I have been in the dog industry for 8 years, I’ve been a trainer for 7, and I’ve been taking circus lessons for about 5 years: Silks, trapeze, sling, rope, and recently tightwire. There is something about staying a student, always learning… and I have found peace like I’ve never experienced before while trying my best to use good form as I flip around and fight for balance.
I find the instruction of circus coaches to be extremely inspiring to my own work as a dog training coach. There is so much that goes into being a good teacher:
Knowing when to step in to help versus when to let the student figure it out themselves.
How much help to give and how to have a plan to wean that student off the crutch of your guidance.
When to praise. When to correct. What sort of attitude does that individual learner thrive with. Do they need to be babied? Do they need tough love?
When to explain and when to demonstrate.
When to talk and when to touch.
The utility of core skills: How to give people an emergency plan to always fall back on.
How to use different synonyms and metaphors for a cue until the instruction clicks in the learner’s mind:
“Let your chest be heavy. Drop your head to floor. Top half down. Toward me. Follow my voice.”
When to push for challenge. When to let people enjoy something easy.
How to orchestrate a group class full of completely different students that feels unified even when everyone is working on something different.
How to use your own students to demonstrate something.
How to make people feel strong. Creative. Powerful. Joyful.
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I have experienced a lot of fear in aerial and have admired how coaches have managed to empower me: I am afraid of heights! I get to a certain point up on the rigging and my heart races, my hands sweat, I get lightheaded. And I used to be very afraid of all "drops" - anything with momentum.
In dog training, we use a word called "splitting" to mean breaking up a skill into tiny individual baby steps. If you want a dog to get settle down on a target cot, you start with the dog putting any of its feet on the cot, etc. I frequently see aerial coaches "split" skills in different ways, too - and very creatively.
I've had coaches have me roll around on the floor to mimic a movement in the air. Had me do a move with extra wraps to support me before doing the same move relying only on my strength. Had me do a not-scary-skill that is completely different than the scary-skill but somehow still builds me up to be able to take on the challenge.
Aerial coaches have spotted me - holding hands on my limbs to slow down momentum, or letting my whole body fall into their arms. And then they fade off that spot with expert subtlety, sometimes standing nearby and simply pretending to touch me until I feel confident.
To do this well, you need a combination of powerful ingredients:
Observation, a keen eye.
Connection.
Empathy, experience, understanding.
Creativity, critical thinking.
This is the kind of coach and dog trainer I strive to be. "Train the dog in front of you" is a phrase used these days to seemingly justify any random training philosophy, but to me it means that you should always stay connected and thoughtful. Teaching is about doing with, not doing at.
And finally, there is something to be said about dog people and circus people being proud to let their freak flag fly. So you spent all day with animals. So you spent all day dancing in silks and playing with clowns. You gotta do you.
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