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Love_A_Nurse:

what is freestyle exactly?

Now for a simple answer shouldn't be so hard to understand:

1. no prescribed choreography or music

2. the instructor chooses their own choreography moves and music

'Nuff said

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Recently published - my review of BodyPump 73 is available on my blog at:
http://rickinoz.com/2010/03/07/bodypump-73-review

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The forum member "pipera" is not a Les Mills Instructor, though his posts, signature and profile will falsely claim otherwise.

Since he has been economical with the truth on his profile, read the real facts here.

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trancendental:

Love_A_Nurse:

what is freestyle exactly?

Now for a simple answer shouldn't be so hard to understand:

1. no prescribed choreography or music

2. the instructor choses their own choreography and music

'Nuff said

You don't choreograph freestyle.

That is not what I was taught and no one I know who does freestyle ever chore's their classes and it should never be choreographed. If it was then it would be Bodyattack where you do what they tell you to do. In freestyle you work form Base Moves and then work in the options, then in the abs section you know what you are doing and in the cooldown you also know what you are doing working with base moves in stretching to end the class.

That is the magic of freestyle you can use the same CD next month and the moves are different and how you approach it is different. You also need to read the group you are teaching and work the options based on that. If you have a class of beginners then back to base, if you are working with a class you know and have taught them before then you can work more options in (intensity levels). That is what freestyle is all about.

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pipera:

You don't choreograph freestyle.

*sigh* For the sake of semantics, let's change point 2 above to:

2. The instructor chooses their own moves and music.

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---

Recently published - my review of BodyPump 73 is available on my blog at:
http://rickinoz.com/2010/03/07/bodypump-73-review

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The forum member "pipera" is not a Les Mills Instructor, though his posts, signature and profile will falsely claim otherwise.

Since he has been economical with the truth on his profile, read the real facts here.

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If the original op wants to pm me I have some excellent sources for freestyle music. They have an excellent back library of music and also have included mhr and bpm's in their releases. They are based in Europe and their music is royalty free. :) I also know a company in Australia that does the same and their gear is excellent as well and royalty free.

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Coming soon a new concept no one has ever done before and it has been in the planning for the past 4 years.

Check out the Latest 1/4 Releases at: Tracklist Central!

Check my profile the truth is out there - X-Files :)

Check out my Training Fitness and Exercise and Higher - University Vocational and Educational Qualifications Here!



From love and the gift of eternal joy comes peace and love!

Cheers :)

salawson:

When I choreo a class - whether it is spinning, step or kickboxing,  I am very careful to work both sides evenly & work all muscle groups and ranges of motion.

I have seen freestyle instructors walk in & wing it & it sucks - "freestyle" can just mean "not pre-choreographed" not necessarily "not-planned".

I think these statements from someone who actually teaches freestyle are worth highlighting.

It sounds like there is much more to instructing such classes than might initially be obvious, hence, not requiring prescribed chore does not negate the need for preparation.

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Recently published - my review of BodyPump 73 is available on my blog at:
http://rickinoz.com/2010/03/07/bodypump-73-review

---

The forum member "pipera" is not a Les Mills Instructor, though his posts, signature and profile will falsely claim otherwise.

Since he has been economical with the truth on his profile, read the real facts here.

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I have actually taught freestyle aerobics Rick. I have actually been taught how to teach freestyle aerobics by one of Australias leading 'freestyle' aerobic teachers. Also Rick the training manual I was taught with was written by one of the countries leading aerobic teachers. I actually know the lady and she was one of my trainers when I did my fitness leader back in the 90's 

So there you go!

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Coming soon a new concept no one has ever done before and it has been in the planning for the past 4 years.

Check out the Latest 1/4 Releases at: Tracklist Central!

Check my profile the truth is out there - X-Files :)

Check out my Training Fitness and Exercise and Higher - University Vocational and Educational Qualifications Here!



From love and the gift of eternal joy comes peace and love!

Cheers :)

Not to get into a war of words w/ fellow forum participants BUT - I hazard to guess that if someone went to a weekend workshop (even with the best teacher in the world) then walked in to teach a class w/ a CD & a fitness background - it just might be an awful class!  Anyone who walks in to teach a class completely "freestyle" no plan, no prearranged choreo (whether their own or purchased - like LM) is doing a great disservice to their participants.  No, teaching "aerobics" is not rocket science - but you better go in there w/ at least a plan! 

 

Absolutely...

Freestyle is not about "just winging" it. Every class I taught/teach was planned and prepared to be even, effective and fun.

One bonus of freestyle, in my mind, is that if the peeps are having a little difficulty picking up a move (as you break things down,then add, then add etc )..you have the luxury of holding the pattern as long as required..having said that, the old thoughts of "if you can't break it down well enough, take it out"..also comes to mind.

My Saturday morning aerobics class years ago..haha, I often took out any form of "spin or 360 twirl" type move as the hangovers in the house would suffer..keep 'em facing front and their brains wouldn't be 2 secs behind them...

Same with spin(or whatever you choose to call it..),to be good,and effective, it needs to be planned..disorganised chaos is not a pretty sight, and yes, a disservcie to those in front of you,..

trancendental:

pipera:

You don't choreograph freestyle.

