Motor Learning Strategies for Pole Athletes

Training for pole has its own unique skills and challenges. Part of this challenge is navigating all the unnatural movements that pole dance requires compared to the demands of our daily life.

In order to do this, it requires training for motor control - otherwise known as motor learning.

WHY SHOULD INSTRUCTORS FOCUS ON MOTOR LEARNING?

The point of motor learning is to enhance the smoothness, accuracy, and even the speed of a movement pattern by training the brain to make it "second nature." There are two ways to do this. The first way is through closed-loop motor control, which is the slow, deliberate focus kind of learning. This is required when trying to learn something that is unfamiliar to the body and the mind. Why? Because a lot of times the fight or flight response will kick in first if you are doing a new movement too fast.

A clear example is people learning to invert for the first time. Most people don't tip back far enough because their body is telling them "hold back you're going to fall." The same thing happens for any type of movement you are learning for the first time. The goal of the slow and controlled movement is to teach proprioception of the muscles required in the movement. Proprioception is just a fancy way of saying the muscles are firing correctly and in the right order for the demand that is placed on them. Doing things light, low, and slow can help your brain adapt to this new pattern of movement you are learning.

Typically you'll start to see vast improvements between a first round of trying a movement and the third round in a single session. The key thing to remember, though, is closed-loop motor control creates a motor program over a series of weeks, or even months of intentional, deliberate practice whether it is with good technique or bad technique. So remember again, training with good technique locks in a solid motor program that can be built off of intentionally. Training with bad technique means weeks and/or months of proprioception and re-programming in a closed-loop once again for another set of weeks or months. This can significantly set back the progress of a dancer and be highly demotivating.

This is why instructors should put form and technique above everything else and deliver it in a way that is compassionate and goal-oriented. Explaining the foundations of motor learning can help a form correction go smoother and help boost confidence knowing that "there is nothing wrong with them specifically" it is just "allowing the body to learn how to move properly" - and EVERY body has to go through this.

The second thing is open-loop motor control, which is just the execution of the learned motor program that was developed over time. It is preprogrammed, automatic, and reflexive in nature. I like to say that this is the movement that your brain has learned. It now takes no extra effort or thought to move the way you are moving - and it's highly efficient. However, it is learned poor technique or good technique, again, what you learn the brain gets efficient at.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

Sensory feedback is required to learn something new in movement. When something unfamiliar is performed, the brain must constantly make adjustments through sensory feedback from muscle spindles (within muscle) and Golgi tendon organs (within tendons). This sensory feedback is sent to the cerebellum where it corrects and coordinates the movement while it’s happening. It's pretty awesome how fast the brain can do this so that you can move quickly and efficiently. Except when you're learning - we've all seen it.

I call it "hesitating". It is important here to give grace to the person you are teaching, as well as yourself when you are learning. This hesitation is a sign that it is something that will need consistency and practice to master. This is also a good sign that you need a spotter. Unfamiliar movement for a body also means unfamiliar reactions to that movement. Having a spotter can keep you safe while giving your body allowance to explore and learn the new motor program.

Furthermore, the new movement should be performed frequently. Through practice, the motor cortex area associated with the new movement will enlarge, which gives the person better control of movement. Once the control of the movement is achieved, it can then be stabilized and finally, learned as an open-loop motor pattern. Additionally, the synapses between neurons and/or between neurons and muscle will strengthen - this will give you a faster reaction time. More speed. More power potential, and possibly even more strength.

SO WHAT DO YOU DO AFTER A MOTOR PROGRAM IS LEARNED?

Once a motor program is locked in, athletes can then practice the speed and power of the movement that is learned. That is why it is better to have the person learn the movement first, then once the technique is mastered - work on speed and power. This will not only make the movement beautiful but also be an appropriate progression for the brain. Which we love to see. An athlete first creates a motor program of a movement through deliberate practice.

These same practices can also help with correcting the faulty exercise movements that can lead to pain or injury. So again, it is important to be constantly looking at form and technique, because it helps every athlete perform better over time. And the more we teach the importance of this, the better results every single athlete will have and keep them out of injury. And the longer a dancer is injury-free, the longer they will stick with their program. Also, learning the motor programs properly will help them progress in a controlled and safe manner.

So FORM. TECHNIQUE. SLOW. CONTROLLED.

Happy Dancing.