Sports Medicine

Selecting a Pilates Studio

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You’re either new to teaching, you’re moving to a new city, or it’s time for a change, and you’re facing the big decision of either opening your own studio or finding an environment where you can teach. This article focuses on the latter: how to select the ideal environment in which you can thrive as a movement professional. Below are some helpful points to consider in your selection.

There will be various factors unique to you and the city you live in that you’ll need to consider, and this can help you get the process started. – Kate Strozak,

First consider the type of environment that would appeal to you most. Here are some of the typical options:

  • Corporate options: this entails working for a studio that is housed within a larger complex such as a gym, social club, hospital, or university. The benefits of these environments are that you’ll likely have support from an HR department, consistency with expectations, and you likely won’t have to concern yourself with your own extensive marketing. Protocol will have been established and there will be processes in place to support you in your work environment. Some instructors dislike this option because it might feel restrictive in terms of established processes and procedures, and you’ll have to adopt their specific corporate culture.
  • Small business: this option involves working for an independently owned business, and the sizes can vary. Some of the perks include joining a business that has a unique culture where processes and systems are evolving over time. Some instructors thrive in this environment as it may be more conducive to flexibility, creating your own unique identity, and being able to run your own business within a business. On the other hand, working in a small business might entail inconsistencies in terms of rules and expectations.
  • Franchises: these are an interesting mix between how I describe corporations versus independently-owned businesses. Franchises are typically owned by somebody local who has subscribed to the franchise model. You benefit from the consistency and procedures in place, but you will need to subscribe to the larger franchise culture, which permeates each independently-owned franchise. Franchises might feel as though you belong to a large community, which can be a satisfying experience for somebody.

 Second, consider the type of clientele you would like to work with. 

  • If you are passionate about working with a clientele with a specific condition or situation, you could either find an environment with an existing reputation for that specialty or you can find an environment that would support you in specializing. 
  • If research is of particular interest to you, it would be helpful to find a university or hospital-based environment that has existing resources to support you in your endeavors.
  • For sports performance-based specialization, see if you can collaborate with professionals already equipped and servicing this population. Some professional sports teams are building out Pilates studios within their training centers.
  • For the general public, you have a wide spectrum of options, and you’ll likely select your environment based on a multitude of other factors, including some listed below.

 Lastly, these are some miscellaneous recommendations to ensure that you’re being selective with your decision.

  • Spend time in the prospective environment at various times of the day and on a variety of days. Notice how coworkers interact with each other and with clients, and notice the clientele that come into the space. Does it seem like a supportive, collaborative, and positive environment?
  • If possible, talk with some instructors who have been working there to get their perspectives. What are their favorite attributes about the environment? What are their greatest frustrations? How long have they worked there? 
  • Is your goal to progress to a management position? This is a nice thought to consider early on, and it might be something you could begin with or work towards over time.
  • Do the requirements for the position seem rigorous? If you’re looking for a place to work that is focused on high quality and caliber, they likely have more stringent requirements for instructors coming on board. Continuing education benefits are more than just a bonus; they can indicate that an organization is willing to invest in their employees/contractors and that education and development are highly prioritized.

Ask the person you’ll be reporting to how they support you in building your clientele. It is helpful to know these expectations from the get-go. Do they expect you to market yourself and attract your own clientele? Are they marketing you and generating leads for you? Do they already have classes and clients established for you?

 This process can be challenging and lengthy. Everybody responds to changes differently, and considering that we spend so much time and energy on working, it certainly is a big decision to make. Above all else, be selective and go with your gut. Try to find an environment that will be conducive to your personal and professional growth and evolution.

You can find Kate on instagram at @katestrozak

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Injury Prevention & Pilates Teacher Training

