Currently, for the first time since the start of 2016 I have zero pole goals. That’s right people, all pole goals for 2021 (there were only two anyway) have been well and truly fucked off. There are no showcases on my radar that I’m planning on entering nor any competitions either, so I’m not spending hours agonising over creating a routine. I’m not stressing myself out trying to conquer nemesis moves left right and center either like I once did, instead I am just pottering along to class each week and seeing what combinations we will be trying out, and I fucking love it.
I often feel like most forms of physical activity are goal motivated in some way. Phrases like “push it to the next level”, “power through the pain” and various other cheesy shit like that get banded around willy nilly. Well fitness industry you can take you cheesy slogans and shove them up your arse, because right now I have no interest in putting myself through ungodly amounts of pain, right now I just want to do pole dance because I enjoy it.
Of course, if having a goal based approach to pole dance training is what works for you then by all means crack on (I’m not about to yuck anyone’s yums here) but personally ,right now I am taking it back to basics and just loving going to class.I don’t feel like I’m wandering aimlessly with no direction to my training, instead I feel like I’m getting back to doing pole dance for the fun of it by removing the unnecessary pressure that I once overloaded myself with to achieve various pole goals.
Disclosure: The link above is an affiliate link, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Just going to class for the fun of it has taken me right back to how I felt when I first started getting obsessed with pole dancing in 2015. The excitement, intrigue and fascination has come flooding back, I’m trying out classes I haven’t attended in a long, long time (I’m looking at you Low Flow you sexy beast) and shit the bed I am even legitimately enjoying spinny pole class, which is not something I ever thought would happen. Could this be the novelty of our beloved pole studios being fully opened here in the UK once again? Or is it down to the fact that I now work from home four days a week, so I’m simply enjoying a chance to get out of the house? They’re probably contributing factors yes, but I genuinely believe the main reason I’m buzzing to be at pole dance classes at the moment is because any pressures to achieve goals and targets has been well and truly fucked off.
We put so much pressure on ourselves in everyday life. Whether it’s meeting deadlines at work, studying for a qualification, the expectation to live up to others requirements or whatever it may be, so why add stress to your hobby, which is ultimately something you took up for fun and to distract from the trials of daily life. For me personally, 2021 has been an absolute arse ache of a year. We (husband and I) were dealing with a mental house move, training Rex the rescue (anyone who has worked with rescue dogs knows this is not an easy experience) and changing work patterns all throughout a fucking global pandemic, so the last thing I want to do is be add unnecessary strain to my hobby. Instead I have turned pole back into the activity I do for me, and shit the bed does it feel good for the old soul to be doing something for myself again that doesn’t involve knocking back copious amounts of beer and rum (not that there’s anything wrong with that either).
At the moment, I am attending two pole classes a week (one static, the other spinny), a splits class and a practice session if I have time (more often than not it’s just the two classes.) At practice, I’ll either go over what we learned in class, or just fart around and train whatever I feel like, and hell if that’s a combo of moves I know I can easily do but fancy training anyway then I bloody well will. As previously mentioned, there are no showcases I am performing in at present, and levelling up into Advanced class has put me right off competing until I can confidently hold my own in that category. Therefore, practice sessions have also been declared as quality me time for the foreseeable future.
Since sacking off pole goals and training for fun, my pole mojo has returned tenfold. I’m not about that working under pressure life, and taking things at my own pace is categorically where it’s at from now on. If you’re struggling with getting your pole mojo back, seeing limited training progress and just generally feeling a bit down in the dumps when it comes to pole dancing at the moment, then sack off the goals for a bit and train for the fun of it, it works – trust me! For those of us who are your regular pole hobbyist, get right back to truly enjoying your hobby. We may not be the best pole dancers in the world, but do we really want all the bullshit that comes with that title? I sure as hell don’t. Training for enjoyment is where it’s at!
Disclosure: The link above is an affiliate link, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn commission if you click through and make a purchase.
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