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The other day I went for a fitness class which had both cardio workouts and conditioning sessions. (For the uninitiated, conditioning sessions usually mean sessions where we do a repetitive movement, meant to build stamina and/or muscles of a particular body part. For example, crunches to gain abdominal muscles, or “abs” for short.) During one of the conditioning sessions, I noticed that a girl in my class was doing a particular exercise completely incorrectly, and as a result after that exercise, her back was obviously hurting her.

What distressed me about that class was that the instructor had not corrected her. It wasn’t even as if it was a large class at that time; there were only seven of us. I could see that he saw that she was doing it wrongly, but instead of going to her personally and telling her what she should be doing, he merely demonstrated the correct method again in front of her, saying several times, “Watch!” It was completely ineffective as this was while she was doing the exercise (which had us on the ground face down), and she could hardly be watching while she was working out. Plus, she was doing what she thought she saw, which was one of the worst yet common mistakes that a beginner always make, so yelling at her to “Watch!” isn’t going to make her get it right.

I waited until there was a break in the class where the instructor stepped out for a moment, and went over to talk to her about the exercise that was done incorrectly. I’ve injured my back before, and I didn’t want anyone else to have to go through the same thing, and I couldn’t simply sit by and watch someone hurt themselves when I know I can help in one small way.

I’m not a fitness expert, and I’m hopeless when it comes to understanding how body parts are interconnected. After all, I am a Physics teacher, and I admit I do not like Biology (even though I scored an A for SPM. Hehe, sorry, can’t help but to boast a little in there). But having attended several fitness and dance classes over the past few years both under good and not-so-good teachers, I’ve learnt quite a fair bit about how my own body works and what I should or shouldn’t do, especially when I have a curve in my spine.

Being lucky enough to learn under one of the best dance and fitness instructors I’ve ever known, I learnt about how to correctly position my body when executing a move both for dance and fitness. She herself had suffered from many injuries and broken bones, and knew how to tell us how to avoid hurting ourselves.

Hence, for this blog post, I’ve decided to come up with a list on “How to choose a dance or fitness class that is right for you.”

Note: By fitness class, I mean any classes that are designed to increase your health and fitness level. These kinds of classes include and are not limited to yoga, pilates, jazzercise, martial arts, cardio dance, resistance training, and even dancing.

In the following list, I always say “studios or teachers”. I include the term “teachers” here because some teachers are not committed to a studio; in fact many teachers teach in a variety of studios or gyms, or even teach independently in community halls or their own homes. Some teachers can also be called to come over to teach a private class in offices (for the staff clubs) or private clubs. Instructors mean the same as teachers in this case.

1. Always ask for a trial class. Never commit to an entire month or course worth before trying the class, if you can help it. Most studios or teachers always allow you to attend one trial class. Sometimes, trial classes cannot be offered because the classes offered are only for a short period of time, usually by visiting foreign instructors, and they need you to pay up front as a commitment fee as spots are usually limited.

   Trial classes are great for you to see if the class is right for you. It allows you to get a feel of the dance or fitness style if you’ve never tried it before, and see if you enjoy it enough to continue. Even if you may have done this particular dance or fitness style before, it lets you assess the teacher and see if you like the way he or she teaches. In addition, it also lets you find out if the level of the class is right for you; sometimes you may have inadvertently joined an intermediate or an advanced class when you are a true beginner; or if you thought you were a beginner but you’re good enough to advance to a higher level class. Some places offer free trial classes; however most teachers or studios typically charge a trial fee which is for that one class you attend.

   However, if the class is an ongoing class or requires a long-term commitment and they are reluctant to give a trial class, this should be a warning signal. You wouldn’t want to plonk down a large amount of money in advance commitment, only to find out you don’t like the class, or if the class isn’t right for you.

   I speak from experience, because I signed up for a yoga class with an independent teacher whom everyone assured me was good, only to regret having paid a whole month’s worth in advance because I found the teacher far from good. If I had asked for a trial class, I’d have saved my money and energy (I forced myself to go for the remaining classes because I paid for them).

