Welcome to another month over here on the XPERT blog – and this time, as promised, I’ll be talking all about my time taking the amazing Flexibility Flow course.
One of my most favourite things about XPERT training courses is the option to undertake face to face training. First off, I’m quite a visual learner, so the option to watch someone in real life demonstrate the tricks and techniques really aids my understanding of the course material. Secondly, getting first- hand experience with the handpicked trainers on team XPERT is an absolute privilege. Not only are you benefitting from the excellent XPERT certification course content, it is being delivered by someone with many years of pole and aerial experience, who is handing down all their valuable additional knowledge sprinkled throughout the weekend.
Let’s talk about flexibility. As far as my own is concerned, I’ve always been quite lucky with my ability to split and backbend when required – but I knew full well that just because I could do these movements myself, it did not mean I would be able to just teach them to others. Much like any other aerial apparatus, those who may attend your class will have varying abilities with some having never tried flexibility training at all. And within that, flexibility training can also (sometimes) get a bad rep. We’ve all seen the odd tutorial on Instagram that hasn’t given much thought for body stability and safety. So how do we ensure that we are providing both valuable, as well as safe classes for students to take part in? And on top of that, how do we keep our students on track with their flexibility training when they may all be at such different levels? Keep reading to find out just how all of my questions, and more, were answered.
Hosted at the lovely Studio Flare in Redditch in the UK, Flexibility Flow took place on a chilly January weekend. As I arrived at the studio space, I received a warm welcome from studio co-owner Ollie and our trainer for the weekend Amy Williams. With pole dance experience of over ten years, and several health, fitness, biomechanics aerial and nutrition-based certifications, and a passion for all things anatomy and physiology on top of that, I knew we were in for a weekend of in-depth learning.
Compared to many of the other XPERT courses I have been lucky enough to attend, the Flexibility Flow certification involved a lot of sitting down and taking in the information (so if you are to take this course I’d highly recommend wearing your comfiest training outfit for lounging in!) That being said, Amy kept us on our toes with regular interventions of activity – including one of my most favourite exercises for the weekend. Involving getting into a few flex-y poses of our choosing, then applying Amy’s best tips and tricks for getting a better range of motion, and giving them another go, my mind was blown. This exercise perfectly highlighted how targeted, specific cues can make such a difference in achieving our most dreamed about poses.
Come day two, I’ll admit, my mind was a little frazzled, but trust me, it was in a good way. We had learnt so much, and covered so much ground within the manual, that my whole outlook on flexibility training had morphed – in a good way. The course is truly jam packed with content, all designed to help you deliver the most effective and safe flexibility flow classes at your studio. One of the most valuable pieces of knowledge I took away was Amy’s perspective on mindset. With such an emphasis on sitting down and discussing the content as a group, my eyes were opened to the many different perspectives even those within the class had to flexibility training which opened up so many unique and interesting possibilities and approaches.
Overall, I had a really great time on this course, and I am so excited to share all this wonderful new knowledge with my students to help them on their flexibility journeys!
I was lucky enough to grab Amy for a quick chat about the course, to discuss the course, and she had this to say:
‘I hope that the main thing that people will take away from the course is a changed perspective and outlook on their own flexibility and the flexibility of the masses. Flexibility is not this complicated unachievable thing, and once you understand the foundations and build on top of that it’s actually quite easy and straightforward, you just need to have that basic understanding.’
I ask her which aspect of the course she enjoys delivering the most. ‘My most favourite element of this course to teach is genuinely all of it (which is sad I know but I love this course!) If I had to choose, I especially love the bio-hack elements to do with nerves and receptors where we can explore changing how we’re feeling and our state of mind. It’s great to look at changing someone’s outlook on what they can achieve and what they can teach to others.’
She continues ‘Overall, I just love sharing knowledge and information, and learning and gaining from the students and instructors that I meet on these courses. I hope that on mass we can start to make some really fundamental changes on the little things – like breathing! We can simply just breathe more, and life will be easier. I hope that by in some way influencing, on some level, the people that come on this course, they are inspired to delve more into the elements such as nerve flossing or breathing technique. Whatever sparks their interest. I hope this then has a ripple effect and it aids them to move forward and teach others to live a happier and more comfortable life.’
As we round off on our chat, Amy shares this valuable nugget of information – which is a true testament to the spirit of the course. ‘Flexibility Flow is often misunderstood – it’s not like other flexibility courses out there, it’s a good mix of forward thinking current information whilst covering the basics of the human body, whilst promising that every participant will gain something from the course. You don’t need to be flexible, in fact they would learn more the less flexible they are, as they will learn it all on their own bodies!’
Feeling inspired? Head to the ‘book a course’ section of our website and grab yourself a spot on the next Flexibility Flow course – you won’t regret it!