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How to make the most of Free Space and training on your own!
Training without an instructor for the first time can be incredibly daunting. Questions like “Where should I start?” or “What do I practise?” can run around your head the whole time if you’ve never done it before. But despite the fear factor, training on your own can be a brilliant opportunity to progress, find your own style and really become familiar with your equipment. So, without any further introduction, here are some of the best tips for how to make the most of Free Space sessions and training on your own.
1. Plan ahead
A plan is, without a doubt, the best thing you can bring with you to any Free Space session. Whether it’s moves that you learnt in class last week, some insane sequence you saw on Instagram months ago, or a beasty conditioning session for your dream move, planning what you want to practise ahead of time will help you get the absolute most out of it.
2. Set goals
Setting goals is a great way to keep yourself on track, stick to your plan and stay motivated; not just for your session, but well into the future, too. If it helps to write your goals down, go for it. Crossing things off a to-do list is always a great feeling! They might be things that you want to conquer in a day or things that you might not achieve for months (or even years!) to come. For me, having a mix of both short- and long-term goals helps me get the most out of my sessions.
3. Try to avoid distractions (or put your phone down)
I think mobile phones are brilliant! I’ve taken to writing down moves and combos that I want to do in my notes, and with all the amazing videos of people just being amazing on Instagram, I have almost endless inspiration at my fingertips. But if you’re anything like me, it’s all too easy to get sucked into the memes. Don’t let it happen! Stay focussed, stick to your plan and keep working on those moves.
4. Have fun!
Pole Dancing/Aerial/Acrobatics is HARD! And some days are harder than others. Maybe you’re tired and those inverts are absolutely killing you. Or that sequence that you wanted to do is sooooooooo much harder than it looked when your favourite poler/aerialist/acrobat did it. Heck! Maybe that move you’ve been working on for weeks just will not happen. Whatever it is, it’s easy to get bogged down when nothing seems to be working, especially if your training buddy isn’t around to keep you from crying. These are the days to just throw it all away and HAVE FUN! Try something new, try something old, find a transition between your newest trick and your favourite trick. It doesn’t matter whether what you’re doing is easy or hard as long as you have a good time doing it. You never know, you might just turn that session around and teach yourself something new at the same time.
5. Stick with it
Learning how to train on your own is process and it can take quite a bit of trial and error, but with a little bit of practise it can be incredibly rewarding and help you get even more from your classes. Keep coming back, keep making plans and conquering your goals, and, most of all, keep having fun with it, because that’s what this stuff is really all about.
Good luck!
