Both Ron and Joe expressed the importance of moving the body in a dynamic, precise and graceful way. This approach elevates a movement practice to a higher level of fulfillment for both the student and the teacher.
- ‘The quality of the work is more important than the quantity of time spent.’ - Ron Fletcher from Every Body is Beautiful
- 'Correctly executed and mastered to the point of subconscious reaction, these exercises will reflect grace and balance in your routine activities.' - Joseph Pilates from Return to Life Through Contrology
- '...learn the right way to do it, using your whole self-correctly.’ - Ron Fletcher from Every Body is Beautiful
It can be difficult to determine what defines qualitative movement. What is 'quality of movement' to you? How do you define this concept and incorporate it in your teaching?
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And how do they learn? Do you have clients who love to move very slowly with intent? Maybe they prefer a private so they can go deep inside and feel each movement. I am wondering if he or she is a kinesthetic learner.
How about the client who wants notes written for each movement...the person who wants to think the piece before they feel it... how would you describe that type of learning style?
Do your clients like to see a reformer piece demonstrated or would they prefer to hear you describe the breath pattern and movement?
And what style gives you the most joy? My favorite class is the one where keeping the flow is the thing. I want to see a fine teacher demonstrate a few pieces, as it is artful and inspiring to watch, yet keep the flow. Your thoughts?
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When I think about this topic and what it means to me, I remember something that I heard Ron say more than once...
"Teach what you know and not what you don't know".
For me, it comes down to this simple statement. As Fletcher teachers we are trained to teach movement, not to "fix" injuries or diagnose. We are not physical therapists nor should we pretend to be. When I get frustrated because I cannot figure out why my client is having pain or isn't improving despite their hard work and dedication, I go to a physical therapist and ask questions or send my client to the therapist to have a screening. It is a wonderful thing to have a pt in your circle of go-to people so that you can get professional, medical answers. I strongly suggest building a good repore with a pt in your community. A lot of times they will want to take sessions with you so that they understand Pilates and have a better idea of what it is you are doing with your client. It will also only help you grow as a teacher and Pilates student. I believe we must all be ok with looking in the eyes of a client and saying, "I am not a physical therapist so I cannot diagnose, but I know someone great who can.
Having said that, I feel there is a natural, rehabilitative quality that is the very foundation of the Fletcher work. I know we have all felt this time and time again. It is that "something" that attracts us to the work. It is nourishment for our mind, body, and soul. It is what keeps us in the work and differentiates Fletcher Pilates from various other styles. We have all walked into a Fletcher class feeling stressed from the day and the moment we begin to breathe, we feel centered and connected. This feeling is priceless and by no means an accident. Let us not forget the positive and powerful effect Pilates can have on us, our clients, and our community.
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The Fletcher Program Overview is a "Prep School" if you will, to prepare you the student for entrance into the Ron Fletcher Program of Study.
You may wonder is it important and do you need it. Well.......while we are not yet teaching teachers to teach, we are laying the foundation needed to become one.
The Overview is just that, a 30 hour look and feel of the Level l syllabus, however, we are now asking the student to become a partner in the learning process. To become aware of your body, its' learning style, to be self disciplined and to ask intelligent questions. In short............ an Overview of things to come.
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I love talking to new teachers about that awkward moment when they had to get up in front of the class and actually lead a roomful of people through movement for the first time. Everyone has a different experience it seems, but one thing that holds true for all---it was an "out of body/mind" experience for at least some portion of teaching the class. We wonder if we cued the right things, called our right hand our left mistakenly, or even remembered to get in all the spinal mechanics during the class. In our program, we challenge each student to first get the work in their own bodies, (as Ron says, "into our bones"), memorize the material, and begin the transition of learning how to actually teach others this expansive body of work. Teaching is much more than just calling out "exercises" with a few helpful tips. We strive to go much further down that path. We have specific "teaching labs" in our program and a process in which we lead the student to become a teacher, but first, let's talk about what it means to teach. I would love to hear some short definitions of what it means to be a Fletcher Pilates teacher...anyone?
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