2. Ask, ask, ask! If there is anything you don’t know, ask the teacher! Don’t think you can figure it out on your own, or ask your friend. You’re paying the teacher for a reason! Does the teacher welcome your questions? If the teacher doesn’t like you asking questions, it is probably because he or she can’t answer them. Another warning signal.

   Of course, the questions you ask should be related to the class; not “what time do you get off work?”

3. Monkey See, Monkey Do? Bad Idea. Dance and fitness classes should ideally never be “monkey see, monkey do”. This means that all the teacher does is stand in front and demonstrates the moves, and all the students merely imitate the movements.This is bad in so many levels, because some people do what they think the teacher is doing. The problem with this is that if you are not familiar with the move, what your eyes see and what your body is doing can be two completely different things. The best that could happen is you merely step the wrong foot in the right direction; the worst that could happen is that you injure a muscle because you used it incorrectly in an attempt to imitate the teacher.

   The only times where it is acceptable for classes to be conducted in a “monkey see, monkey do” fashion are:

   1. The class consists of advanced students who already know how to execute the moves correctly.
   2. The classes are too large, and the teacher does not have time to go from student to student or group to group.

   However, in either case, it doesn’t mean that the teacher does not need to explain how to execute the moves correctly. He or she should still explain how the movement should be done so that each individual is able to execute it correctly without the teacher observing them. Merely demonstrating without explanation and expecting the students to follow is a terrible way of teaching, especially when the particular type of dance or fitness has great potential for injury.

   I’ve seen teachers who handle large classes (especially during a large workshop) still go around to demonstrate and explain the steps correctly so that those who are standing at the back of the class do not miss out or misinterpret what was taught when the teacher was at the front of the class.

   Remember that yoga teacher I mentioned in point 1? She was a “monkey see, monkey do” teacher. It shocked me because even though it was my first time attending yoga, I knew that good teachers would go around to correct the positions of the students to ensure that they were doing it correctly. All I saw this particular teacher do was sit in front of the class and do the moves and expected us to follow. In fact, several times during a class, all she’d do is just wave her hands at us to ask us to get our legs “higher” or to press our bodies “lower”. She never once explained how to execute the move, or observe us to make sure we were doing it correctly. For example, there’s this move which required us to sit on our bottoms while gripping our big toes with our fingers, and we were supposed to sit with our bodies and legs in the air. Back then, I wasn’t a yoga expert, but I knew enough (through my dance classes) that this move should be executed with a straight body and if possible, straight legs. Many of the students in the class had curved their backs and their legs were bent, in an attempt to get their legs higher and to try to balance their bodies. Did the teacher correct them? No. She merely waved her hands to signal us to get our legs higher.

4. Explain and demonstrate. Can the teacher show how the move should be done correctly? If the teacher says, “Do a leap in the air,” can he or she do it? If he or she can’t, can he or she at least explain how to get it done?

   We often get very impressed by someone who can do amazing things. Some dancers have a natural born talent which enables them to look fantastic when dancing without seeming to try. Some yoga practitioners can do impossible-looking movements we never thought was possible to be done by the human body. Some people win competitions all the time, because they’re just so good at what they do. But that doesn’t mean they can teach. Being good at something doesn’t mean they can tell someone else how that person can do it too.

   It is rare to get a teacher who are good at both – i.e. good at executing the moves, and teaching you how to execute the moves. But if you do find such a teacher, then that teacher is a gem worth sticking with. When a teacher is able to show the correct way to execute the moves, you will at least have a visual on how it should look like so you can check your own movements; and when the teacher tells you how to execute the moves, you will know how to get there.

   However, sometimes there are teachers who may not be able to execute the moves. The important thing is that they are able to explain the moves, and can watch you and correct you until you get it right. These teachers sometimes can’t execute the moves because they may have had an injury that prevents them from executing the moves. Or they may not have the flexibility or strength required (possibly due to age), but they recognise that you do.

5. Never take someone’s word for it. Just because someone tells you that the class is good doesn’t mean that it’s the right class for you. Always go for a trial class and assess for yourself.This is because someone’s perception of “good” could be very different from yours; or perhaps this person has not attended enough classes elsewhere to know what the right way is.

