The perks of training at different pole studios

I’ve only quite recently learnt in my pole dance journey the hefty benefits behind spreading yourself out (giggity) across as many pole studios as possible. I’d say for about the first two years of my pole adventure, I pretty much only attended one studio twice a week for class, practice and the occasional stretch class. However I began to dip my eager toes into workshops and classes at other local pole hotspots and when I left my original studio in 2018, jumped straight in to poling here, there and everywhere like a mad fucker.

At present, my ride or die studio is Maya Dance and Fitness, where unless I’m dying of plague or on my holidays, you can find me getting my weekly beasting with a double bill of pole followed by a splits stretch class. I’m pretty bloody lucky though as in my home city of Bristol, there are at least five pole studios you offering all manner of classes and workshops to help seriously up your pole game. Trust me one of my current life aims is to get my finances in order so I can attend more pole classes and start obliterating my 2020 pole goals. Anyway, given my recent enthusiasm for pole dancing far and wide, I have made a wee list of the benefits of hopping around studios!

More pole studios equals more pole time

This one is a bit of a no-brainer. If you’re lucky enough with both your free time and finances to attend multiple pole classes per week, for fucks sake what are you waiting for?! The more consistent you are with training (properly too), the greater progress you will make. Besides, pole is awesome. I have seen the fucking impressive results from my pole buddies who attend more than one class per week, so if you’ve got the time, money and inclination to get on it, you won’t regret it trust me. Even when I was pole training 2-3 times per week for the English Riviera Pole championships, I noticed by strength improve ten fold just from drilling my routine, so just imagine what attending 2-3 classes per week would achieve?!

You’ll gain more pole knowledge from a wide range of resources

The more clever clogs pole teachers you have, the more cracking pole tips you will acquire. This one is particularly useful if like me you’re struggling with a nemesis move (Sneaky V, Superman, a flat Jade you bastards you shall not evade me for much longer), as you can learn new ways to get into moves. It’s not just learning new entries into moves that having a fair few different pole teachers helps with, you’ll learn entirely new combinations and massively broaden your pole dance knowledge as a whole- win win!

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You can fit more classes in around your own schedule

This I find is especially useful for getting in those all important practice sessions. Actually, I first started branching out and practising at other studios in late 2016, when I had a performance that I needed to nail for a studio showcase and, like a right bloody numpty, I had booked to go on a boozey holiday to Berlin one week before the showcase and would miss the last two practice sessions at the studio I trained at. I can thoroughly recommend boozing in Germany, but not when you need to be at your physical best to deliver a banging pole performance! Therefore, I searched for other studios nearby and found out when their practice sessions were, popped along and didn’t look back.

It’s not just pole practices either that you can mould around your schedule. Most pole studios also run stretch classes, and we all know (regrettably) how fucking important it is that we attend as many of those as possible. So if you can’t attend you regular studio’s stretch class, feel free to hop to another.

You’ll get the opportunity to try out different styles of pole, and maybe more!

As stated in point number one, every studio will have instructors who have entered the weird and wonderful world of pole dance in their own unique way and from a variety of different backgrounds. This is fucking banging when you’re a pole student, as you get to try so many different dance styles to see which one really suits you. Is twerking your thing? Do you prefer the insane levels of speed that Russian Exotic has to offer or are you a gymnastic beast who is only interested in busting out beastly combos high up the pole? The beauty of attending several different pole studios is that you’ll get to trial as many styles as possible, and learn more about yourself in the process which is always a winner.

Also it’s not just pole dance that many studios have to offer. Many pole studios offer a variety of different aerial classes such as hoop and/or silks, so plenty for you to try your hand at if you’re quickly developing an addiction for more aerial adventures.

Making more pole buddies

Your pole pals are fucking awesome. As described in this blog from the archives, they’re a bloody cracking bunch of people to have in your life, and understand the trials and tribulations of being a pole dancer perfectly. So branching out to different pole schools and making a shitload more pole buddies in the process is never going to be a bad thing. I’ve been lucky enough to make some of my best friends through pole dancing, and we have trekked across many a studio together!

You can find the right class for your ability

We often find ourselves in a bit of a limbo state in our pole quest in terms of finding a class that is right for our level, at least I know I have. I’ve fluctuated between higher beginner and intermediate levels big time in the past and I’m almost approaching the fluctuation stage between intermediate and advanced. You’re confidently smashing it in the class you’re currently in but are not quite brave enough to push yourself up to the next level. This is again where one of the many benefits of trying other studios comes in to play, as you can try out their class levels to see if you can find a happy, in-between level for yourself to help you gain enough confidence and strength to level up.

Do you have any tips or advice on training at multiple pole studios? If so drop them in the comments below!