Before the Cue
Train your eyes before reaching for more cues. A simple observation framework for Pilates teachers who want to see movement more clearly.
Know what to look for when a movement starts to unravel.
Choose one useful priority instead of correcting everything.
Build the pattern-recognition skill that confident teachers rely on.
A Short Story
Early in my teaching career, I thought the answer was learning more cues.
If a student struggled with an exercise, I assumed I simply hadn't found the right words yet.
So I collected cues. I took workshops. I filled notebooks. I listened carefully to experienced teachers and wrote down everything they said.
Over time, I realized experienced teachers weren't necessarily using better cues.
They were seeing different things.
Where I saw a student struggling with an exercise, they saw breath changing.
Where I saw a tight or lifted hip, they saw a compensation pattern.
Where I saw ten things happening at once, they knew which one deserved attention first.
That shift changed everything.
The Observation Guide is a simple framework that grew out of years of watching movement, making mistakes, asking questions, and learning how to organize what I was seeing.
I hope it helps you slow down, trust your eyes, and discover that the answer isn't always finding a better cue.
Sometimes it's learning to see more clearly.
What You'll Learn
-
Breath is often the first place change shows up.
-
How is your student managing effort?
-
Notice how the student’s body is organized.
-
Notice what your student does to complete the movement.
-
You can’t address everything at once. Choose one thing that will make the biggest difference right now.
Monthly Teacher Roundtable
Once a month, I host a free online conversation for Pilates teachers.
Bring a client case.
Bring a movement pattern you can't quite make sense of.
Bring a question you've been carrying around for weeks.
Or simply listen and learn from the discussion.
I'm Tricia.
I've been teaching movement since 2012 and teaching Pilates since 2016. During that time, I've worked with hundreds of bodies, each bringing their own history, habits, strengths, and compensations. What they all taught me is that movement rarely unfolds as neatly as it does in our training manuals.
Early in my career, I often felt overwhelmed by everything I was seeing. There always seemed to be five things that needed fixing and ten different cues I could give.
Over time, I learned that good teaching isn't about seeing more problems.
It's about learning what deserves your attention first.
The Observation Guide is the framework I wish I'd had when I started teaching. I hope it helps you slow down, observe more clearly, and enjoy the process of becoming the teacher you're meant to be.
Download the Observation Guide
Enter your email below and I'll send the Movement Observation Guide directly to your inbox. The Guide is a one-page printable framework for Pilates teachers who want calmer eyes, clearer priorities, and more confident cueing.
You'll also receive occasional invitations to free teacher roundtables.