   Again, with reference to the yoga class I had signed up for. It was a teacher my friends got in to conduct yoga as a private class, and they had been with her for over a year, and assured me she was very good. That was why I signed up for the class without asking for a trial. To my utter dismay, in spite of it being the first time I was attending yoga, I found the teacher to be a terrible one (read the example of the class in point #3). Upon further prodding, I found that many of them had never attended other yoga classes, and the one person who had, had suffered from an even worse teacher (which makes this teacher fantastic by comparison).

6. Does the teacher know and understand your limits? This normally comes with experience, both from the teacher’s personal experience of executing the moves, and also experience from teaching. Different people have different capabilities. Some people are more flexible than others; some have injuries in different parts of their bodies; some have an imperfection in their bodies (like flat footedness, spine curvatures, vertigo, etc). This means that there are certain things that some people can’t do, and the teacher needs to recognise and must know how to get around it, if it can’t be overcome.

   For example, a friend of mine has been dancing since she was a child and is quite flexible due to her ballet training. She joined a yoga gym and because of her flexibility, executed many moves very well. However, one day she wasn’t quite warmed up enough, and while doing a stretch, the teacher who was walking around came over and pushed her lower, causing her to overstretch and injure her leg muscles. She was furious and asked why he pushed her, and he told her in an irreverent manner, “Well, you look like you’re flexible enough to do the move.”

   Any basic fitness practitioner should know that you never suddenly push someone during a move because it may cause unnecessary injury. They should always apply a slow and steady pressure until they find that the person cannot stretch any further.

   A teacher must be aware of the limits that the students face, and mustn’t make the students do beyond what they can do if it can cause injury.

7. Pains vs aches. A teacher must be aware of the students’ limits, but that doesn’t mean that the teacher won’t keep pushing! There is a HUGE difference between pain and ache.

   This is something that most people who are new to dance and fitness aren’t aware of, but is common knowledge to the veterans. Or at least, it should be.If something hurts and causes pain, that means you’re doing something wrong, and it’s time to stop! This could be because you’re not doing a move correctly. For example, if you feel a pain in your lower back, it might be because you are using your back muscles instead of your abdominal muscles, which can cause serious injury to your back. Sometimes, even if you are doing a move exactly like how your teacher explained or demonstrated, but it still hurts. This could be due to an injury or a deformity you have. For example, I have a curve in the spine which prevents me from doing certain moves that others can, and if I force my body to execute the move anyway, I can hurt my back. In this case, normally a good teacher will provide an alternative to achieve the same goal.

   However, if something aches, it feels like it hurts but it merely is because the muscles you are using have never been forced to work so hard! For example, for people who aren’t flexible, when they stretch their legs, the back of their legs seem to be hurting but actually they’re merely aching. In this case, you need to continually push yourself because you won’t improve if you don’t.

   Your teacher should be able to explain the difference between pains and aches, and should be able to know when to keep pushing you to do better. I have attended classes by teachers who are supposed to be experienced, but do not seem to understand the difference between pains and aches. They’d merely say, “If it hurts, stop!” without realising that it might merely be an ache due to an under-used muscle.

8. Don’t rush. Some teachers will speed up a class or ask you to try a difficult movement just to make you feel like you have improved so much. Oftentimes it is because you have improved and can cope with the quicker lessons or more advanced moves. But you need to also be aware of your own limitations. Have you really mastered the easier versions of the moves? When you do the more advanced moves, are you able to do them without hurting yourself?

   Be careful, because some teachers may skip to a more difficult move just to make you feel like you have advanced so much, but in reality it is a cut-price version that won’t help you get anywhere, or even worse, cause injury.

9. Understanding of the lifestyle changes, nutritional requirements, and the human body. Nowadays, it is very rare to find fitness teachers who can also guide you on your lifestyle change and nutritional requirements. And by lifestyle change, I don’t mean “You need to come to the gym three times a week.”

