Verbal Cues in Pilates Teaching
In this blog post I will share my top tips on how to improve your Reformer Pilates Class delivery skills when it comes to verbal cueing. Verbal cues are one of the fundamental pillars of Pilates Instruction. Verbalized cues help to bridge the gap between your Pilates expertise and your clients understanding. On point, clear and concise verbal cues help clients get moving and transition from one exercise to another seamlessly. As well as create a fun, inclusive and uplifting Pilates session. I hope you find great reminders, inspiration, something old and something new to refresh your Pilates Instructions!
1. Good Old External and Internal Cues
External cues direct the focus outward, toward the environment, an external object or point of reference. These cues often involve imagery, spatial awareness, or alignment with external objects. External cues help individuals connect their movements to external references, which can enhance performance and technique. By focusing on external cues, clients can improve alignment, balance, and coordination, while also enhancing their mind-body connection. For example saying “turn to face the foot bar” give clients an external point of reference. External cues can help simplify the words we use for the initial set up and movement pattern, which is really beneficial especially for beginner level clients.
Instead, Internal cues direct the focus inward, toward the body and its sensations. These cues often emphasize specific body parts, movements, or sensations experienced during an exercise. Internal cues encourage practitioners to develop body awareness and proprioception, which is the sense of the body’s position and movement in space. By tuning into internal sensations, individuals can better understand how to activate and control their muscles effectively. For instance asking clients to “pull/suck the belly in toward the spine” could be an internal cue.
I believe that a mix of both external and internal cues will be beneficial in order to cater different levels of skill and understanding. I try to offer both “layman language” type of cues such as “turn your t -shirt towards mirror and then back toward me” to get clients moving in thoracic rotation. Afterwards I introduce more internal cues to enhance body awareness, form and further precision. For instance ” ok well done now can you keep your hips and pelvis still pointing to me whilst you are rotating your shoulders and ribcage to the left” in order to elevate my clients movement efficiency and skills.
2. Imagery Cues
The use of imagery is a highly effective method for communicating positions, movements, and sensations among clients. The use of imagery cues also helps you to bring some fun, creativity and personality into your Pilates classes. Imagery cues such as “stand tall like you are wearing a crown on top of your head” can help clients to visualize the situation in their head. And paint a vivid picture in their mind that can enhance their understanding. Some imagery cues can also make clients laugh and make them enjoy the class environment even more!
I love imagery cues as they help me visualize the exercise in order to understand more technical or anatomical cues better. However it pays off to be mindful of the nature of the imagery cues you use. Ensure they are rather positive than negative. As well as inclusive and as simple as possible. So that a group of clients are not left wondering what your imagery cue means or whether it was an inside joke.
3. Choice of Words To Empower and Educate
Include small educational tips into your verbal coaching . It will not only motivate your clients but help to retain them. There is nothing more empowering for a client than knowing you are in the right place doing the right thing. A trainer who educates clients about the benefits of Pilates/exercises and tells why they have chosen to teach these specific exercises stands out as professional and knowledgeable trainer. Its is evident they are passionate about helping their clients to achieve their goals.
Another consideration is to use more cues that tell clients what to do rather what not to do. Most of the clients want to be told what to do rather what not to do in a positive and uplifting manner. Although if your cue “keep the carriage open and still” does not hit home, you need to reinforce your cues by tactile touch or choosing another set of words that will be better understood. Sometimes this might mean you say “the carriage does not move” with a side of cheeky smile.
4. The Tone of The Voice
The way you speak to your clients in Pilates classes is just as important if not more important than the words you use. Your voice is part of you and your stage presence. The tone of you voice can make clients excited, unmotivated or bored. Confident, clear and enthusiastic tone will lead to a upbeat and positive in class experience where clients feel motivated and taken care of.
Voice projection is a vital part to make a Pilates class experience pleasant for clients. Learn to use various tones and colors in your voice, match the tone and voice level to your chosen exercises. For instance a slow and mean no springs planking sequence means a softer and slower verbal instructions. Whereas during a cardio focused sweaty jump boards sequence more powerful tone may be required to get clients pumped up!
I love to reflect back after my classes to evaluate whether I spoke loud enough, just fine or perhaps got excited and shouted a tad too much! I know that sometimes it can be real challenging to find the correct volume and balance between the music and voice projection!
5. Acknowledge and Praise Your Pilates Clients
In my opinion, calling your clients by their names, telling the whole group or an individual they are doing a great job is one of THE MOST IMPORTANT aspects of the verbal cueing for Pilates Instructors. Of course we need to tell clients first what we are doing, why and how to execute the exercise. But the support, motivation and praise will make the Pilates class environment so much more engaging and joyful!
6. Final Tips
- I find that using cues such as “the carriage moves out and in ” OR “the carriage is still/open or closed” are super beneficial for newer clients. Referring to carriage as an external cue will help clients to understand the nature of the movement (for instance knee tuck vs plank hold).
- I also like to refer to simple body parts (internal cues) when I describe the set up. Combining both verbal, visual and tactile touch is a great way to refer where to put hands, knees or feet. Whilst you speak the cues out loud you can tap shoulder blocks and knees to reinforce your verbal cues on where to place the knees.
- Alternatively, during the movement, you may refer to body parts and ask clients to keep particular body part(s) still and explain where the movement comes from/what body parts are moving as simply as I can. You could tell clients clients that their head and arms stay still/ in the same spot whilst they are pulling the carriage in and sliding it out by bending knees and then lengthening legs (foot bar facing knee tucks).
