Considerations for Green Teachers

I have been training teachers for the PhysicalMind Institute for nine years. My staff here at Bodyline has always Consisted of a blend of highly-experienced certified teachers with recent Concentration graduates. I have had the opportunity to watch many of my former students morph into seasoned teachers, but I have also become acutely aware of the pitfalls that new teachers can fall into.

Although it can be a huge asset to begin your career in the company of many other certified pilates teachers, it can also be challenging. Many of the clients that you will be working with are experienced and will be comparing your session to their previous workouts. Unfortunately this is a rite of passage for all new teachers, No matter how long you have trained or how many workshops you have attended, nothing can take the place of applying your knowledge with a real, paying client. It is impossible for me to prepare new teachers for every situation they will encounter, even with the dose of reality that Concentration teaching hours has given them. My goal with students is to provide them with the tools they need to teach safely and intelligently, and to inspire them to keep growing.

Props are Tools not Crutches

I know that a new teacher isn’t teaching Pilates if I see them give a prop to every client for every exercise. Most often a teacher will place balls and rings in various positions and cue their client to squeeze. Yes, your clients will feel something, for sure. They may even think and feel like they are getting “worked out.” Anybody can teach that way. This approach may appear Pilates-like, but it is not how we train PhysicalMind teachers. Props should be used to enhance a client’s awareness and connection to their body, not replace it. Bands, balls, etc. can be extremely useful and do give clients a deeper experience when used discriminately. Your goal as a teacher should be to give your clients a workout they can feel that is not dependent on the use of props. I do believe that most clients need to at least break a sweat during their sessions. A good teacher can do this just by teaching a modified hundred with correct Bow positioning.

Why So Much Flexion?

Green teachers tend to give sessions which overly emphasize flexion. While many clients would benefit the most from stabilization, it is easier to get clients to feel their abdominals while rolling up and down rather than while executing a leg circle. Likewise, it is easier for clients to feel the engagement of their glutes and hamstrings while performing an articulated bridge than it is for them to find the same connection during footwork. Balance should be your mantra. Be sure to teach stabilization, extension and rotation in as many planes as possible. As you become more proficient, begin to explore ways to take clients upright integrating exercises from Initiation and Concentration 201.

There ls Joy in Repetition

Do not forget that Pilates is a mindbody discipline. That means there is going to be repetition of exercises for many weeks to teach the client correct form and to deepen their connection while moving. With good breath and flow, Pilates can become a moving meditation. Green teachers tend to bombard their clients with different exercises each session. This way the client perceives the workout as “hard” and doesn’t get bored.

Unfortunately, this approach rarely results in a balanced body for the client. The client’s form and body connection does not improve and the trainer’s own growth is stunted. Instead of gaining more insight on how to really teach, trainers like this become “exercise junkies,” running from place to place to learn as many exercises as possible. This prevents them from really understanding the essence of Pilates. If you are merely counting repetitions for clients and dazzling them with new exercises, you have become their choreographer and not their Pilates teacher.

The Carriage is a Skateboard

The most serious injuries that have occurred in my business have not been while a client was performing an exercise. Accidents have always happened transitioning from one position to the [ext. The reformer is visually deceptive. Clients see a big surface area, a large frame and don’t realize how unstable it is. The carriage is essentially just a big skateboard on a track. It is up to the teacher to always partner their clients and make sure the equipment is in a safe position for a client to enter and exit from. Each and every time a client begins an exercise the instructor must first check the equipment. Not just spring tension, look for tangled ropes, unstable foot bars, spring bars. Inspect the loops or handles and make sure none of the hardware is caught.

lnspire Your Clients

Everyone experiences burn-out at some point. You can’t keep putting energy out without putting something back in. I don’t recommend teaching more than five clients in a row without at least a thirty minute break. Booking eight clients in a day should be your maximum-assuming at least one of the eight will cancel or be a no show. An ideal work week would be no more than thirty hours of teaching. If you are currently teaching more than that you should ask yourself how much time you end up chatting with your clients. I can assure you it is a lot because you are burnt. Burnout tends to happen faster when you teach alone, too much, in stifling environments or in workplaces where there is no one to mentor you. You must keep yourself interested in what you are teaching. As soon as you lose interest so will your clients. There are many ways to stay fresh. Look for a professional reformer class in your area. You can attend a workshop once or twice a year. Make an effort to read trade and fitness magazines. Try something new - yoga, tae kwon do, swimming, etc. - it will give your teaching a different perspective. Sometimes it is hard to invest time and energy into this aspect of your career, but you must if you want longevity. After eighteen years I am still finding better, more efficient ways to teach and Pilates is still interesting to me.

Be Friendly and Authoritative

The most important quality that a new teacher must have is confidence. Clients judge their teacher by how they present themselves with their body language, their voice and their overall energy. No matter how talented a teacher is a client will assume they are inexperienced if their overall vibe isn’t confident and inspirational. You must take charge of the session from beginning to end. There have been many times in my studio when a trainer was passed over by a client because they appeared unsure of themselves. Making a personal connection to a client right away will have a big effect on whether that client chooses to continue with you. Clients want to like you as a person aside from just liking your teaching skills. Be friendly, but don’t use your teaching to make friends. Don’t allow the boundaries become blurry. After years of teaching, I have many clients that I am close to, but I keep my personal life separate from my work as much as possible.

Maria Leone has been teaching Pilates since 1989. She is certified through the PhysicalMind Institute, as well as the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and is an accredited IDEA Master Trainer, in addition to a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do.

An internationally recognized dancer and choreographer, Maria holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts from New York University. In addition to her appearances in numerous television shows and movies, Maria has danced and choreographed with some of the most well respected luminaries in the business.