Are Online Pole Dancing Lessons The Right Choice For Me?

First of all, let's get one thing straight: by online pole dancing lessons I don't mean YouTube videos! These are great fun to watch of course, very entertaining (how did she DO that?!), and quite inspiring, but they rarely provide any quality instruction.

For the beginning pole dancer in particular, I suggest you view most pole dancing clips as entertainment and inspiration only.

Trying to learn from a demo clip, particularly if it involves advanced moves and you're a rank beginner, is only asking for injury! Remember, safety is sexy!

In contrast to random video clips, online pole dancing lessons are usually delivered via a paid subscription to a website that offers a library of video clips, one for each move.

A good quality site will also offer voice over instruction, perhaps still photos of some of the trickier parts of each move, and possibly even email access to an experienced pole dancing instructor if you have specific questions or need help with a move.

When looking for online pole dancing lessons it's also a good idea to search for a service that organizes the content according to level, or that presents the lessons in a logical, step by step progression. Many women, when they first start pole dancing, enjoy it so much that they start to push themselves too soon to learn more and more difficult moves.

In order to avoid injury and accidents, however, I can't stress enough how important it is to build up slowly and master each move before progressing to the next logical level.

Unfortunately this is one of the potential drawbacks of online pole dancing lessons; in an attempt to cover as much material as possible before the subscription period runs out, many women push themselves too far too soon. This leads to injury, accidents, and possibly even a total disenchantment with the whole idea of pole dancing for fitness.

Think of it this way. Let's say you decided to try running and discovered on day 1, after finishing a very reasonable 15 minute jog around the block, that you absolutely love to run (ok, humour me here, it's just an example!).

In fact, you love it so much you decide you want to train for a marathon. Would you go out the next day and try to run 42 kilometres? (or 26.2 miles for my US running buddies!). My guess is NOT!

Much as you'd be inspired, enthused, and chomping at the bit to go, your reasonable side would probably tell you it'd be wise to slowly increase your distance, and to gradually build strength, endurance and maybe even a bit of speed along the way. After all, slow and steady wins the race and pushing too hard leads to injury and burnout.

"But pole dancing is so much more fun than running!" I can hear you insisting. Leaving aside the fact that that's a tough call for me (I'm one of the strange ones who actually thinks running is fun!) it can definitely be hard to reign yourself in when you're having such a good time. After all, that's one of the real upsides to pole dancing...it's so much fun you don't even know you're getting exercise.

But getting back to the issue of biting off more than you should chew with online pole dancing lessons...

There are definitely some great advantages to signing up for online pole dancing lessons, which I've listed below. But I wouldn't be doing my duty as a fitness instructor if I didn't alert you to potential hazards as well.

I'm not saying that online pole dancing lessons are unsafe, or that you shouldn't try them. But I do want you to continue to enjoy your pole dancing adventure for a long time to come, so it's important to practice self-control if the online pole dancing lessons you subscribe to provide unrestricted access to a full buffet of moves.

Remember what happened last time you paid for an all-you-can-eat buffet?

I rest my case.

OK, this page is getting long! Let's move on to some more...

Pros and Cons of Online Pole Dancing Lessons

The Downside:

The other rather obvious disadvantage is that you need to have access to a computer to learn online. Since you're already here online I'm assuming that's not a problem for you, but just in case you're thinking about hauling your portable pole into the library and trying out your moves next to a public internet access terminal....well, you might want to think again.

This leads me to the next consideration, which is the fact that you'll need to either be able to set up your pole close enough to your computer, or be able to access your online lessons with a laptop. Otherwise, you may find yourself running from your office to your living room, trying to remember what you just saw long enough to put it into action on your pole. And that could be pretty entertaining for the rest of your household!

And as with learning from pole dancing DVDs, you normally won't have the instant feedback you would get in a group or private pole dancing lesson. Believe me, having a competent instructor watching over you can save you hours of frustration and a lot of bumps and bruises!

Motivation is another potential downside of online pole dancing lessons. For many people, the commitment of signing up and paying for a class is what ensures they'll actually get out of the house at the end of the day when they're tired and would rather watch TV.

But if you get creative there are always ways to solve this problem. Why not make a date with a girlfriend, for example? Every Thursday at 7:00 you can meet up to learn 2 or 3 new moves. Just make sure you support each other in doing it, rather than commiserate in NOT doing it!

OK, enough of the negatives, let's move on to some advantages of learning with online pole dancing lessons.

The Upside:

As with anything else in life, there are always advantages to be found, and online pole dancing lessons are no exception. In fact, there are several great advantages to learning to pole dance using this method.

First off, as with DVDs, you can watch the clips or tutorials as many times as you need to. Just imagine asking your instructor if she could please demonstrate that last move just one more time (for the 67th time)!

An online subscription service can offer a lot for your money because the cost of maintaining it is spread over a large subscriber base. This means that more content can be added very cost effectively. In fact, depending on the service you select, there may be additional features offered besides just clips of pole dance moves.

For example, perhaps the site offers clips of pole dancing routines that you can build with the moves you're learning. It's also common to have audio instruction, and perhaps even text reminders of important points.

Some sites may even provide clips of common errors so you can identify specific things that may be preventing you from achieving success. And as mentioned above, you may even have email access to an instructor if you have questions.

Of course, the convenience factor of online pole dancing lessons is not to be overlooked. Once you subscribe, you can access your lessons whenever and wherever (just about!) it's convenient for you.

And if you're one of those super shy girls who also happens to be a computer geek, online pole dancing lessons might be the perfect solution for you.

As I've said before, there's no one right way to learn pole dancing that's best for everyone, but there is a way that's right for you. I hope this information helps you make an informed decision so you can get the most out of your pole dancing adventure.

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