Setting your pole dance goals for the new year

It is soon year end which means it is time to plan your pole dance goals for next year. Here Mel Nutter as Baudelaire shares with Pole in Style some of her tips.

"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream" - Anatole France The end of the year is approaching, and as studios break up for the holidays, it is a great time to reflect on your pole goals and begin to set new ones for next year. Will you be celebrating with your fellow pole dancers as your take selfies in the splits, or perhaps teaming up for some doubles Iron-X action? Don't stress if you didn't tick off all your pole goals this year. We are all guilty of dreaming big (rainbow marchenko anyone?). However, by reflecting on our goals we can see what went wrong and work towards creating more effective ones for next time.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to guide this reflective process: - Were your goals too easy or too hard? Did you get to July and realise that you had already accomplished most of your pole goals? It is beneficial to set short and long term goals so you can stay motivated and on track for the entire year. Easier goals will help you feel successful, while more difficult challenges give you something to strive towards. The process of building a timeline for how short term goals can build towards long term goals is outlined below. - Were there obstacles that hindered your progress? We all have lives outside of pole dancing and sometimes things happen that can limit training time. On the other hand a spontaneous decision to enter a competition may have meant that you spent more time training other things. Reflecting on what went wrong or why some goals were put on the back burner can help you put things into perspective for next year. - What other milestones may have you achieved that you didn't expect? Think outside the box. Maybe you discovered a new passion for Russian exotic pole, or you found yourself with more time for strength conditioning than you planned. Even though these achievements were not on your original list, it is important to pat yourself on the back for a productive year! Keep these other milestones in mind when setting new goals too, and be sure to include tricks, dance, and conditioning based goals. Reflecting on your answers will help you structure a new list of pole goals for next year. It is also important to include a plan for how to achieve your goals, not just create lists of dream moves with no clear path of how to get there. Planning A plan will keep you on track, and should offer a variety of avenues so you don't get bored with your training. A good plan will also support your strength and flexibility gains and aid in your overall pole dance journey, not just your path to one particular trick. After you list your dream move, break it down into baby steps that you will be able to work on in addition to the actual trick. For example: Dream move:

Phoenix Baby steps: - Regular static pole practice - Ragdoll - Ayesha / Static V - Iron X (controlled descent) - Handsprings with variety of grips (cup, split, twisted) - Cartwheel mounts - One arm spins - Aerial chucks Off the pole conditioning: - Handstands, shoulder strengthening, core work, breath work. Making time, and budgeting for private lessons could also be included in your plan.

Finding other ways to enter the move can also help. I've known many dancers who struggle with a superman when trying to go from an outside leg hang, but they find more success entering the move from a pike. Continuing to practice both, allows their skin to condition to the move, so when they do achieve their original goal, they can hold the pose for that perfect pole goals success photograph! Planning in this way allows you to understand the structure of the move and ensures that you don't skip any of the fundamentals that will support you in moving towards your goal. You could even put these smaller goals on a timeline and chart your progress. Rather than just attempting a Phoenix during every pole practice, struggling, and getting demotivated, and then not trying again for months, the smaller successes will help you stay on track and ensure you are always moving forward towards you dream move. Taking pictures and videos of your progress can also help you see how far you have already come. Let other's know of your goals so they can help to keep you accountable. A few years ago I challenged my instructor to do the entire curriculum on our bad sides. We were able to keep each other motivated and share in our success. Lastly, remember that pole dancing should be fun! Don't beat yourself up when things take longer than you anticipated. Rest days are just as important as training days, and even the smallest gains are worth celebrating!