Apprenticeship Certification

The Pilates Apprenticeship Model of Teacher Training 

By Joan Breibart

Is this the right time to bring back the apprenticeship model? Before answering, let's review how Pilates teachers were trained before 1992, when the PhysicalMind Institute established the first Professional Teacher Training Program.

Before 1992, Pilates teacher training was almost entirely based on apprenticeship. As a result, very few people were trained. Eve Gentry trained just three teachers in 25 years. Ron Fletcher probably trained twice that number. Romana Kryzanowska trained the most. At the original Pilates Studio, many dancers wanted to study Pilates but couldn't afford private lessons. So they participated in a kind of work-study arrangement, spending countless hours in the studio, helping, watching, practicing, assisting, and eventually learning to teach.

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