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14 October 2015

Passing the Blame: Who is doing what to Kill Freestyle Step?

Passing the Blame: Who is doing what to Kill Freestyle Step?

Remember the days when Freestyle Step was the hottest thing in the fitness world? Way back when gyms were busting at the seams with Freestyle Step classes, instructors and members. Well, what on Earth happened?

With members dropping like flies and classes falling off gyms’ radars, Freestyle Step seems to be dying a slow and painful death. It’s easy to pass the buck and put the blame on someone or something else for this decline in popularity, but what’s the real answer?

Other programs

It’s true that the introduction of many other similar programs has caused Freestyle Step to be pushed to the side-lines. LesMills and H.I.I.T are just two examples of other programs which offered exciting new opportunities to gym-goers; after going to one class for several months, it’s easy to see the appeal in trying out something new for a change. However, the strict structure of the LesMills classes and the army style short interval highintensity burst of H.I.I.T. means that once you start, it’s very difficult to step away and return to Freestyle Step.


Gyms

Having all these other variations on traditional step aerobics has another knock-on effect. With so many similar classes, they’re all vying for space on gyms’ timetables; it almost becomes a competition for which classes can fill the prime spots. Unfortunately, as we mentioned before, nowadays this is usually programs such as LesMills and H.I.I.T., leaving Freestyle Step to languish forgotten and unwanted in the least convenient time slots.

You can’t deny that this is entirely down to the gyms – after all, it is a gym employee who decides which classes should be held on which days and times. However, is it worth cutting gyms a little bit of slack?

Running a gym is just like running any other business. At the end of the day, it all comes down to numbers and the bottom line at the end of every month. As awesome as Freestyle Step classes might be, if there’s another program that’s bringing in more money, then that’s the one that has to have priority. If gyms turned a blind eye to this and just kept the classes at exactly the same days and times forever, they’d end up losing money, eventually being forced to close down. With a gym that doesn’t open, there’d be no classes for anyone to go to – which is the very last thing we want to happen!

So, as it stands, the hype surrounds programs such as LesMills and H.I.I.T. For the time being, that means that gyms have to make sure that they’re held at the most appealing times for members, in order to continue drawing the crowds. It seems pretty obvious that gyms are making this decision, but it’s not out of spite or a lack of concern. Gym owners can love Freestyle Step just as much as the rest of us, but it’s all about business, so can we really blame them for choosing the most popular classes?

Yes, this might be the case now, but look ahead to the future. Who’s to say that this won’t change at some point in the future, with LesMills coming up against a long, slippery slope downhill, and Freestyle Step being bumped back up the rankings once again?

The instructors

The focus is often put on gyms for the decline in popularity with Freestyle Step, but don’t forget that instructors work hand-in-hand with them, too. In fact, you could say that instructors play an integral role in how popular any class is, because they can influence both the gyms and the members.

Think about it: if an instructor decides that he or she only wants to teach a certain skill level, or at a certain time of day, gyms have to accommodate that if they still want to run the class. The alternative option is to bring in another instructor who can cover the extra classes.

The trouble is that with Freestyle Step, the falling class numbers means that there are fewer instructors still willing to run the classes. What’s the point in turning up to teach an empty class? On the other hand, with LesMills being on the up, there are more instructors than gyms know what to do with. If one LesMills instructor cancels – for whatever reason – then it’s easy for gyms to just dip straight back into the instructor pool and fish out another willing teacher.

However, that’s not all. Instructors can make or break a class – whether it’s Freestyle Step or something else – so if they’re not feeling it then the members won’t enjoy it either. If an instructor would prefer to teach certain ability level or at a certain time of day, but decides to rise above their own preferences and still teach all the classes they’ve committed to anyway, then there’s likely to be some sort of boredom or ill-feeling towards the classes they don’t really feel like teaching. Of course, nobody would ever admit to it, but it’s true. Members pick up on this, so instantly the classes don’t seem as fun as they used to. I’m sure I don’t have to explain to you that as soon as a class becomes less interesting, members stop turning up, and we’re into that vicious cycle once again.

If you’re a Freestyle Step instructor reading this, think about your own actions. Are your decisions causing the death of your very own class? You’ve undoubtedly noticed a change in the popularity of Freestyle Step over recent years, but have you brought that on yourself by limiting your availability, choosing only to teach higher skill levels, or losing some of that passion for the classes you do have to teach? If so, now might be the time to take a good look at your own actions and to try to undo some of that damage – before it’s too late.

The members

Believe it or not members, you’re just as much to blame as everyone else! You might have picked up on it already, but now’s the time to address you guys properly.

You – yes, you – are the one who actually chooses to get off the sofa and go to the gym. You are the one who picks a class to go to, and you are the one who decides to stop going. Gyms can switch up the classes as much as they want to, and instructors can be as scarce or as common as they like, but neither of those facts is directly stopping you from going to a Freestyle Step class.

Everything we’ve covered so far, from the programs to the gyms to the instructors, has ultimately all been based around the wants and needs of the members. If the members simply aren’t there, then gyms don’t really have a lot to work with, do they?

Members: now is the time to stop placing the blame on everybody else, and to start taking responsibility for your own actions. If you’ve ever tried a LesMills class or any other program type class – even just for one week – then you’ve directly taken something away from Freestyle Step.

Who is to blame?

We’ve covered a whole lot of reasons why Freestyle Step isn’t as popular as it used to be. We’re all quick to pass the blame, but where does the fault really lie?

The truth is that we are all to blame. Taken individually all these problems might not amount to much, but as soon as you pile them all together it’s easy to see why Freestyle Step started to slide down a slippery slope.

Maybe we should stop trying to place the blame on someone else, and to start working to improve the situation for Freestyle Step. If we all – as gym goers, as gym instructors, as gym managers, etc…. all of us as individuals – try to put right the problems that we’ve caused, then before long Freestyle Step will return to its rightful position as one of the most popular classes in most gyms. If you want to bring Freestyle Step back, then it starts with you. Tell the gyms that you want more classes, and when they’re added to the timetable, go! If you’re an instructor, then learn to fall in love with teaching your classes once again, regardless of the skill level or the time of day.


Start now!

Do your bit, 

and let’s bring Freestyle Step back to life!


That was our article for October 2015. Remember to feel free to comment, or contact me via email to FreestyleStepXTRVGNZ@gmail.com, and comment on what you think of this article, or any article you have read, or just any improvements you may want to see happening.

Next month, we will looking at the subject of "Why is it so difficult to find a Freestyle Step Aerobic instructor to cover a class or a timeslot?" here we will looking at the main items that affect the instructor availability, or lack there of, when covering another instructor's freestyle step class, or taking a timeslot permanently at a local gym.

In November 2015 article... I will try to understand why is so difficult. Why there is really hardly any instructors around that can do Freestyle Step.

Bruno Jimenez
October 2015
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Location: Australia
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