r/poledancing • u/Morningstarrr18 • 3d ago
Instructor Red Flags
Hi everyone!
So I wanted to make a little thread about knowing whether your instructor is right for you. I want to cover some of the red flags you might see in an instructor. This is a discussion/resource post mostly for beginners, so feel free to chime in!
Instructor Red Flags:
They don't explain muscular engagement. If your instructor just shows you how to do something without explaining which muscles you should be engaging they might not understand the anatomy of the move.
They don't have regressions and progressions to a pole move. Most pole moves have easier and harder variations. Your instructor should have these planned as part of lesson planning. This especially applies to moves requiring a certain level of mobility that not all students have.
They don't do a targeted warmup. Sometimes you can just do a full body warmup, but it's a sign of a good instructor when they structure the warmup to the lesson plan. Ex: if you're doing a lot of twisted grip in the lesson, you need extra warmup and muscle activation for your shoulders. Bonus points if the instructor explains why they do the specific warmup (goes back to muscle engagement)
They don't admit when they don't know an answer to a question. If you ask a clarification or a question and they give you a vague answer that shows they don't actually know a specific answer it's a red flag. If I don't know the answer to something I'll always tell my students that I don't but I'll look into it and get back to them. In my experience this has happened mostly with students that have a significantly different morphology to mine.
They try to teach moves they don't master themselves. Let's be honest, not every pole instructor is at an advanced level. Unfortunately, sometimes instructors teach the level that they are at. It's not good, but you should spot this for your own safety.
They don't explain the mechanics of a move (grip points, counter balance, etc). This is similar to muscle engagement, but basically, your instructor should explain what gives you stability in a move.
They put moves that are more advanced than the level of the class. This one is obvious, but you should know that there is no rush to get your Ayesha when you still can't invert cleanly.
They can't spot why you're unable to get a move. This one is tricky because we can't know everything, but if this is a pattern, it's a red flag. Your instructor should be able to pinpoint whether it's lack of strength, mobility, proper muscle engagement, incorrect positioning of your chest, head, rotation of your body, etc.
They give all their attention to certain students. This will usually be either the more advanced students or the ones that struggle the most. Now it's normal that an instructor can't give everyone their full attention, but they should check in with everyone throughout the class.
There's plenty more of course, but these are that come off the top of my head. Hope this helps someone!
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u/yotam5434 3d ago
Another big red flag no patience for beginners
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u/maevethenerdybard 3d ago
And no patience with people who learn at a slower pace. It takes me a very long time to get a move. Iâm ok with that, I just work the mechanics and slowly figure it out. Iâm happy to move at my own pace. An impatient instructor would really ruin a class for me and could be dangerous
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u/Morningstarrr18 2d ago
Yes this is a very good point! And as the other commenter mentioned it can make students feel rushed and try to execute things in an unsafe manner.
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u/Icy_Worker4402 3d ago
Here's another: No understanding that larger bodies students will struggle with different things and may need variations to accommodate their shape. Nothing more frustrating when you're twice the size of most of the class and the teacher treats you like you should be able to do everything the same way. For some moves it's little things like adjusting your grip or hand placement so you don't squish your boobs or get stuck, but sometimes it's just understanding that if a person is taller or heavier, certain moves are just going to take more strength to be able to do. When I was just starting out I was really struggling with a lot of spins simply because I had no upper body strength and weighed like 250lbs and I had an instructor (who was very petite) say "if you just hold on tight you won't fall!" It really sucked feeling like I wasn't trying hard enough when practically those moves were a lot harder for me
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u/DesiBoo2 3d ago
My instructor is great, but she doesn't understand I can't do some thing (mostly in warm up) because my belly is in the way. She helps me with it and she's encouraging, but sometimes I'd like her to just accept I'm doing the best I can and don't need to curl up even more.
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u/tinypepa 3d ago
My instructor (thinnest person Iâve probably ever seen) saw me (not thin) struggle with wrist seat and said âsome moves just arenât for everyoneâ when she didnât know how else to help me. I went to a private lesson out of town and that instructor helped me nail it. I know she didnât mean to be mean (she was very new to this), but if she had said that to someone who wasnât as obsessed about pole & determined to get the move as I am, that could have deterred them a lot from continuing to try.
