So here is the blog for all those who find that Pilates is the highlight of their week. So much so that they are looking to quit their jobs, change their careers, complete a Pilates Teacher Training program, and TEACH PILATES.

So, what makes a great instructor? 

What will ensure a long and successful career empowering others to move better everyday and feel amazing after your Pilates classes?

The Reality of being a Pilates Instructor

Well, there is good news and there is bad news. 

Bad News First. 

What makes a good Pilates instructor is not having oodles of energy, spending hours planning fun mat ‘flows’, ramping up the weights on your reformer, performing trendy ‘archival moves’, having slick social media videos or marketing, or jumping on whatever Pilates bandwagon has hit Instagram this hour. All of these trends involve expending a lot of energy performing as an instructor, rather than tuning into clients to help them produce real results. Most Pilates Instructors continually search for the magic course to make them a good instructor only to burn out quickly or injure themselves and move onto the next trend.

But There is Good News.  

It is possible to be a fantastic Pilates instructor with a long and fulfilling career, without injury, burnout, or competing for the lowest common denominator of fickle clients who will turn over quickly.

First off,  Teach, don’t Instruct.

Pilates is a system of movement for the client, not to demonstrate that the teacher is knowledgeable enough. As a teacher you are not telling a client how to perform an exercise, you are teaching them how to move well within the exercise. Develop the correct skills to make you a great teacher so you won’t spend all your time trying to prove you are a great teacher.

What skills do you need to teach Pilates well?  

• Knowledge of the exercises from basic to advanced versions, on all apparatus from Reformer to Mat to Cadillac to Chairs to Barrels to Correctors. (This means having learned the system yourself from an experienced teacher and practiced yourself to fully understand.)

• Development of  an ‘eye’ to watch and understand how a client is moving through an exercise.

• Clear verbal and tactile cues to assist a client in correcting their movements.

• Accountability from regular training with other seasoned teachers in order to not have a singular perspective on the system of Pilates and on addressing clients so you can adapt to the needs of the clients.

Secondly,  Train smart, not Trendy.

Invest in a Pilates teacher training program that will provide you with the skills listed above, ready to teach real clients, not left still puzzling through a manual online,  searching for more training to complete your training, or spending hours trying to make up Pilates for every class. (For more information regarding what teacher training programs should look like, see our blog post:  What is a Pilates Teacher Training Program?)

Finally, Embrace your Pilates Journey. 

Mastering anything takes years of practice and training and cannot be rushed or shortened with a quickie weekend course. Truly understanding Pilates in order to be a great teacher is not about how many followers you have on instagram or how many videos you post; it is calculated by the number of hours you apply to studying the Method, teaching that method to your clients, and most importantly, by your client’s success.