Going Back to Joe... Should you Train All Over Again?

If you are reading this - you have already been through some version of Pilates teacher training.

If you are reading this - at some point in your life you made a decision that you would love to teach Pilates - possibly as much as you love to do Pilates.

If you are reading this that decision may have turned out to be entirely true.
Or - it may not have.

For everyone reading this - the love is real. The love of being a student. The love of learning. The love of self-transformation. The love of and passion for - the work.

And hopefully - the love of teaching Pilates as opposed to doing Pilates - is just as rich.
Because being a great do-er doesn’t necessarily make you the best teacher.
Sadly, for many many teachers, the doing part gets lost when the teaching part takes over.

If you find yourself yearning for that long-lost sweet sensation of deep concentration, gratifying range of motion, the thrill of a small movement changing ….everything! - you know what I’m talking about.

Months or years after your graduation you may find yourself searching for a second or even third program. Signing up with new teachers and booking into multiple workshops.  

But will that work? Is one of these approaches any better than the other? 
To unravel this, we may be better served asking what exactly do you want to learn?

Here’s a few options paired with potential solutions. And while this is by no means exhaustive - hopefully it will inspires you to ask the right questions and start a conversation that will lead to the real change you are looking for.

Do you want to start over from the beginning?

To me this means - you are looking for a hard re-set. You want to erase your hard drive and re-build from scratch. You are looking for a new ideology, a new methodology and a whole new skillset through which to view your practice and your profession.

In this case- look for a program with the eyes of a newcomer. What type of Pilates is calling you? What type of clients do you want to work with? What type of teacher would you like to be? Explore full primary programs with a focus on teaching techniques. If you want to be a different kind of teacher you need to immerse yourself in a whole new program - from the beginning. Seeing it differently, doing it differently and sharing it differently.

Do you want to a do-over from somewhere in the middle?

Missing some things? If you find yourself looking for connections in the work or correlations in the system or even overall umbrella theories that tie concepts together - you are not alone. Like many Pilates teachers, a lot got by you that first time. Add to this - you may be looking for a change in style. Perhaps to broaden your appeal to a wider base of clients.

A Bridge program can be the solution here. Shorter than the first time, a bridge program can fill in the blanks and help you to connect the dots to build on your existing repertoire - but go deeper into the work. Cerebral thinkers, and teachers who like to analyze should look for bridge programs that require more than just teaching. You want to take an academic approach - not just memorize.

Do you want to pick up where you left off - at the end?

Want more exercises? Longer lists? Knowledge about special populations? Workshops and abbreviated intensives are where it’s at. You can also work with mentors and masterminds to dig in to your particular area of interest. For seasoned teachers with a narrow focus - there is no shortage of talent to learn from. Whether it’s business mentors or specialists you adore -there is a teacher and a workshop for every single Pilates topic you can imagine.

One final thought - the Pilates community can get a bit myopic. The magic skill you seek may be outside the Pilates bubble. Check out ancillary techniques to increase your real teaching skillset such as language workshops, diagnostics and evaluation education and even body work techniques like massage or assisted stretching to improve your hands on.

Good luck!

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