COURSE REVIEW – Pole Fitness Level 3 and 4 by Lottie ‘Adore’ Sanders

Welcome back to another edition of the XPERT blog, and this month it’s a super exciting one! I absolutely adore attending and reviewing courses – is there really any better way to truly give you the inside scoop on all things XPERT? Well, this month I took the plunge and undertook my Pole Fitness Level 3 and Four certification – and I’ here to share my experience and tell you exactly why you need to undertake this excellent course

This course is a particularly special one for me, as it signals progression and growth. I remember when I first started out as an instructor and completed my level one and two, the idea of doing level three and four felt a million miles away. After all, surely the next level of pole fitness course would be so impossibly difficult, only for the strongest pole dancers, reserved for the elite of the elite (or at least, this is what my own minds’ conclusion was). Safe to say, my worries were unwarranted.

Something I absolutely love about courses with XPERT is the pre-learning available beforehand. You don’t have to turn up with no context, expected to perfectly memorise everything just from two eight-hour days. By heading to the online portal, I was able to gain vital knowledge on what lay ahead for me on the course; with anatomy and physiology learning, textbook snippets and a comprehensive online video library showing moves up the pole and XPERT-perfect breakdowns of each one. Before even attending the course, I was left feeling prepared, if not still a little nervous for what the weekend had in store (anticipatory nerves are hard for me to squash, I’ll admit!)

As I arrived at Studio Flare in Redditch, I received a warm greeting from Studio Owner and XPERT trainer Jade Bensilum. As we all assembled by the heater, yoga mats adorned on the floor and coffees in hand (the reality of courses held in winter here in the UK), Jade talked us through what we were to expect from the next two days. The course was different from level one and two, not just in content, but how the learning was laid out, too.

I really liked the way that XPERT had identified and acknowledged that this course is tough (although, not as tough as I feared, more, make sure you pack a good whack of protein in your lunch and have some epsom salts at home for a bath when the weekend is over). The way the weekend was scheduled meant that whilst still covering everything we needed for our assessment on day two, our bodies were not too tired to effectively teach our test-conditions-classes.

I thoroughly enjoyed the variety of moves on offer within the course. Often, we can mistakenly think that the more ‘advanced’ pole becomes, the more time we spend upside down. Of course, to an extent this is true – but the syllabus covered more complex spins, rotations and more grounded shapes like handstands and forearm stands too. As ever, the handbook provided not only knowledge on how to execute and teach moves, but also the tools to structure a well-rounded class that provides challenges and important foundational moves for students to improve and expand their pole skills.

Throughout the weekend, I really enjoyed Jade’s approach to teaching. She was great at fielding any and all questions, as well as shooting questions right back at us. There was an excellent balance of imparting knowledge whilst also encouraging us to participate and share our own experience too. After all, if you are undertaking level three and four training, the odds are you already have some teaching experience from completing level one and two. The way Jade delivered the content kept us engaged and interested, and ultimately meant that the content was easy to comprehend and exact in the XPERT way.

Another part of the training which always deserves an honourable mention is the emphasis on spotting. When I attended the XPERT ‘Train the Trainers’ week at their HQ in London, The XPOLE Academy, the head of training Stacey Snedden shared that a lot of their positive feedback and why people enjoy training with XPERT so much is the emphasis on spotting. I can see why – the explanations and techniques are comprehensive, and give you all the knowledge you need not only to safely teach your students, but also on how to safely spot them through moves too. The face to face training provides you with ‘hands-on’ experience which is simply invaluable. Jade dutifully worked her way around the room after teaching us each spotting technique to ensure that all our questions were fielded, and that we were demonstrating good quality spotting, the XPERT certified way.

Safe to say, under Jade’s excellent teaching and the comprehensive resources made available by XPERT before, during and throughout my course – I passed! Now, I’ll admit, my arms were a little sore after and I certainly needed a twenty-four hour break from outside leg hangs, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I would highly recommend level three and four pole fitness to anyone who is keen to take their teaching game to the next level – it’s a game changer.

If you’re reading this before the 6th of December 2024, then that means we are still in the midst of Cyber Week here at XPERT! Nab yourself a 35% discount on all courses, with the discount applied at checkout. If you’re feeling inspired by my blog – this is your sign to get booked in now.