Some of your students will want more acro than their weekly class. That’s a great sign: it means they’re excited and ready to work.
But it’s not just about how much they train. Extra training needs to match the technique you teach in the studio. Otherwise, it can work against everything you’re building in class.
Here’s what to tell students who want more, and where to point them instead.
1. Practising Tricks on Their Own
If a student practises a trick they haven’t mastered yet, over and over without you there, they can build bad habits that are hard to undo. Then class time goes to fixing habits instead of moving forward.
Ask students to check with you before practising any trick on their own, so you can make sure it’s safe and smart for their level.
2. Trampolines
Encourage students not to practise acro on a trampoline. The bounce changes the technique of every trick, which makes it harder to transition back to the studio floor.
3. Gymnastics Classes
Gymnastics and acro dance share many of the same tricks, but the technique is very different. Switching back and forth between gymnastics technique and acro technique is hard on a student’s progress, even in a class designed for dancers.
Where Students Should Get Extra Training
- Private lessons with you or another teacher at your studio
- Workshops and camps that use the same acro dance technique as your weekly classes
- Home stretching and conditioning you’ve assigned
Ask students and parents to run any outside training past you before signing up. You want them to succeed as much as they do, so staying in the loop means they get the best possible training.