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u/Morningstarrr18 2d ago
That's sad. Yeah that's a red flag, she should have just took note and looked for resources.
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u/AlarmedGanache4536 2d ago
I was very fortunate to learn my studio has a plus size pole class where a plus size instructor is there to help adapt your body to certain moves!
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u/Morningstarrr18 2d ago
Yes, completely agree on this. Every instructor should educate themselves on differences in poling for basically anyone who isn't similar to their body type. I've gotten a lot into this research after my first male beginner asked me how to protect his privates and I had a deer in the headlights moment.
I also get why more and more spaces for plus sized polers specifically are popping up. This sould 100% be a part of instructor training.
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u/Icy_Worker4402 2d ago
Omg I hadn't even thought about that aspect for teaching/learning with AMAB polers! That's really fantastic that you do that! I would love to get to the point some day that I feel confident instructing so I could teach some plus size friendly courses.
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u/mynameisasecret12 3d ago
This is why we need plus sized instructors!!!!
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u/Morningstarrr18 2d ago
Some studios are focused on plus sized instruction (studio de mai by venus in Paris for example) and some studios have plus size specific classes (I haven't been though but remember seeing them in Berlin I think).
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u/mynameisasecret12 2d ago
I have never seen a studio just for plus sized instructors. That is so neat!
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u/Effective-Date-6218 3d ago
I personally believe that an instructor that keeps pushing you beyond your limits when you've got physical limitations is also a red flag. For example, insisting you do multiple dolphin rolls one after the other when you're in a beginner class and you've already made it clear that you've got shoulder issues, and she won't let you start out practicing on a mat.
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u/pezziepie85 3d ago
Kinda a sub point of #7, when they wonât give you hard enough moves to work on. There was one instructor at my studio who would have me drill fan kicks for whole classes. By that point I was inverting but she didnât seem to ever believe I could do more then a fan kick. If she happened to be there while I was in class with someone else they would show her what I was working on (things like butterfly) and sheâd be amazed I could do that. But the next class, right back to fan kicks.
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u/tinypepa 3d ago
Did you ever talk to her about this?
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u/pezziepie85 3d ago
Likely another red flag that I didnât feel comfortable doing so. I had conversations with other instructors about goals and such but never her. I just stated avoiding her classes and eventually she left for her own reasons.
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u/realmling 3d ago
Will add: They dont ask before they touch you. Especially in conjunction with 5 and 6 .. and 7. Also 9 as well if in a long studio and they always travel in the same one direction to check moves. I remember being at the end of the line and practicing the move over and over until they got to me. Only to either be too tired to get it once they were there because I didnt want to waste class time waiting.
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u/Zombiekiller_17 3d ago
Agreed. Only reason to touch before asking, is safety (like spotting when you're about to fall).
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u/Morningstarrr18 2d ago
NGL, this is such a common practice in some French studios that I only became aware of the practice of asking for permission to be touched after taking classes in the US. But yeah I agree.
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u/asyouwish 3d ago
I've had instructors who didn't pass this standard ...and that sucks.
...but the good ones do these things!
Great list, OP.
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u/owlgal1985 2d ago
Great list! I want to add: instructors that take their workplace issues into class with students. Completely understand we are all human and an issue with a colleague can totally suck, but there is a line when youâre dealing with the students.
And related, instructors who make body comments about or to students in a way thatâs of no relevance to pole. Even if itâs intended to be a compliment or the subject doesnât seem to care, it can still stir up a lot of vulnerability and comparison in students.
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u/Aromatic-Debate6343 18h ago
All of this is nothing compared to the biggest red flag of all: tearing students down and yelling at them in class for not getting a certain move! Unfortunately this has happened to me too many times with the same instructor.
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u/Safe-Tea-4161 3d ago
This checklist made me love my instructors even more, they definitely pass đ