For years, I was told that it was a pity that my knowledge and experiences within the Aerobic Dance Exercise Industry was not put to good use. I have been working at various other intellectual pursuits since I put the Academy training activities on inactive status in 1990. The contact with instructors and the outlet for me to "give" to the community has been reward enough these past few years. It makes a nice contrast to my new experiences as a small & micro business consultant and writer. I've enjoyed offering some healthy input to the aerobics instructor community. I really feel rewarded when other instructors from around the world do the same! Feel free to offer your ideas and concerns about the industry so we can publish them on this site.
-Michael Patrick Murphy, DBA and Founder, The Aerobics Academy
When you Join the Academy, you can ask all your aerobic dance exercise related questions and throw them out to our community, you might get some valuable answers. This link alone makes the Academy more exciting than ever! The link is located on the lower left side of the homepage. Click here to check it out!
COMPETITIVE AEROBICS
A recent email requests any any formation that might assist in Aerobic Dance Exercise Competition. Unlike many other organizations, The Aerobics Academy is firmly entrenched in assisting others to become healthier. Most competitions are more about ego, appearance or are "capability" driven. An Academy endorsed competition for Aerobics Academy instructors does not exist. However, one conceivable competition might be in how many people you have helped become healthier or how much measurable improvement an instructor has had with their students? I hardly think an instructor's ability to do the splits or dance like a Vegas showgirl qualifies them by Academy standards, especially considering the injury rates which move the activities into an unhealthy range!
One of the things I've been playing with lately, is an online learning system for aerobics instructors. (I really need someone dedicated and passionate that wants to carry the ball). However, if someone already has accomplished this, please let the rest of us know. In the event you wish to certify but you are too far from a certifying facility to make it economically feasible, let me make some recommendations.
The goal of certification is to put yourself before someone else's criteria. They will usually provide the criteria and exam for a fee. Unfortunately, it was my experience that the fee was more important than the criteria or the exam. In fairness, I hope that has changed since my last certification years ago.
In my opinion, the most important criteria is how you rate your own abilities and how your students feel about those abilities. An MCSE certification is held in high esteem, but if you can't transfer the application of that knowledge to your students, its not going to do them much good. I've known many that passed the exam by simply reading books on the subject and/or playing with the appropriate operating systems. Others felt the need to attend classes that cost thousands of dollars. Some of the graduates from both methods would still ask me for answers to what would appear to be simple questions. What drives us to learn is our passion for what we do. Training and Certification is one of many tools to that end.
When you are in a very remote location where training and certification is extremely difficult to come by, you can look to the online community which offers a plethora of information. Short of that and the local library, keep the next few paragraphs in mind.
There was always one trait in common with all Academy Level One certified instructors that I've trained. Though their tests consisted of a series of three practical exams and three negative point scored and short answer written exams, the industry's toughest, that tough test had little to do with the trait they all held in common. That trait is that they cared about their students. It sounds simple enough, but for many, not having that trait became their downfall. Unfortunately, some instructors can be uncaring and inconsiderate. They teach for ulterior motives that are more tied to their own social and physical agendas.
When you care about your students, the following processes will inevitably occur.
Caring about your students will eventually lead you down all of the right paths. These may or may not lead to the path of certification. However, it is possible for an uncertified instructor to still be an excellent one.
If you want to link to the years and years of experiences and research that may or may not go into some trainings and certifications, then you may choose to go to the added expense which may very well improve your abilities beyond your wildest expectations. Remember, sometimes reinventing the wheel can be a very long process which you will readily forgo when someone else is willing to show you how to do it.
To make a long story short, my focus would be on learning, not on the training or certification. Those are simply tools to help you learn should you choose to use them.
-Michael Patrick Murphy, DBA and Founder, The Aerobics Academy