Anyone else get frustrated and feel left behind?
lori_en
Posts: 133 Member
I had my weekly pole class last night and I went feeling really positive because of the progress I had made practising at home on Saturday.
But on the way home, I was actually in tears because for the whole hour I was not able to do a single move! Everyone else in the class who hasn't been doing pole for half as long as me (nearly 2 years) and don't have poles at home to practice on were able to get each move after a few goes! What probably makes it worse is that everyone in the class is younger, skinnier and a lot more flexible than me, so I feel like an elephant in comparison!
This is practically a new class for me as my teacher has moved studios so that probably doesn't help, and I know I'm really rubbish at pole and a stupidly slow learner, but I can't help feeling like a complete failure and that it's worth me just giving up altogether!
Please tell me that there's other people out there who feel the same as me from time to time and it's not a permanent issue?!
But on the way home, I was actually in tears because for the whole hour I was not able to do a single move! Everyone else in the class who hasn't been doing pole for half as long as me (nearly 2 years) and don't have poles at home to practice on were able to get each move after a few goes! What probably makes it worse is that everyone in the class is younger, skinnier and a lot more flexible than me, so I feel like an elephant in comparison!
This is practically a new class for me as my teacher has moved studios so that probably doesn't help, and I know I'm really rubbish at pole and a stupidly slow learner, but I can't help feeling like a complete failure and that it's worth me just giving up altogether!
Please tell me that there's other people out there who feel the same as me from time to time and it's not a permanent issue?!
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Replies
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Hi Lori,
Firstly, well done for sticking with the pole classes after loosing your teacher.
PPS - Patience, Persiverance and Stubboness.
Stay focussed and determined. Just look forward to the moment when you blow the class away with your expertise, because it will happen, my life experiences tell me so.
Keep practicing and get ready for glory. Just remember that classic line from the comedy "Galaxy Quest" .... "NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER SURRENDER!"
Mavis
PS: .... I still can't do the fireman .... the single simplest spin in pole and I still can't do but ... but I will, oh yes, I will ..... and I won't look like Bridget Jones when I do it!!!!
:flowerforyou:0 -
Thank you for that, since that lesson I have got a bit more positive about myself... still see myself as rubbish but as I've always had low self esteem anyway, I doubt that will ever change, even if I was to become world champion lol! :blushing:
I've been doing pole too long and spent too much money on it to give up now, so don't worry I will keep at it! I have written out a long list of moves to spend all day Saturday practising, as I feel more determined to crack a few at home while not in a lesson!
How many lessons have you had so far? I remember I was rubbish at spins when I first started, but I think once you've got the hang of one, they do tend to get a lot easier to learn each time... until they start getting really complicated lol!
Keep at it! :drinker:0 -
Mm. I used to. It used to bother me that I didn't progress as fast as Tara Karina - who was pretty much just starting when I... just started. Anyways, it was like 3 months after starting and she was getting all kinds of stuff and I was like, "I think maybe I'll invert sometime soon". I felt slow. And I'm a big girl, too, even when I'm not obese... so I would be down on myself and say I was going to spend so and so many hours practicing tricks..
Next month is going to mean 4 years for me - though I have admittedly spent almost 2 years off the pole due to a back injury, I can .. honestly say I don't give a duck. I am a -dancer-. And I love dancing. I dance for fun. Which means I may not spend an hour working on thigh holds, but I will spend an hour weaving my body around and performing tricks as a natural progression of my dance.
If I wont have a handspring until I've been dancing 6 years, so be it. I still will have the most incredible amount of fun up to that handspring, and if I ever run out of tricks to learn, it wont matter because I'll still enjoy doing what I do.0 -
Meant to reply to this last week, but it's taken me so darn long to find my article I forgot! Completely agree with the above - and very well put. We all have off days, sessions and times - at the moment I'm really down on my pole - I know I'm damn good, but I just have no confidence at all. There's no reason for this, but I guess constantly beign surrounded by people who are "better" or whatever, will lead you to make comparisions which are not always favourable.
below an extract from an article I wrote back in January. It kinda captures the essecnce of how I feel sometimes, and how I try to get my brain out of it a bit. And as above, keep poling lovely, you are awesome
***Pimmsblogs extract***
You know those sessions where you feel you’ve not “achieved” anything. Where that move wasn’t right, you couldn’t hold the pose; your arms just weren’t doing what they were supposed to. It can really bring you down especially if you think of it as a “bad” session. But really there’s no such thing; every session – whether you achieve or not – is building up your strength, your skill and your conditioning. And the next time you train, you may just achieve those moves!
Today has been one of those sessions. I’ve done 2 workshops in the past 2 days, so wasn’t expecting miracles! My Pole partner and I took it slowly, warming up with a brew and biscuit, before drilling some nemesis moves. We’re both struggling with Sailors – although she can achieve the one handed version which I can’t! I also worked on some back-catalogue moves – those which I’ve not done for a while, to try and polish them and work on conditioning. I learnt a new move in class on Tuesday – the Duchess, which involves a great deal of balance. As all my weight is in my legs it’s going to take a while to get – but I’m grateful for having the girls there to spot me and help me fiddle my balance into a more stable position!
We took it easy, rested and stretched frequently, and spent time comparing technique with the others. This is my favourite thing about a Jam – there’s always someone who does a move slightly differently, or can offer advice on how to get your own move stronger.
I didn’t nail the Sailors today, but I got closer. I may not have set the world on fire but I still feel like I’ve worked out, stretched and got some conditioning done. I had a good laugh, a catch up and helped others with support and advice.
And maybe next week, I’ll get that Sailors…
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Thank you for your supportive post, that does make me feel a lot better! I haven't bene back to pole classes since my last "bad" session, but that's because I ahven't been well.
My next class is tomorrow, and I know it sounds silly but I am kind of dreading it as I don't want to get disappointed with myself again!
I will try to remember though that even if I don't achieve a move, at least I know I'm getting a good workout!0 -
I have days like that too where I feel like I am not progressing and it is sooooo frustrating! But for me it is the opposite...I can do things in class but at home when I go to do them I can never do it! I've actually come to despise practicing at home because of this issue. I too am one of the oldest in my class with no past dance training and I dont take dance. gymnastics or yoga every day like some of these younger girls do & I have ZERO flexibility, so I feel like a SUPER slow learner compared to them sometimes.
But then there are those good days where something just clicks in class and I am nailing moves left and right and hanging with the best of em! That is what keeps me going and coming back to class. Pole is a journey...a VERY hard emotional and physical journey for sure but so worth it in the long run to push through and keep trying!
Keep your head up it will get better and don't give up!!! If you ever want to vent or chat message me
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