11 Things Your Pole Instructor Wishes You Knew Before Your First Class

Things Your Pole Instructor Wishes You Knew Before Your First Class

Thinking about trying pole but your brain has already given you 47 reasons why you shouldn’t?

You’re not strong enough. You’re not flexible enough. Everyone will be better than you. You don’t know what to wear. You’re worried you’ll look ridiculous.

We hear it all the time.

So, from an actual pole instructor, here are a few things we really wish you knew before walking into your first pole class.

1. Nobody is looking at you

Honestly. They’re not.

Everyone else is far too busy trying to remember which hand is their inside hand, why their left leg has suddenly stopped following instructions, or staring at the pole wondering how something looked so easy when the instructor demonstrated it 30 seconds ago.

One of the biggest worries we hear from beginners is that everyone will be watching them. The reality is that pole requires so much concentration that most people barely know what’s happening three feet away from them.

And if someone is watching? They’re probably willing you to get the move.

2. You do not need to get fit before you start pole

This is probably one of the most common things people tell us:

“I’d love to try pole, but I need to get a bit stronger first.”

No, you don’t.

You wouldn’t decide you need to learn how to swim before taking swimming lessons. Strength is something we build through pole, not an entry requirement for starting it.

You might not be able to pull yourself up, hold your bodyweight or do anything remotely resembling what you’ve seen on Instagram yet.

That’s completely normal.

3. Please don’t moisturise before class

This one isn’t motivational. We’re just trying to keep you attached to the pole. 😂

Moisturiser, body oils and some fake tans can make your skin incredibly slippery, and skin contact is actually an important part of gripping the pole.

So moisturise to your heart’s content the night before, but on pole day, we’d rather have you slightly ashy and alive.

4. We genuinely don’t care if you haven’t shaved your legs

While we’re talking about legs…

Your instructor does not care.

Your classmates do not care.

Nobody is inspecting your knees, judging your tan or wondering when you last booked a wax.

We need some skin exposed because your skin helps you grip the pole. That’s it.

Wear something you can move comfortably in and stop worrying about whether your legs are “pole ready.”

If you’ve brought legs, they’re ready.

5. Asking for an easier version isn’t failing

In pole we use regressions and progressions all the time.

A regression isn’t the version you get because you’re “not good enough.” It’s the version that allows you to safely build the strength, technique, coordination or confidence you need for the next step.

Two people can be learning the same move and need completely different versions of it.

That’s why at Pole Kittens, we don’t teach the room. We teach you.

6. You are probably going to get bruises

Ahhh, pole kisses.

Unfortunately, they’re a bit of a rite of passage.

When you first start using areas of your body to grip the pole, your skin isn’t used to the pressure. Inner thighs, backs of knees and shins suddenly discover sensations they didn’t know existed.

They generally become less dramatic as your body gets used to pole, but don’t be surprised if you find a mystery bruise two days later and have absolutely no recollection of acquiring it.

Welcome to the club. 😂

7. The person making it look effortless probably couldn’t do it once either

This is a big one.

It’s very easy to walk into a class, see someone effortlessly climbing, spinning or going upside down and immediately compare yourself to them.

What you haven’t seen are the months or years that came before it.

You haven’t seen the failed attempts, the conditioning, the moves they were terrified of, or the 700 times their instructor said, “Nearly! Try it again.”

Don’t compare your first few classes with somebody else’s few years.

8. You do NOT have to go upside down

There seems to be a strange idea that starting pole means someone is going to fling you upside down during your first lesson.

Absolutely not.

Going upside down — or inverting — is something that should come when you’ve developed the strength, technique and body awareness to do it safely.

There is SO much pole to learn before you ever need to think about being upside down.

And when the time does come, we’ll help you build towards it properly.

9. Please stop apologising when you don’t get something first time

“Sorry, I can’t do it.”

“Sorry, I’m rubbish at this.”

“Sorry, can you show me again?”

You never need to apologise for learning.

Pole is hard. That’s actually part of what makes finally getting something feel so bloody good.

Pole Kittens has always been about creating a safe place to fail, because failing at something doesn’t mean you can’t do it. It means you can’t do it yet.

We expect you to get things wrong. We expect you to forget things. We expect to demonstrate something more than once.

That’s literally our job.

10. Your instructor is still learning too

This one might surprise you.

Your instructor doesn’t suddenly complete pole.

We’re still training. Still conditioning. Still learning new moves. Still finding things that terrify us. Still having days where something that worked perfectly last week apparently decides it no longer belongs to us. 😂

Pole has endless room for progression, which is one of the reasons so many of us fall in love with it.

You don’t reach a point where you’ve “finished.”

We’re just further along the same road.

11. And yes, we really are proud of you

Sometimes you’ll finally get a move and immediately dismiss it because it doesn’t seem like a big deal.

Your instructor knows differently.

We saw when you couldn’t do it.

We saw the attempts that came before it. We saw you get stronger. We saw you come back after a class where nothing worked. We saw you finally take your hand off the pole when you were convinced you couldn’t.

So when your instructor shouts YESSSS! across the room…

We mean it.

Your wins don’t have to look impressive on Instagram to be worth celebrating.

The biggest thing we wish you knew?

You don’t need to arrive confident.

You don’t need to arrive strong.

You don’t need to be flexible.

You don’t need to know what you’re doing.

And you definitely don’t need to wait until you’re “ready.”

You just need to arrive. We’ll work on the rest.

If you’ve been thinking about trying pole fitness in Widnes but haven’t quite worked up the courage to book, our Beginners classes at Pole Kittens are designed to give you somewhere to start.

No experience required. No strength test at the door. No expectation that you’ll know what you’re doing.

Just come as you are.

We’ll see you on the pole. 🐾