Online Level 3 Diploma in Teaching Pilates Instructor Training Course

Further Course Information

• View Course Structure

  The Pilates Union UK Level 3 Diploma in teaching Pilates is split into two components:

  • Part One – Delivery of exercise instructional videos and guidance from Emma Newham of Pilates Union UK
  • Part Two – Delivery of 6 mandatory units at Level’s 2 and 3 by the online e-learning platform, from the Awarding Body, YMCA Awards

   

  PART ONE – Pilates Union UK – consists of over 14 hours of exercise video material alone, split into the following units –

  Unit One – Introduction (no videos)
  Unit Two – Pilates basics, fundamentals and technique -13 videos (90 minutes)
  Unit Three – Scapula stability – 6 videos (14 minutes)
  Unit Four – Pilates stretches and mobility work – 16 videos (234 minutes)
  Unit Five – Pilates Back exercise series – 13 videos (107 minutes)
  Unit Six – Pilates Upper Body Exercise series – 8 videos (61 minutes)
  Unit Seven – Pilates Leg exercise series – 11 videos (84 minutes)
  Unit Eight – Pilates Abdominal exercise series – 32 videos (351 minutes)
  Unit Nine – Anatomy Review – 18 videos (58 minutes)
  Unit Ten – Posture – 3 videos (35 minutes)
  Unit Eleven – Teaching Skills (no videos)
  Unit Twelve – Special Populations (no videos)
  Unit Thirteen – Class Planning (no videos)
  Unit Fourteen – Final Assessment Theory Quiz (no videos)

  PART TWO – YMCA Awards – Before doing the Level 3 learning, there are some mandatory units at Level 2 which need to be completed:

  Level 2 Mandatory Units

  • Lifestyle Management and Health Awareness
  • Principles of Planning and Delivering Group Exercise
  • Providing a Positive Customer Experience in the Exercise Environment

   

  Anatomy and Physiology Level 2 and Level 3

  Musculo-skeletal system
  Cardiovascular system
  Respiratory system
  Digestive system
  Nervous system
  Energy systems

  Pilates Principles and fundamentals

  Posture and postural assessment
  Background History and Pilates origins
  Pilates training schools and approaches
  Pilates Principles
  Benefits of Pilates

  Information gathering

  Health screening
  Medical referrals
  PAR-Q and Informed consent
  Risk stratification
  Medical clearance profile
  Confidentiality agreements

  Planning Pilates sessions

  Pilates exercise selection
  Modifications/Progressions/Contraindications
  Pilates Props and small equipment
  Lesson planning and progressive programme design

  Delivering Pilates sessions

  Communication skills
  Approaches to teaching Pilates
  Motivation  encouragement
  Tactile cueing
  Observation and correction
  Evaluating a Pilates session

• View Course Unit Breakdown

  PART ONE – Exercise Video Instruction from Pilates Union UK

  Course Duration and Video Breakdown

  There are 120 videos on this course. If you watched one video per day, it would take 120 days. It’s really dependent upon individual instructors and the time they have available to devote to learning. All learning must be completed before the 270 days is up.

  Total number of videos = 120

  Total Video Playing Time = 1034 (17.3 hours)

  Total Quiz Time = 60 minutes

  Total Reading Time = 700 minutes

  Total minutes = 1794 (30 hours)

   

  PART TWO – Mandatory Units from the Awarding Body, YMCA Awards:
  

  1. Providing a positive customer experience in the exercise environment (M/616/7824)

  Aim – This unit develops the knowledge and skill an exercise and fitness instructor needs to present themselves in a professional manner, provide excellent customer service and demonstrate effective communication skills.  Above all, to provide a positive customer experience, an exercise and fitness instructor needs to ensure the exercise environment meets health and safety requirements.

  2. Lifestyle management and health awareness (K/616/7949)

  Aim – This unit develops the knowledge and exercise and fitness instructor needs to promote a healthy and active lifestyle.  This includes the importance of healthy eating and offering behaviour change strategies to support clients to adopt behaviours that will help to prevent a range of health conditions.

  3. Applied anatomy and physiology (A/616/4747)

  Aim – This unit covers essential anatomy and physiology knowledge an exercise instructor requires for application to exercise programming and design for a range of clients.

  4. Principles of planning and delivering group exercise (R/617/1395)

  Aim – This unit covers the knowledge and skills, which a group exercise instructor needs, to be able to plan, deliver and review group exercise sessions for a range of participants, within the scope of practice.  This includes demonstrating effective communication to engage and fully support participants.

  5. Principles and fundamentals of Pilates (K/617/3542)

  Aim – This unit provides the core underpinning knowledge that is essential for Pilates teachers.

