Pilates Teacher Training - The EssenceA Pilates teacher training certification is required from an institution by prospective Pilates teachers, to enable them to provide physical training to people at Pilates studios, therapeutic clinics, fitness clubs, or simply as a personal trainer. The main job that a Pilates teacher does is to improve the posture of the body, so that the bodys strength improves. Pilates teachers reach this aim by means of conditioning and strengthening exercises based on the following eight principles, namely relaxation, alignment, coordination, concentration, stamina, centering, breathing, and flowing movement. A number of accredited institutions offer certificate courses in Pilates teacher training that enables a person to become eligible to become a Pilates teacher. The course also needs some prerequisites. The prospective student must have knowledge of anatomy and also should be a certified or licensed fitness professional or a rehabilitation practitioner to be able to apply for this course. The structure of a Pilates teacher training course is also a rigorous one. The student needs to attend a total of at least hundred hours of lectures, observation, training, hands on training, and apprentice work, so that he or she qualifies to sit for the final exams. The final exams are also quite tough and have both written and practical tests. In addition to all these, after the student passes the exam, he also needs to attend continuing education classes, so that the certification status remains active throughout his/her career period. During the course of the training period, the student is taught the following aspects: * To work in a friendly manner with people, either one-to-one directly or with a group that contains from four to twelve people. * To understand the human anatomy, so that the student can design specific exercises, so that future needs and abilities of people are met. * How to exercise on mats and also through use of special type of equipment. * How to target the problem areas of people. * How to break down the exercises into sequential steps, so that people establish good movement skills, as a step to move to the more complex movement exercises. Leading institutions that offer Pilates training are namely the Pilates Studio, the Physical Mind Institute, Stott Pilates, and Polestar Education. A majority of these institutions offer courses through their affiliated studios or clubs that are spread throughout the world. The Pilates studio is one of the renowned Pilates teacher training institutions. It is located at 11 sites in the world. What makes the Pilates studio special, is that it teaches authentic Pilates exercises. Authentic Pilates exercises stick to the original techniques, forms, and sequences developed by Joseph Pilates, the founder of these exercises. |