Pilates Signaling
No one talks about it.
And yet, everyone does it.
Literally, every single Pilates teacher does it.
I’m talking about non-verbal Pilates cueing and it’s both under-sold and critically necessary.
Stroll back in time to see the videos of Joe Pilates himself cueing the Kneeling Knee stretches on the Reformer. His arm shoots out and bends back in sharply - practically barking its own commands. These movements accomplish several important aspects of teaching and yet they are largely invisible when we talk about how to teach, or how to cue.
In our own teacher training, I’m always on the looking for “conductors”. Those trainees that gesticulate wildly, approximating the movements of a real live orchestral conductor. These movements can go too far. They can distract the students from their own bodies and pull their attention away from the work at hand. But effective gesturing is a key component to effective teaching. Here are a few key reasons, that gesturing works:
It sends appropriate visual signals from the teacher that complement and amplify the verbal cue.
It reduces the burden that the student mentally translate words into movement which increases reaction time.
It alleviates the need for instructors to physically demonstrate which can also be time consuming.
Do you gesture while teaching? What do your hands do when cueing Rolling like a Ball? Do they make spinning or rocking motions? What about the Double Leg Stretch? Do your arms reach overhead? What do you do on your own body to cue a client to open the chest or activate their lats? Do you turn your own head or touch your own shoulders? I do all of the above. Maybe not every time, but also - maybe entirely all - the - time. Yeah, really.
I encourage all instructors to first notice, take stock of and then lean into their own ability to gesture and signal effectively. It’s a unique component of an individual teacher’s style and skill set and it can mean a world of difference In both the experience and results for your students.
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What about you? Do you conduct or gesture? What’s your favorite or pet peeve? Click on the title “Pilates Signaling” to leave a comment.