  6. Plan and deliver a Pilates session (M/617/3543)

  Aim – This unit covers the knowledge eand skills that a learner needs to design, manage, deliver and evaluate a progressive programme of Pilates for both individuals and groups.

  OPTIONAL UNIT – Level 2 Anatomy and physiology for exercise and fitness instructors (K/616/7823)

  Aim – This unit develops the learner’s knowledge of anatomy and physiology and how it relates to exercise.

  The Total Qualification Time (TQT) for this qualification is 373

  The Guided Learning Hours (GLH) for the mandatory units are a minimum of 215 hours

   

• View Course Aims and Outcomes

  Course Outcomes
  

  Gain a comprehensive understanding of the Pilates method, principles, repertoire and fundamentals and to be able to apply that knowledge to the individual exercises.

  Gain a deeper understanding of the individual exercises, including aims, target muscles, common errors, contraindications and modifications.

  Learn how to adapt and progress each exercise to cater for different fitness levels

  Review and recap on core and body anatomy.

  Learn effective teaching skills and cueing technique.

  Identify postural types and perform postural assessments.

  Students will be able to design a progressive programme and deliver a one hour Pilates session to relatively healthy adults

• View Course Costs

  The course costs £945 GBP

  A copy of the information contained in the Pilates Union Pilates Matwork manual is viewable online. Should you wish to have a hard copy of the manual, this costs £21.99 and is available online via the store

  The other cost is for the practical assessment. A fee of £45 is payable when submitting your practical exam video. This covers your assessors time to watch your video and give you feedback. This also covers the cost of your certificate

• Candidate Suitability - Prerequisites

  Candidate Suitability – Who is this course for?
  
  Pilates Enthusiasts – If you want to take your Pilates practice to the next level or if you are looking to make a career change into teaching this wonderful method, then this course is for you.This will allow you to combine your passion for holistic exercise, with a job you will love to do.

  Health Professionals – If you are a physiotherapist or similar health professionals, then you may already teach some form of exercise on an informal basis. This course will elevate your existing knowledge and skills to the next level and formalise your certification in order to teach professional classes.

  Fitness Professionals – If you would like to gain a deeper understanding of the body and a different perspective on movement, then why not add to your existing portfolio of skills. By adding another string to your bow, you can increase your income potential and an additional revenue stream to your business.

• What is the difference between a Level 3 Pilates course and a non Level 3 course?

  The difference between the two courses is the addition of the mandatory units from the Awarding Body (i.e. Part Two referred to in the answer to ‘Course Unit Breakdown’).  There are only 3 assessments offered for the non Level 3 Pilates course, whereas there are a minimum of 10 assessments for a L3 certification (hence the increase in price).

  In the UK, a ‘Qualification” is classed as an “Industry Award” – this is for big courses such as Pilates Mat, Yoga Mat, Personal Trainer etc – which are categorised as Level 3 qualifications.  These are considered solid foundation courses in a particular movement method.

  However, Level 3 does not mean anything outside of the UK.

  Many of the major international Pilates specialist training providers (Basi, Balanced Body, Stott, Polestar) all have UK training schools but do not deliver Level 3 courses – they don’t need to as they are so huge and therefore they can trade on their brand name.  They have chosen to stay pure to their own ethos and run their courses in the manner that they think Pilates should be delivered in a very bespoke, tailored way.  These companies successfully train hundreds of instructors in the UK each year.

  Many of the older Pilates teachers in the UK, who qualified over 20 years ago, do not have a Level 3 qualification – because they certified before Level 3 came into existence. That does not mean that they cannot teach Pilates or because they are not in posession of a L3 qualification, that it is not valid or worthy.  Many of the highly experienced Pilates teachers in the UK do not hold a L3 certificate.

  If you are unsure whether you really need a L3 qualification or not, then it is advisable to check two things:

  Does your insurance company ask for a L3 qualification?

  Does your employer want a L3 certified instructor?

  The answer to these questions may determine if you go down the Level 3 or non Level 3 route.

• Can I convert my existing Pilates certification with Pilates Union UK to the Level 3 qualification?

  If you have already completed the Pilates Union UK Mat Pilates course and passed all assessments within the last 5 years, then you can convert this into a Level 3 qualification by completion of the addition mandatory units from the Awarding Body, YMCA Awards and payment of an additional fee.

  The extra costs involved in this bridging option are as follows:

  • Student registration with YMCA Awards
  • Access to YMCA Awards online e-learning material for the 6 mandatory units (the awarding body charge per unit)
  • Level 3 certificate from YMCA Awards
  • Assessor fees to mark all ten assessments and associated paperwork

   

  The conversion cost starts from £395 (please note that prices are subject to change in line with YMCA Awards pricing structure)