It’s frustrating
I have had quite a few newbies in the studio in Dublin this month.
The studio I work in being a strength, conditioning and movement hub, it attracts a variety of profiles. When someone sign-ups, say, to a 8-week handstand course, they already are somehow aware of the fact that *handstands aren’t easy*.
But when they drop in to a class to try it out, with no prior formal interest to it, as part of a package where they get to experience each class and coach, they don’t know about that.
Heck, their niece can handstand, so what the hell is the story with this gym having a handstand class??
So they come, and I can tell in a few seconds that they’re not ready, watching them, listening to them, and I have my little speech prepared so that they adapt their expectations.
- They’re not ready for the slice of humility they will be served when they just kick-up at the wall and don’t reach it.
- They’re not ready for the ego bruising when they have been lifting for years but shake like a leaf halfway through the class for a 20 seconds C2W hold.
- They’re not ready to accept that they’re not their niece, that they’re heavier, taller and more afraid than her, and that this bendy child was probably not able to hold an actual handstand in the first place, because cartwheel isn’t a handstand, and stillness, harder than movement.
- They’re not ready for the rabbit hole behind the party trick, for the questioning, the enquiry, the self-doubt whispering in their ears, the ego constantly looking for prettier lines, faster learning curves and bendier, stronger bodies around them.
Of course, most times, it’s too much. They don’t come back.
That’s why this initial conversation, before the class starts, is so important. Why I have learnt to refine it over the years.
Sometimes though, they unexpectingly love it.
They understand why this is a practice.
Why we have 6 time slots a week dedicated to it. If we could, we’d have a room fully dedicated to it.
Let this remind you that what you’re doing isn’t ordinary.
It doesn’t sound exhausting like a marathon, it’s not painful like martial arts.
But it’s not F* easy.
Being a true fan is one thing.
Finding a way to train that resonates with you is another.
But only the hardcore make it past a few weeks.
It takes patience, resilience, grit.
You’re one of a kind.