This was a "classic" blog post originally published on August 21, 2014 when Allyson taught and lived in England. Some bits have been edited. Allyson/The Aerial Nomad do not take responsibility for any accidents that may occur during your pole practice.
Some of our students are just getting their first pole(yay!) and some of our students have a pole at home but never use it(tut tut!). When you’re in class, even if you have a pole to yourself for the entire hour, you have your instructor guiding you through a lesson as well as friends to talk to and cheer on but at home, it can be different. So if you can’t keep up the habit of pole practice at home or you’re just getting started, here are some tips to keep you self-motivated at home!
-Warm up AND cool down properly!
-Music! Make yourself a playlist of all your favorite songs to dance to and get going! :)
-What are you going to practice today? Make a list before you practice if you haven't done so already! It is okay if you don't remember the proper names of the moves just as long as you remember what you want to practice.
-DVDs. I'm not the biggest pole DVD fan as I don't think they're a good replacement for group/private lessons but on a day when you're seriously lacking in motivation they can help you pass the time on the pole. There are great DVDs out there that are helpful that don't contain difficult moves that require spotters. My favorites usually focus on floor work or sexy pole dance. I have a little collection of DVDs, want a recommendation? Just ask :)
(*Please note, you can swap out the word DVD for online pole tutorials... since no one does DVDs anymore haha This doesn't mean that I don't still have a few pole DVDs stashed away though!)
-BE SAFE!!! We're all adults here, use your best judgement and intuition. Need a spotter, but don't have one? Save it for class or a private lesson or for when you have someone you trust to be a spotter. Need a crash mat? Crash mats are expensive but lots of students make their own "crash mat" out of pillows & duvets. Again, use your judgement. Don't know how to do a move just yet? It is probably best you wait till you have been taught how to do it from an instructor first before you attempt it on your own.
One thing you will notice if you practice on your pole at home, in addition to taking your pole class, is that you will get better a bit quicker at the moves your struggling on. If that is not enough to keep you going, I don't know what is! So put your pole up(or dust it off!) and lets blast those moves we want to be better at! :)
Happy Pole Adventures! -Allyson