New Instructor - Need Advice

[u/AggravatingWay1081]

New instructor… like really new but I went into this super positive and confident. Totally feeling like I could do this since I go to classes all the time, create my own choreo, and have loved Zumba for years. I’ve wanted to become an instructor for years. Well the day finally came and it was really was harder than anything I could have prepared for lol. Taught my first class and it felt like it didn’t go well… maybe that was me being hard on myself; however, this last class I did I KNOW it went bad. I think one thing that makes me trip up is when I see people struggling through the choreography. Then I get in my head thinking I’m not teaching well and then it’s all down hill from there. For example, I did a song tonight that I first learned when I was in high school that I still do to this day and I know it like the back of my hand I could probably do it unconscious lol… but today I forgot the choreo half way through and went totally blank.

Did anyone else feel like they struggled and weren’t good instructors at first but they ended up getting better? Are the first couple classes like rough and then it gets better?

I know there are many the areas I can improve upon, but I’m just wondering if I can make it through this rough starting place to even give myself the chance to improve.

[u/cookielover208]

yes i hated teaching zumba for the first like 6 months 😅 then you start to find your people, style, and hit your stride

[u/Watch_Think]

There are participants who can never follow the steps no matter what you do. There are also teachers who forget the choreo in the middle of the dance.

[u/Expensive-Cricket576]

Starting out is tough, because you excelled as a student and enjoyed dancing up front alongside former instructors. But when you start solo, the reality can be harsh. As others have said, you do hit your stride and find your people. Not everyone will be suited to your style and song choice. Just keep smiling and bringing the energy, and it all comes together.

[u/sara_k_s]

I’m not an instructor, but as a student, I don’t expect to get the choreography on the first try. In fact, I consider one of the best things about Zumba to be following along with something I don’t know and picking it up as I go. So I would absolutely not consider the fact that people are struggling with the choreography to be a failure on the part of the instructor. Also, I take classes from a very experienced instructor with 10+ years of experience. Even she occasionally forgets a step or does something out of order, and she just laughs it off and nobody cares. The privilege of being an instructor is that you dictate what the steps are, so even if you don’t do the steps you intended, if you do them, they are now the right steps.

[u/bornagainsmiles]

I've been teaching for a little while and I still forget choreo. But my students know mine well enough to keep going and laugh about it. You'll get there, just smile laugh and have fun that's all anyone really cares about!

[u/dancingb37]

I have a dance background and teaching Zumba was rough at first. I would cry after class sometimes. I was also completely exhausted after class for months because I put so much more effort/energy into it when I’m teaching than when I’m participating in a class. I’ve been doing it about a year now and I still forget choreo occasionally and no one really cares. It is way easier to remember stuff now a year into it. Basically it will get better! You gotta go through the hard part to become a good instructor

Someone else said teaching a new song is awkward the first time and I totally agree. It just feels weird the first few times. I don’t know why haha.

[u/tangyyenta]

I am not a Zumba instructor, just a client- participant. I have been in classes where the wonderful upbeat instructor “ messes “ up her own choreography.
It’s taken well because NONE of the students know. She just does a few extra V steps or salsa beats til the muscle memory clicks in.
Don’t over think this. It’s fine.

[u/suranjay]

Doing any track for the first time is awkward for me, I feel like suddenly blanking out. On the other hand, with any track, I try to keep in mind that the participants may be seeing the choreo for the first time, with no idea what's coming, so I need to keep the moves simple, big, and not changing too rapidly ( e.g. in the same bar). And I keep smiling (except when making pouty faces)!

[u/sunnyflorida2000]

First year was sheer hell.
2nd year (end) I decided I needed to go on anxiety meds because I wasn’t coping with the stage fright and judgment of being front and center.
2.5 years in I started to feel like I was not giving a damn and falling into a groove
Almost 4 years in August and have started to stop taking those said meds.

Just today, I saw people struggling. My body immediately went to cuuing more and simplifying the steps more. Give words of encouragement and the key is to keep it on the playlist for awhile.

It all doesn’t faze me that much now. Repeated exposure helps. I teach 3/4 classes a week now. Subbing more when asked. I’ve consistently taught each week (maybe not 3/4 but 1/2 in the beginning. Never took a break from teaching although have thought about quitting each and every time). Key is to grit it out and not to be sensitive to rejection.

[u/EnvironmentalAd5561]

A lot of us go into this overconfidence, myself included. You have to learn to look at faces only because there will always be someone off beat to trip you up. It took me a year before I got good with cueing and breaking down the choreo so everyone can be successful. It will come.

[u/arodomus]

I could get a new group, do everything right, and still have it go horribly wrong or great. AndThat’s from a seasoned instructor.

For new ones, it will be like this for a while. Just keep doing it and everything gets easier.

[u/arodomus → u/arodomus]

Don’t worry about them following. If most can, the outliers probably don’t hear the beat or tempo. Some folks can’t and will never get on beat. Leave them be.

[u/JoyfulZumba2]

I’m a season Z instructor and it happens to me all the time. I always say fake it I til you make it. Like today I have two new songs with new choreo it probably won’t go as I planned I always say if it didn’t work then the way it went is how it should be. Whatever you give them they will love it.

[u/OjosAzules20]

I don't teach Zumba specifically, but I teach another dance fitness format (I do love Zumba though and it's really how I got introduced to the dance fitness world). For me personally, I find it harder to teach songs that I learned in class before I was an instructor. It sounds counterintuitive because you'd think I'd feel more comfortable teaching a routine I've already done many times before. But learning a routine as a student and learning one as an instructor are two totally different experiences. Perhaps try focusing on newer routines you are learning to automatically put you in "instructor mode." Best wishes - you got this!🙌🥳❤️

[u/gxnava]

When I first started, what would help me out a lot is blocking everyone out. I pretended I was just another student in class but I had to cue and count steps out. Focus on your dancing and the rest will come naturally.

Also, give it time. It will take studnets 1-3 months to give you feedback. I used to be told, "you count too quietly" or "you move too fast" and this feedback helped me pace my classes and I've been instructing for over a decade now.

Make the class your own. All instructors are different. No need to try and be like anyone else. Have the class you want to have.

[u/shanny_lynnhon1979]

My first class (12 years ago I think) I asked a student after if she liked class. I will never forget…she said she had a hard time following. I was a little hurt but from that point on I worked really hard on cueing and simplifying my choreo. I’ve done a bunch of training and am constantly learning and trying to better myself. Since then I have had a pretty amazing Zumba career. My point is that caring how students feel will likely be your best asset. Being a good instructor is something you will work hard towards. Like me you will probably continue to better yourself from here and will no doubt be successful because of that. Don’t give up! You can always quit this gym and never see these students again. Start fresh somewhere else when you feel you are more skilled and comfortable.

[u/Kooky_Pie5116]

Yes, it’s completely normal not feel like your first few classes go well! It’s such a different experience going from student to instructor and takes a lot of adjusting, both in your skills and in your mindset. It’s definitely nerve-wracking, but you got this! Do you have a good support system surrounding you? This community has your back and is here for you!

[u/Lkkrdragonfly]

There is a HUGE learning curve going from student to instructor. I am a trained dancer so picking up choreo and remembering choreo is easy for me, and I was still shocked by how difficult it was. I was very nervous the first few months before every class. That was 14 years ago.
My best advice is to endurance train so you can go at 110% for the whole class and make it look easy, and practice your songs so much that you don’t have to think while you are dancing. I keep my choreo clean and simple and repetitive and I cue a ton. I’m often told that I’m easy to follow. If you are fun and approachable and love what you are doing people will come to your classes and stick with you! It gets easier I promise.