I remember how incredibly nervous I was for my first class. I don't know if anything I write can stop newbies from being nervous - it might just be part of the process! Much later on my journey, my pole teacher once said to me, 'You're nervous because you care.' I still think about that. So now when I get nervous, I accept that it's a normal part of life. Especially around things we're excited about.
I don't know if I can write anything that will stop new pole students from being nervous before they walk in the door. But maybe I can help you be as prepared as you can possibly be, even if you're still a bit nervous on the big day.
"So now when I get nervous, I accept that it's a normal part of life. Especially around things we're excited about."
#1 in How To Prepare: Let Yourself Feel Your Feelings
Your pole journey is a place where you learn a lot about yourself. You will feel a lot of feelings. You'll feel joy, and you'll feel pain. You'll feel very strong at times, and you'll feel very weak at times. You'll feel very sexy at times, and you'll feel very unsexy at times. You'll have good days and bad days. Hell, you'll have good minutes and bad minutes.
You're going to need to manage all these feelings. Just like in the rest of your life, you'll be most successful if you learn to really feel them, process them, and then let them go. It may not be easy at first, and that's OK. It's something we all practice and continually work at.
The #1 way you can set yourself up for success in your first pole class is to let yourself feel the feelings that you're already having around going to the studio and trying something new.
Consider journaling, or just spending a few minutes typing in the notes on your phone, writing about what you're feeling. It might feel dumb or awkward or first if you're not used to reflecting in that way. But after years of teaching, I truly feel this is the #1 way you can be successful in your first class. If you connect with your feelings about the experience in advance, you're more likely to stay present during the class experience.
The #1 way you can set yourself up for success in your first pole class is to let yourself feel the feelings that you're already having around going to the studio and trying something new.
#2 in How To Prepare: Wear The Right Clothes, and Avoid Lotion
The next most important part of setting yourself up for success in class is wearing the right outfit. Bare skin actually is a really important part of sticking to the pole.
The #1 rule is to avoid wearing any lotion, oil, or sunscreen on your body. This will cause you to slide right off the pole, and makes the whole experience much, much more difficult.
Please wear booty shorts / short biker shorts on your legs. Make sure that they go higher than your knee - the skin to the side of the knee and behind the knee are two main contact points that we will use in beginner classes.
On top, we recommend a sports bra and a tank top. For some moves, you will need your armpit/inner arm skin. If you wear a short sleeved shirt, you can roll the sleeves up, but it's easier to just go in already wearing a tank.
Consider wearing an outfit that you feel really good in! You will be staring at yourself in a full-body mirror, which can be the hardest part of the first class for some people. If you wear an outfit you love, you're more likely to feel great right off the bat.
We teach all of our Pole Level 1 classes barefoot. This does mean fully barefoot - we recommend socks off. Your foot and ankle skin will also help you stick to the pole when you're starting to learn to climb. If going barefoot makes you uncomfortable, you can try rolling your socks so that they cover your toes and ball of your foot, but the top of the foot and ankle are exposed.
We do not recommend worrying about heels in your first class. There is already a lot going on, and you're likely to feel more calm and confident if your feet are firmly planted on the ground.
The #1 rule is to avoid wearing any lotion, oil, or sunscreen on your body. This will cause you to slide right off the pole, and makes the whole experience much, much more difficult.
#3 in How To Prepare: Avoid any stress around getting to class on time.
All of our classes have built in time for getting students settled before class starts, and an intentional series of warm-up exercises and stretches before you get on the pole. If you arrive early, we will get you comfortably settled and warmed up. If you arrive late, everything becomes a rush, and it's harder to focus on the activity.
Tips for arriving on time:
- Lay your outfit / water bottle / gym bag out in advance
- Double check the class time. Plan to arrive 10 or 15 minutes early
- Use GPS to map your route to the studio out in advance, to know how early to leave the house
- Don't schedule your first class for a day when your schedule is very tight or you're likely to be otherwise stressed out
#4 in How To Prepare: Consider coming with a buddy
Group fitness classes are a social experience. Most people quickly make "pole friends" at the studio as you see familiar faces repeating in classes. The first class, though, all of the faces will likely be new. Coming with a friend (or more than one!) ensures that you'll have familiarity around you as you build trust in yourself, your body, your instructor, your classmates, and the studio environment.
#5 in How To Prepare: Let yourself have fun, and don't take it too seriously!
This is probably the most important. If you like planning and preparing, everything listed in this post is here for you. But don't overthink it. However you show up to class will be perfect. Just bring yourself and an open mind. Leave your self-judgement and expectations at the door.
If you expect to be a professional dancer in one class, you're likely to be disappointed. If you go in being curious to learn about your abilities and new ways of moving, you're likely to be very successful. Let yourself laugh. Cheer for your fellow classmates, and let yourself receive the cheers from them.
Learning pole is a journey. It's never done. Learn to enjoy the journey and the practice, and you'll end up unlocking destinations within yourself you never would have thought possible.
If you expect to be a professional dancer in one class, you're likely to be disappointed. If you go in being curious to learn about your abilities and new ways of moving, you're likely to be very successful. Let yourself laugh. Cheer for your fellow classmates, and let yourself receive the cheers from them.
