Introduction

As a Pilates instructor course, you have the opportunity to help your students reach their fitness goals. However, this can be difficult when you don’t know how to teach effectively. Here are some tips on how to keep your classes challenging while still being fun:

Make your classes challenging but fun.

• Make your classes challenging but fun.
• Teach students to have fun.
• Don’t be too serious. Don’t be too relaxed. Don’t be too strict, either; that’s just as bad as being overly serious or relaxed!

Teach your students how to breathe.

The breath is one of the most important things to teach in a Pilates class. When students are aware that they are breathing, they can use their breath as a tool to help them feel present and in control. This will also help them keep their focus on their body during the exercises.

Pant-pant-pant! Sounds familiar? It should be; it’s how you probably breathe when you’re running for your life from an attacker with a knife or trying not to have your flesh eaten by zombies—either way, it’s not good for much else besides keeping blood flowing through your body so you can fight or run away as fast as possible. But in Pilates class, panting like this won’t get anyone very far: if anything, it’ll make them look silly (not something we want!). Instead, try slowing down those breaths and making each inhale last longer than each exhale. That might feel uncomfortable at first because our bodies aren’t used to moving slowly enough for us to take deep breaths—but keep practicing anyway!

Don’t use complicated language.

Don’t use complicated language. Teaching Pilates classes is different from teaching in a college classroom, where students are there because they want to be and often have a vested interest in the subject matter. Pilates students are paying you for their experience, so it’s important that you make it an easy one for them by using simple language. Don’t use jargon or medical terms unless your client specifically asks for those words—you know your client best. If you feel like someone might not understand what you’re saying (or will feel embarrassed asking about something), don’t say anything at all! And never use words that are too long or too complex for the class setting; this can make things confusing quickly—and no one wants that!

Choose upbeat music that keeps the beat of the class moving.

Music is an important part of a pilates class. As you’re teaching, it can help keep the students motivated and focused on what they’re doing. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when selecting music for your class:

• Make sure it’s not too loud or quiet. You want to be able to hear yourself speak over the music, but you don’t want it to be so loud that people have trouble hearing what you say or so quiet that they can’t hear much at all.
• Choose upbeat music that matches the moods of your individual classes. If you normally teach an early morning class with lots of energy and enthusiasm, then choosing fast-paced music will probably work well for this type of class; however if this isn’t always how everything goes down (for example if some days are slow ones), then perhaps choose something more mellow instead!
• Choose songs without distracting lyrics (or at least turn up those tracks). Music can get quite distracting if someone starts singing along loudly with their favorite song—especially when they start improvising new lyrics like “I really need some chips right now” while holding up one hand while still doing kickbacks!

Stay in control and don’t lose your temper.

You are the teacher and you must be in control of your emotions. If you lose your temper or become angry, you will lose respect, which is a shame because being respected is what makes teaching pilates classes so gratifying.

The same goes if you use sarcasm or condescending humor. Your students will feel they are not as good as they could be if they were able to do the exercise properly and this can lead to them feeling demotivated or guilty about their progress – neither of which are conducive to learning new skills.

Try not to be overly critical either: no one likes being told that they’re doing something wrong but it’s important for students to understand why an exercise may need correcting so that they know how best to improve themselves next time around. You should never make someone feel like an idiot just because they made a mistake during class; instead acknowledge each person’s efforts by giving constructive feedback whenever possible (e.g., “You should have bent your knees more when squatting down into lunge position”).

Try different things to keep students engaged.

• Try different things to keep students engaged.
• Don’t be afraid to try new things.
• Make sure you are always in control of the class, but don’t be afraid to let students take risks.

Be sure to hold students accountable.

• Holding students accountable is one of your most important responsibilities as a teacher. Make sure that every student is practicing, paying attention and doing the exercises correctly.
• If a student doesn’t follow directions, it’s OK to make him or her repeat an exercise until they get it right. This can be frustrating for you and for them, but people who aren’t committed to getting better will only hold you back from helping others achieve their goals.

Keep it challenging, but not controlling

Keeping it challenging, but not controlling, is important in your classes. Your goal is to create a space that allows your students to work hard and build muscle while also feeling safe and supported. You want them to leave with a sense of accomplishment and motivation, not frustration or exhaustion.

This can be achieved by finding the balance between giving your students enough freedom and guidance so they can get stronger but not giving them too much direction so you’re not taking away from their experience as well as their own personal connection to the exercises themselves. You should also consider how strict your class structure will be when deciding what type of workout plan fits best for each person’s needs:

• Not too strict: If someone wants more time at rest breaks than others (or less), give them that opportunity! While there may be times where everyone needs rest breaks at once (such as during plank pose), if someone feels like they’ve been working out for an hour already when only 30 minutes has passed, then let them take some extra time off without worrying about holding up the rest of the class!

Conclusion

The key to teaching Pilates is to keep it challenging and fun. The class should be challenging enough that your students are challenged, but not so hard that they feel overwhelmed or frustrated. You want them to enjoy their experience so that they will want to come back again and again! Polestarpilates.edu.au can give students a chance to learn more and experience Pilates.