder mounts).

There is a huge difference between “pole tricks,” even “pole fitness,” and “pole dancing.” I have found that demonstrating these differences provides students with a concrete vision for where dedicated training can lead (if, in fact, they do want to learn inversions, perform at “le Cirque” levels).

Hopefully, pole dancing will align with how other dance forms are studied and instructed. In a two-hour ballet class, the first 45-50 minutes consists of a warm-up and fundamentals. Conditioning and flexibility-training within a proper warm-up is not optional, but critical, to safety…not to mention building the required strength to execute even basic moves at the pole properly.

In ballet, jazz, modern, and other forms of dance, you would certainly not see a new student of any of these forms teaching on his/her own within months (if not years of training). Pole dancing, like any other dance form, martial art, or sport requires beaucoup time, focus, and discipline.

I think Gladwell says it best in his book, Outliers: “It takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at anything.”

The above pertains to understanding dance for oneself. Teaching, which involves being able to connect with others and prioritize others’ learning over one’s immediate performance goals, is a separate subject deserving of its own focus. (It is my experience from the ballet world that sometimes the best dancers/performers do not make the best teachers given the different demands in focus: self versus other.)

@Lori – Your idea of doing demos of the different styles of pole is brilliant! What a great way to give newbies a taste of the possibilities – and stress the training needed for each.

Wow…Thank you for this great article!
I agree Pole Dancing is like any other sport training! You need to allow your body to adapt. Although you may have someone who is very strong, it does not mean they can handle some of the pole moves without putting added stress on joints. Progression is the key to safety and avoiding injury. You would never train someone for a marathon and have them run 5 miles on their first day!
Like any sport over-training, or not learning proper technique can result in injuries that are both acute, such as fractures, dislocations and sprains, and chronic (long-term).
I like the term Periodization for teaching.
Periodization refers to the term used by trainers and coaches to describe the breaking up of a training program.
In training nothing happens by accident, rather by design.
There is so much more to teaching then just swinging around a pole. More and more women are joining pole studios for a sensual workout, without taking into account that this is a muscular, cardio workout!
I think instuctors should have some knowledge of general body exercise, stretching and “mass muscle” exercise. Focusing on joint stability/strength and flexibility.
It all makes for less injuries and a better experience.

Interesting topic. The problem with comparing pole dancing to other dance forms is that it’s too new, so you’re not going to find 100s of qualified teachers like in ballet, modern, ballroom etc.

I had poor instruction when I started, but it was enough to catch the “bug” to continue to explore other options. Back then I was upset I’d spent so much money on nothing, but without them I wouldn’t be on here posting.

As long as you’re honest with your students and you have fitness/dance/body awareness backgrounds along with First Aid, teaching within your abilities is fine. People teach themselves all the time, but it’s nice be in a group.

In short know yourself (what you can/have to offer) and know what you wish to achieve for you and your students. If you’re an introductory program have resources available for students who wish to advance beyond you, even it means sending them to someone else or having them buy DVDs. Encourage them to take other programs to enhance body awareness such as yoga or martial arts, so they can continue to practice safely on their own.

Students rely on their teachers to be safe, helpful and honest no matter what subject they are teaching. Keep that in mind and NEVER stop learning. To me teaching pole dance after a few classes is only a problem if you mislead people or can’t teach in a safe manner.

As for professional performers teaching. Sure they may have 10 000 hours on the pole, but what works for them may not work for their students or even be safe for them depending on the situation. Teaching is about flexibility and knowing a 100 ways to do the same thing to benefit someone else.

For students, same advice. Know what you’d like out of your lessons and listen to the inner voice as to whether or not the teacher/lesson is right for you. Personally my journey has been a crappy studio to a great teacher to I’d like to experiment on my own.

c

In response to the recent comment about whether it is okay to offer instruction without the proper training…I think the excuses like ‘pole dancing is too new’ and ‘there’s not enough trained professionals out there’ used to work, but really aren’t legitimate anymore. With governing agencies such as the PFA helping regulate and represent universal standards, terminology & accreditation-and the IPSF who will be overseeing the actual competitive ‘sport’ associated with pole…there’s just no excuse not to do it right. We now have accredited schools, hundreds of legitimately-certified instructors, title-holding pole champs who travel internationally teaching master classes, sanctioned competitions and huge movements pushing the industry forward and ‘raising the bar’ for the future of pole fitness. We (PDI Mag) even offer the first industry-endorsed media publication that works with pole agencies to communicate correct policies and educate our readers worldwide. If we are to truly progress as a sport, an industry & a group of non-stereotyped, skilled, respected people and athletes-We have to refuse to accept second best. Being ‘honest with your students’ in this day and era of pole fitness means obtaining the proper certifications and becoming accredited and legit! As students, it means seeking out those studios and instructors who have taken the time & spent the money to do it right, and learning from the best. It may sound harsh-but we need to take the stand and start weeding out the unsafe practices and seperating them from those who are providing excellence in the industry through their communities. That’s how all great things have historically came to be.
Thanks for all the insightof those who have shared!
Pole Dance Intl Magazine CEO

Amen sister!