Can A Pole Dancing Manual Really
Help Me Learn To Pole Dance?

Pole dancing manuals and books are not as common a learning method as say, DVDs or group classes, but they do have their place. For example, if you're a left brainer, you can really get into study mode and analyze all the little details from the photos and explanations.

Books have many of the same advantages and disadvantages as DVDs and videos when it comes to learning to pole dance. But they also have a couple of unique pros and cons which I've covered below.

In addition to the advantages of learning from DVDs, books and manuals offer the following:

• They tend to be even more cost effective than DVDs. For about the same price as a DVD, you usually get a lot more information. I'm not sure why information in written form tends to be valued less than visual formats like DVDs, but often books will provide a lot of related information that you won't find in DVDs and videos.
• Some people learn better by reading than by watching. If you're someone who likes the feel of a book in your hands and being able to turn the pages as you learn, books and manuals may be for you. A pole dancing manual might also be a good idea if you like some extra information and/or explanation.
• A pole dancing manual is great for reinforcing your in-class or DVD learning, once again because it can supply information in a slightly different way.

  You may have struggled with a concept for weeks and then one day pick up a book on the topic and, in a blinding flash of brilliance, finally "get it."

  Did the book explain it better than a live instructor or a DVD? Maybe, but quite likely it was just that you were able to see things from a slightly different angle by reading, and everything just suddenly clicked.

Are there disadvantages of learning to pole dance from a book or manual? Sure, like everything else there are pros and cons. Here are some of the most common downsides of book learning:

• Have you ever tried to pole dance with a book in your hands? NOT sexy! (unless of course you're going for the sexy librarian look)
• For many people, translating written words into graceful, flowing movement is a real challenge. Most of us do better with a moving visual model like we get from a DVD or a real live instructor.
• Even if photos are included (which they most often are, and I wouldn't recommend buying a book that doesn't!), keep in mind they are still photos (that's "still" as in "not moving," not "still" as in "just/only").

  In other words, you only get a snapshot of a particular point in a given move. Of course, this can be an advantage as well. Have you ever done the "freeze-frame-slow-fast-forward" thing on your DVD player trying to capture just the right frame so you could see exactly where the instructor's leg is at the crucial moment when you always fall off your pole? OK then!

While there are not as many pole dancing manuals and books as there are DVDs and videos, there are some quality products available. I'll be adding reviews of these soon, so you can check out the quality of pole dancing instruction they offer before you buy.

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