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Katrina Hawley NCPT, is a Polestar Educator and graduate of the Polestar Pilates Rehabilitation Program.
This morning I was working with a client who was experiencing shoulder pain due to swimming.  She asked me, “will my shoulder pain go away if I stop swimming?” I responded, “maybe, but do you really want to stop swimming?” She said no, and we then started the process of figuring out what was going on with her shoulder.  We spent the next hour using Pilates as a tool for problem solving. Her body’s motion was our research. We explored movement of the shoulder in different relationships to gravity. We moved through closed chain movements and open chain movements to increase proprioception, and we also progressed from exercises that assisted the shoulder to exercises that added gentle resistance.  But that’s not all, because our shoulder girdle moves in relationship to the rest of the body, we also looked at the thoracic and cervical spine as well as fascial connections throughout the entire torso.  Pilates became our method of change, and not only did my client’s shoulder movement change, but her entire emotional life was improved. Pilates is often thought of as a set of exercises, but if you attend the right Pilates teacher training, it becomes so much more.  At Polestar Education, Pilates becomes an avenue for critical as well as creative thinking and problem solving. The Polestar Pilates Comprehensive Teacher Training helps teachers learn how to see the body in front of them and then design a program based on their findings.  Pilates becomes a collaboration between two people instead of a script read by an instructor.  The Polestar Pilates Teacher learns how to cue movement using imagery and tactile cues as well as the timbre and rhythm of the voice.  All of this has the goal of creating a positive movement experience. What is the result of the Polestar Pilates curriculum?  Pilates teachers that are able to empower their clients to make change in the function of their lives.  Pilates teachers that can help an athlete enhance performance. Pilates teachers that can help their clients make an ache or pain disappear for more than just one session.  Pilates teachers that don’t have to say, “yeah it might be best if you stop swimming.” I love teaching the Polestar Pilates Comprehensive Series.  I get to see the “aha” moments when a teacher realizes, “oh there’s more than one way to do things.”  As students are mastering the different exercises and concepts, their bodies begin to change before my very eyes.  They tell me stories about how their life improves with greater movement, and then they tell me the story of how their heart grows when they are able to empower someone else.  I love teaching Polestar Pilates teachers because I know that more people will be able to keep swimming as long as they want!
Katrina Hawley is a Certified Pilates Teacher by the Pilates Method Alliance. She is also a graduate of the Polestar Pilates Rehabilitation Program. Katrina studied Somatic Movement approaches under Janis Pforsich, Aliza Shapiro, Charlotte Wile, Irene Dowd and Martha Eddy. From 2005-2010 Katrina was on the Board of Directors for the International Somatic Movement Education & Therapy Association (ISMETA) and now continues to be an ISMETA Registered Somatic Movement Educator (RSME). Katrina teaches Laban Movement Analysis and Pilates at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School in the Dance Division. Previously, Katrina was the co-director of Hawley Martin Dance (2001-2006) and she holds her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Temple University. She currently co-owns The Pilates Place in Hadley. For more information on the upcoming Comprehensive Pilates training in Hadley, MA or in a city near you, click here.

The Swing of Things – Pilates & Rotational Sports

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Golf, tennis, and baseball are just a few sports that demand mobility, stability, coordination, balance, and alignment for efficient movement. Athletes who participate in these rotational sports are excellent candidates for Pilates. If we take a moment to think about the demand placed on the body when playing any of these sports, we can quickly see that repetitively swinging the arm overhead, if not integrated with the rest of the body, can easily cause injury. Common injuries include rotator cuff impingement and tears, tendonitis, bursitis, sprains, and back pain. All of these things can be avoided and minimized with one thing…Pilates! As Pilates teachers, we know how to help our clients integrate movement efficiently. We are great at looking at the bigger picture. For example, when we observe someone performing footwork on the reformer, we are not just looking at foot and ankle alignment. We are watching how the knees track in line with the hips; do their hips seem level; does the weight distribution and timing seem to be balanced; are the ribs in line with their pelvis and softly resting on the carriage; are the shoulders open and level; is the head centered with their body? These are just some of the basic things a Pilates instructor is trained to see– just imagine how powerful a Pilates instructor’s intervention could be with an athlete! Pilates for rotational sports can help enhance this skill set by looking at the dynamic relationships of the body. Using Polestar’s six Principles of Movement, together with the Pilates repertoire, we can make better decisions about which exercises to use with athletes to optimize their sports performance. Pilates for rotational sports is synonymous with Pilates for injury prevention. As alignment is improved, efficiency and endurance increase. When our joints are moving in their optimal way, muscle actions are more balanced and the likelihood of injury decreases. By adding Pilates to an athlete’s workout routine, we can better educate them so that they can get the most out of their play. EXPERIENTIAL / TRY THIS AT HOME Increasing spinal mobility in general can have a very positive impact on rotation of the spine. Because all of our ribs are attached to the spinal column, increasing the mobility of the ribcage can increase the mobility of the spine. One of my favorite ways to access more movement through the ribs is through breath. Breathing for spinal mobility: Props needed – yoga strap, belt or scarf 1. Lie on your back with the strap under your ribcage, crossing in front; hold opposite straps with hands so that when you pull on the straps it tightens around your ribcage. 2. Pull the strap tight enough that you can just barely feel it against your ribcage. 3. Inhale and allow the strap to slide to accommodate the increase in size of your ribcage. Notice how much strap you let slide. 4. Exhale and pull the strap to help your ribcage narrow with your exhale. 5. Repeat this 8-10 times and see if the total difference from full exhale to full inhale increases.