Pilates Matwork teacher training (week 11): Progressing well
This week, I taught 2 classes back to back. It gave me ample time to work on my students’ bodies.
CLASS 1
My objective for the first class was to have the class be able to do Roll Over with Leg Spread, hence, I had to stretch their spines, hamstrings, hips as well as warm up their abs. Now that they are more proficient in Roll Up, I introduced Neck Pull to challenge their abdominal strength and spinal articulation since having their hands behind their hands provided greater resistance. We continued with Stomach Series before moving on to Rolling like a Ball and Seal. Knowing that there are so much more variations to Rolling like a Ball really motivated the class to work harder! We carried on with the emphasis of shoulder stability through retraction and protraction and I used Pelvic Press to remind the class of the concept of keeping the chest broad and open, which is essential in Rollovers.
Through several sessions, I realised one of the reasons for the class not being able to touch their feet on the Mat in Roll Over was due to the fear of rolling off and losing their balance. So, a suggestion from Priscilla was to have the class work in teams. As the ‘do-er’ tries to reach her feet towards the Mat, her partner will support her feet to give her a sense of security. With that and the emphasis of keeping chest open by pressing their arms onto the Mat, they were amazed at how much more easily they could do Roll Over. We ended the class with a few attempts of Roll Over with Legs Spread:
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CLASS 2
For the second class, we focused on Spine Extensions with Swan and Double Leg Kick. One of the most common mistakes in Spine Extensions is not engaging the abs. I had the class activate and brace their abs while in prone for 30 seconds; I believe this will engage their muscle memories so they will consciously do it each time they get into prone positions for similar pieces.
I worked their obliques with Side Bend Kneeling. As they have done this piece for quite some time, I added variations such as lifting their hands off the Mat to touch their heads without unnecessary body movements.
I ended the class with Spine Stretch, Twist and Saw to stretch and rotate their spine and obliques.
Written by Jasmine Lee