*sigh* For the sake of semantics, let's change point 2 above to:

2. The instructor chooses their own moves and music.

Huge *sigh* YOU DON'T CHOREOGRAPH FREESTYLE !!?? WTF

If you want to give your participants a decent class you most certainly do. l agree with you Trancey . Pipera who was your aerobic instructing trainer - Donald Duck??? Hilarious

The experienced and educated instructor DOES choreograph their classes,but are flexible to change mid class if it's not flying with members.  It's not choreographed in the sense that on this beat count in the music you do XYZ like in the Les Mills programs.  When I taught Step, Strength,Slide,Senoirs and Hi/Lo I had a group of patterns-8-16 or 32 count patterns-I used 32 count music-I would arrange the patterns to the music but if a particular pattern wasn't working I would change it in class. I would drop and add patterns and change music very often.  I would have a couple of highly complicated patterns that over time would evolve from easy to hard and by the end everyone would have different options.  As someone else said I made sure that I was working the appropriate muscle groups accorrding to class design.  I teach cycling now and I plan every class-I have a ride profile (ie Interval vs,. endurance) and I pick apprpriate BPM  and mood music to fit my profiles.

I learned how to do this from some great instructors like Mike Bee, Jay Blahnik, Andre Hule, Tami Lee Webb.  Trust me they never got up on the stage and winged it.

Jpgirl:

When I taught Step, Strength,Slide,Senoirs and Hi/Lo I had a group of patterns-8-16 or 32 count patterns-I used 32 count music-I would arrange the patterns to the music but if a particular pattern wasn't working I would change it in class. I would drop and add patterns and change music very often.  I would have a couple of highly complicated patterns that over time would evolve from easy to hard and by the end everyone would have different options.  

That's how I used to do it too. I had literally hundreds of 8, 16 and 32-count blocks of choreography saved to my hard drive that I'd made up over the years (or stolen from turnstep.com or from choreography 'jam sessions' that we used to have at our gym). I'd put together blocks of choreography that met the objective I wanted for each particular class - be it interval training, lower body conditioning, beginner-level step class, whathaveyou.

There is most definitely choreography involved in freestyle, just that the 'choreographing' is done at the individual instructor level. Classes with absolutely no choreography are just... a hot mess and I shudder to think anyone would hop up on stage without a choreography action plan of some sort.  

Jpgirl:

I learned how to do this from some great instructors like Mike Bee, Jay Blahnik, Andre Hule, Tami Lee Webb...

Oh man, I used to be SUCH a Jay Blahnik groupie when I was a freestyler!!

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www.thewellnessshift.com

Hey Erin, I sent three instructors to the B.A. training. I promised them classes, and refused to hire a already trained instructor, then one of them refused to teach it and only wanted to teach B.C. Are you interested in attending? It's me, Debbie

pipera:

You don't choreograph freestyle.

That is not what I was taught and no one I know who does freestyle ever chore's their classes and it should never be choreographed. If it was then it would be Bodyattack where you do what they tell you to do. In freestyle you work form Base Moves and then work in the options, then in the abs section you know what you are doing and in the cooldown you also know what you are doing working with base moves in stretching to end the class.

Um the answer to this is: NO. I'm not one to correct people but this has to be done!

Along with my LM programmes I also teach (and present internationally) freestyle step and cycling. I am also currently involved in developing some current freestyle instructor courses to suit the modern teacher. Modern freestyle is 100% choreohraphed, from beginning to end. You know how many movements, combinations, exercises and repetitions. The difference from pre-choreographed is YOU (the instructor) get to choose the movements and combinations based on your knowledge and experience. This is called programming. When you teach pre-chore like LM, you actually take out the need to program as all of that is done for you.

The other fantastic factor about teaching freestyle is you can adapt your routine to your class participants, which is much more diffcult in a LM type format.  Not impossible, just a lot more difficult.

Modern freestyle is so much more advanced (note: not complicated, just better executed) than what we used to do back in the 80s and 90s, it has come a loooong way and we should all very much look forward to seeing more quality freestyle on the timetables around the world. There's a room for both pre-chore and freestyle IMO.

ErinC:

Jpgirl:

I learned how to do this from some great instructors like Mike Bee, Jay Blahnik, Andre Hule, Tami Lee Webb...

Oh man, I used to be SUCH a Jay Blahnik groupie when I was a freestyler!!

He's still around! He presents around the world at sold out conventions. Jay is one of the best in the business. What about Marcus Irwin, Petra Kolber, Rebecca Small, there's so many....

Had to come back into this thread.

Being taught Old Skool. 

I would like to say something without getting into a slinging match.

What you have advocated in pre-choreographed. It is not freestyle.

Well totally a different way to the way I was taught.

I agree you know your base moves, know how to program and was taught that, I also was taught and know how to write pre-choreographed classes.

I was also taught freestyle from the perspective that you get a CD or any tape and put it in the cd/tape player and just know how to start the class and then work through the session and then know when the cool down is and know your stretches and know how to safely take them out of the class.

You simply listen to the music, follow the BPM's and MHR and Borg Index. Based on this you can do the class without chore notes.

Has anyone been taught the same way I was taught?

That is how I was taught.

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Coming soon a new concept no one has ever done before and it has been in the planning for the past 4 years.

Check out the Latest 1/4 Releases at: Tracklist Central!

Check my profile the truth is out there - X-Files :)

Check out my Training Fitness and Exercise and Higher - University Vocational and Educational Qualifications Here!



From love and the gift of eternal joy comes peace and love!

Cheers :)