   Is the teacher able to guide you on how you should change your lifestyle to a healthier one? Is the teacher able to discuss your health problems and suggest some nutritional supplements or food changes? A fitness instructor is not a substitute for your doctor, but he or she should be able to give you some basic guides about how to make yourself healthier.

   In addition, since you are going for fitness classes to make yourself healthier, your teacher should be aware of the human body. If something hurts, he or she normally would be able to speculate a guess as to why it hurts. I repeat, your teacher is not a substitute for a doctor and if something really hurts, then go and get it checked! But generally if you’ve executed a move and it hurts, your teacher will normally be able to identify what you did wrong and what you should do to avoid it hurting. And if it hurts due to an old injury or imperfection, then your teacher should be able to provide an alternative move to achieving the same goal.

   Again, remember the yoga teacher I mentioned earlier? Yes, I know you’re tired of reading about her, but there are so many things wrong with that class! Prior to joining that class, I had overstretched and hurt my hamstring muscles, and was not able to walk properly (much less dance) for a few months. When it recovered, I did not have the same flexibility I used to, and was too afraid to stretch it beyond aching point (it’s a psychological thing). So when I went for the yoga class, I refused to do certain moves because I was afraid of hurting my hamstring muscles again, to which the teacher would look at me with disdain. And when I described the pain, she said I didn’t injure my muscles, I had injured my cartilage.

   I was flabbergasted. Wasn’t the cartilage in the joints? It was the back of my right thigh that hurt.

   In another example, I once signed up for a gym membership and I received two complimentary Personal Training sessions. The Personal Trainer only knew the basics of fitness and how to use the gym equipment; but when I told her I had a spine curvature, she didn’t seem to know what to do with the information. And when I used one of the gym equipments and felt a pain in my shoulder blade, she couldn’t tell me what was wrong nor what I should do to correct it.

   But of course I have had good teachers. During a jazz dance lesson, I once hurt my back doing a particular move due to the curve in my spine. Because of that, once I recovered, my teacher purposely made the whole class change the move in the choreography just to prevent me from hurting myself.

I know it sounds like I’ve had a host of bad teachers, but I have also been fortunate enough to have had excellent teachers. In fact, I’d probably say that having excellent teachers have “spoilt” me… meaning, I cannot attend another dance or fitness class without comparing the teacher to my excellent teachers. And if the teacher fails to measure up, I normally never stay for the class.

There are plenty of dance and fitness teachers out there, some better than others, some who don’t even deserve to call themselves teachers. If you’re lucky, you get the some of the best teachers in the industry. But that doesn’t mean you should give your teacher up! I’ve had some good teachers who although may not be able to explain a move very well (because of the lack of teaching experience), but did their best to try to get me to understand until I finally got it.

Part of the reason as to why there are so many teachers and instructors who aren’t very good out there is because many of them are mass produced. Years ago, in order to qualify as a fitness instructor, one needed to take a course to learn not only about how to execute the moves, but also to learn about the human body and about nutrition and food. But today there are many “fitness instructors” who receive their certificate after attending a course for a few months, and the only thing they can do is demonstrate a particular choreography.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that all teachers who go for a short course are not good. There are some teachers who already have a very good understanding of health and fitness even when they attend the short course. And of course, it depends on what they are teaching. Line dance teachers for example, are required to only teach the choreography in class; they aren’t required to teach technique or execution. There are still a few who do teach technique, because of their desire to ensure the students execute the moves well. But at the same time, I have also heard of students who have left a class because “all we want is the steps, why did she bother talking about technique?”, so I do understand the mechanics of the class is designed to match what the students want. But still, that doesn’t mean that the teacher can’t explain basic technique, especially to prevent injury to the knees and back (which are the most common injuries due to poorly executed moves).

I know this is a very long post, and it will certainly surprise me to know you have read it to the end! I’m not a dance nor fitness teacher, but I thought would like to share with you about my experiences, especially since it’s distressing to see how a lot of people end up hurting themselves because they followed a teacher whom they thought was very good, but is honestly, to say it bluntly, rubbish.

Thanks for reading!