Disappointing instructor training

If you want to attend Pilates classes at Pilates Dynamics you will probably have a positive experience. Many of the instructors are excellent. BUT, if you attend the Instructor Training you may have a less than satisfactory experience. I did the Pilates Reformer Instructor Training at Pilates Dynamics in April and May 2023. Andriesa, the owner, was my instructor. I received recognition for prior learning and did not do the Mat course. This was a mistake on my part; the mat work forms the foundation of Pilates. I was charged R1500 for the Mat manual and as a private (one on one) student I thought we may briefly cover a few of the key points from the Mat course during the Reformer course, as it became relevant, but that was not the case. I was told to read the manual (which I obvioulsly did) and when I asked a question regarding the mat work I was told I was completely on my own with regard to all mate material.

I found the teaching style and material dated. The majority of the class time was spent taking dictation. Even having worked with muscles for many years as a kinesiologist (post graduate diploma kinesiopractic) and being completely fami**** with the muscle names - I still found taking dictation at a fairly swift pace (that got faster) stressful. If you are not comfortable speed writing or typing muscle names like Coracobrachialis, Latissimus Dorsi and Gastrocnemius you may have a problem. As the muscle focus of each exercise is extremely important I suggested to Andriesa that it would be helpful to have this information provided in the manual, and she explained her belief that people integrate the information by writing it down. I personally would have preferred to spend much more time doing the exercises.

The objectives (e.g., to strengthen ankle-foot plantar flexor control) and contraindications (Spondylolysis and Spondylolisthesis) of each exercise are also dictated.

The hours of training delivered became a bitter and contentious issue. When I met with Andriesa prior to committing to the course I confirmed the details as per the course outline document I was sent. When I asked if we would be scheduling 30 lecture hours for our private classes, Andriesa said it would be 20 hours and that the other 10 hours consisted of tutorials and other input, which she was vague about.

When I received the time slots allocated to do the training, 19 hours had been scheduled. I was unhappy about this and wanted the extra hour scheduled. I received this response:

“Yes we are aware of the 19 hours. The 20 hours are based on a group class and with private classes we usually book 16 hours. Since you have not yet done the Mat Course, we have booked 19 hours. Everyone is different and learns differently but that des not mean we will not give you the other hour. We will see how it goes with lectures and we always add an hour.”

This was not what Andriesa had said when we discussed the course face to face, so this gave me an indication of what might happen in the future. After 17 hours of lectures Andreisa wrote “lectures finalised” on the time sheet next to our penultimate appointment and thus the lecture hours were ‘complete’. Three hours short of what was initially agreed. This left an incredibly bad taste in my mouth. Did I need the hours we agreed upon? Absolutely. When I asked how one is supposed to create a lesson plan and bring the exercises together into a cohesive class structure, I was directed to the 2-page Pilates Dynamics sample lesson plan handout, with no further explanation. That was the extent of the lesson planning guidance. I found that inadequate.

I was aware I would not develop the level of expertise I was looking for at Pilates Dynamics, so it was not worth the ugliness of fighting for the agreed upon time. Fortunately I was in a financial position to cut my losses with Pilates Dynamics and join a Comprehensive program with a company that has an internal reputation for excellence and a global presence where I have found was I was looking for.