Becoming a Pilates Instructor
Do you want to help people learn how to move their body in way that enhances health, wellness and happiness? Do you strive to help others achieve their fitness goals?
Or perhaps you want to help patients regain full health and mobility through the use of pilates rehabilitation therapy? Whatever your aim, becoming a professional pilates instructor can be a rewarding and life-changing achievement that can help you help others.
How can you possibly choose the one that is best? There are literally dozens of pilates training and certification program types sprouting up all across the United States.
First, it may help you to narrow down the possibilities by sorting out the different kinds of programs that are available. One of the leading pilates organizations in the United States is the Pilates Method Alliance (PMA). The PMA has organized many of these pilates courses and training programs into different categories.
Training Categories
The PMA has organized a great deal of all the pilates courses and training programs available in the United States into two primary categories.
The first of these categories is labeled as course of study workshops. According to the PMA, course of study workshops are training courses in the pilates method. These may range from weekend long workshops to more extended workshops.
The PMA recommends that all directors of these workshops have at least five years of teaching experience in the pilates method. The PMA also recommends that the course facilitator have at least three years of pilates teaching experience. Course of study workshops are offered across the country.
The other basic category described by the PMA is known as comprehensive training programs. In order to become official members of the PMA, these comprehensive training programs must fulfill several specific criteria.
Comprehensive Training Programs
According to the PMA, a director with at least ten years of pilates teaching experience should head a comprehensive training program. The course facilitators must have at least five years of pilates teaching experience in order to be approved by the PMA. The program should provide students with at least 400 hours of training in order to complete the program.
A comprehensive training program should include several facets of training. According to the ATM, the training program should involve several hours of observation, lecture, and personal practice. The program may also include some kind of supervised student teaching.
Training on Pilates Machines
Another important facet of a comprehensive training program is that it includes training in pilates machines, including popular machines such as the pilates reformer, the ped-o-pul, barrels, chair, and trap table.
In order to complete a comprehensive training program, the student must be able to pass a practical and written test with passing scores. Also, the student must have some prior experience with pilates before being admitted to one of these comprehensive training programs.
Obviously, pilates comprehensive training programs must meet a set of very stringent requirements before they can join and receive advocacy from the PMA. If you are interested in becoming a certified pilates instructor, contract the PMA to find an approved training program in your area.