Pilates Teachers let's think of those Key Concepts when teaching
When Joseph Pilates created his Contrology method, now called Pilates, he specifically designed Pilates to take the whole body into account. Joseph Pilates believed that finding your full range of movement for your body would prevent injury, heal and get you out of pain, and give you the ability to continue to do the things you wanted in the outside world. As Pilates teachers it is important to remember that movement problems are mostly just bad habits and as Pilates teachers we can replace those movement patterns with a better, safer and full range of movement for each client.
Teaching Pilates is a bit like detective work with each session. Watching your client move, figuring out what they need and how to truly not only get them more flexible but more mobile. Pilates has many different apparatus and exercises to help create that full body movement and connection but, as a Pilates teacher I realize that a lot of the things we are asking from our clients and their bodies are in every move! It is seen all over the Pilates work just in different positions and sometimes without or with spring. The body is learning how to navigate with gravity and the opposition of spring.
If we think of each exercise and that we have a toolbox with us as we work, how do you the Pilates teacher make sure your client has the right tools in their box for that moment? How do you give them those tools so they can explore and get stronger in their work and body? If you think of this with the full session and your client then all those tools will become available and the client will understand how to use them, or essentially get more mobility and stability for their movement.
Joseph Pilates created his mat work as a full body workout that built upon each exercise as the participant goes through the mat. He put an order to it as the exercises started with a basic move then to more difficult and then to complex. He didn’t create his work with beginner, intermediate or advanced. Why?
Every exercise can be broken down and notice i did not use the term modification. Many times Pilates teachers will think oh that is an advanced move and they can’t do it so we shall just skip it OR even a basic move due to some issue the client struggles with the curl or lift or reach so they prop them so much that the actual work and intent/purpose of the exercise is gone for the client. That client will never get stronger going those routes but, break it down? Build it? They will.
Pilates teachers just need to give that client tools to make it happen, break it down into the parts that send that client to the edge of that “I can’t” to “I can but it is hard” scenerio.
For the purpose of this blog and not going on and on for hours let’s just take one of those more complex exercises and break it down. Figure out what key concepts does this client need in this moment?
A few examples of things clients need to connect and figure out are that frontline activation and backline activation of the full body. Notice I didn’t say abs, glutes, hamstrings, shoulders etc. The full front and full back. On that same note is sideline activation, the full side! Both!
Arm/back connection and another is dynamic stability, which means can they keep something stable as another something moves dynamically? Think one leg circles!
We also work on inversion, backbending and shoulder standing. We could go on but, let’s move on with the key concept of this exercise then see if you can apply it to more.
One that maybe a lot of Pilates teacher don’t teach is Control Balance which is not really advanced but complex. It has many moving parts and many different concepts that the client needs to know how to navigate in order to make things happen.
We have built the client to it by all the exercises before on the mat. The rollover, shoulder bridge, scissors/bicycle, jacknife and more! The reality is that if this exercise is going to happen or building to where you know that client can go..well, you already have your answer as you have seen what happens with all that came before this move in all those exercises.
Knowing that Control balance has rollover, Rocker with open legs, side kicks, scissors, jackknife and spine stretch to name a few more. How did those moves go for this client? How was their side kicks? Side bend?
The first thing they need is the concept of that rollover right? Can they use that arm back connection to get those hips up and reach those legs enough to maybe take one arm off the mat and reach it over and past their head? Can they then take the other arm and reach it back? Stay balanced on those shoulders by continuing to reach those legs over their head to the wall back there?
Maybe that is the challenge and this is where they work and they don’t then go to grab a leg and do the full expression. This is when you look as their teacher and think what isn’t happening that maybe we have seen before? Are the legs not continuing to reach so they fall and can’t stay on their shoulders? Is that side line activation on one side compromised by tightness, weakness, or unevenness and we need to figure out how to get it more in tune with the full body?
Whatever that missing tool is for them we have a full studio to take them around and find a way to make them connect, get stronger and understand how to use that tool…which is their full body! Brilliant right?
There are so many springs to engage with the body to see if we can get those tools in that tool box. Joseph Pilates gave all these exercises to build upon each other to take the client further and connect as it moved OR maybe somewhere something is missing and it just keeps showing up because that tool is not there.
This is the moment for the Pilates teacher to figure out, how and where will this connect for them? We have so many choices from Wunda Chair, barrels, pedi pull, arm chair and more!
One important thing to remember as a Pilates teacher is that we can’t give that tool or concept in that moment in the Control Balance. We need to take that client to somewhere and something else to find that tool. That one or two or however many concepts that they need to challenge and get stronger for their movement. Maybe not to ever do the full Control Balance but, whatever building block they get to they feel connected, stronger and confident. This will all show up in the other exercises and in their outside the studio life in how they move!
So, next time you are teaching an exercise and wonder “what is missing?” Think of the key concepts they need in this move. Control Balance? Shoulder stand, inversion, dynamic stability as well as reach of arms and legs to stay on those shoulders right?
Like Joseph Pilates we want to look at each exercise and see the full orchestrated move of the body and when one thing goes missing or off we are there to guide and help show the way!