The Association, which is not for profit, has the primary drive to work in the interest of the independent Comprehensive Pilates teacher working in their own studio, freelance for others or teaching in halls and gyms. Our overall goal is to create a distinct occupation listed with a global occupation code. We raise awareness of the occupation, provide trade services such as insurance and discounts on booking systems and, most importantly, represent the views of our members to the Government and Government bodies such as Sport England/Scotland/Wales/Northern Ireland. We are an independent voice in discussions with the Fitness industry Bodies serving the interest of the teacher and the public. We also have members worldwide and while teachers may speak different languages and have independent teaching styles, the integration of the system of Pilates exercises on specialised Pilates equipment is universal. Our public register offers a list of teachers worldwide and those who offer teacher training. What does "Protect the Public " mean? The association works to protect the public and service users to ensure that a Pilates Teacher member has the appropriate skills and knowledge, ethics and integrity to deliver a Pilates lesson. Comprehensive Pilates Teaching has been practised consistently since the 1920s with formal teacher training programmes starting around 1981. Today there are studios around the world in most cities and towns which have a variety of offerings in name of pilates. Our registrant members work to a code of conduct and can only be listed if they have passed a qualification in person under supervision in the full system of Pilates, are in the process of training or teach mat from a school which offers Comprehensive Pilates education. What does "Protect the Method mean"
Joseph Pilates created and developed his system of exercise and apparatus from the mid 20th Century until his death in 1967. During this time many individuals trained with him and his partner Clara in their New York Gym. Several of those students became teachers of the method and many added their own particular styles and research to the work. Regardless of whether they added a small ball between someone's heels, some additional floor exercises or a noisy breath, they had learned the exercise system on all apparatus inside and out for their own body. After Pilates death, the studio was sold on several occasions and a trademark which had been put into effect, but not properly controlled, was taken to court in the late 1990s by a new owner of the business who was hoping to resurrect the mark and the protection it should have offered. The court case stated that apparatus, including Reformer, Cadillac, chairs, barrels, mat, and accessories such as magic circle, foot correctors etc., was an essential part of the exercise method. https://h2o.law.harvard.edu/cases/4808 but they did not uphold the trademark as there were now so many people teaching Pilates to others under different brand names and styles. Following the release of the “Pilates “name as a generic exercise method by the US courts in 2000, the fitness industry globally developed short pilates based training courses offering exercise on mats to existing personal trainers and fitness instructors. Pilates based mat exercise became commonly seen in gyms and leisure centres and often bore no resemblance to the work delivered by those who defended the right to use the name Pilates. The PTA work to ensure that anyone wishing to enter the profession is fully informed on the history, schools and the opportunity for individuals to research choices of training providers without bias. How does the PTA remain unbiased? We do not accept sponsorship, corporate funds or tie to any training provider. We work in a collaborative and evidence based way without commercial practices and are led by teachers views and needs, not those of a brand. "Pilates" appears frequently in academic literature but there is no consensus on the effectiveness of one style over another but there is often poor methodology ( what was studied as pilates) and sometimes bias ( where the researcher is paid for or works for a brand). Following qualitative research of the comprehensive Pilates teaching community in 2016-2017, a paper was published proposing a framework of descriptors for exercise classes with "pilates" in the title. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1360859219300762?via%3Dihub. It was proposed that academics and practitioners describe what they are researching or teaching as Comprehensive Pilates ( using the system of apparatus) Pilates Based ( using some exercises and some part of the apparatus combined with branded or creative exercises) Pilates matwork ( teaching the mat ) or not Pilates ( using generic exercises and fitness equipment such as bands, swiss balls etc.) Literature does not show clear effectiveness of one over another. How does the PTA collaborate? Our members come from a wide range of schools and many have additional qualifications from industry and the arts. We ask our members to review and discuss proposals and share their ideas and needs. The Board and members shape the Association. We also share and discuss our ideas with other independent Pilates associations globally and survey the community. In 2018 we invited every training provider in the UK to a meeting in Lancaster to discuss the future of the still unclassified and unrecognised occupation "Comprehensive Pilates Teacher". While some schools did not engage with the discussion, over 80 individuals including teacher trainers from several independent and global schools collaborated and discussed what constitutes a sound Pilates training provider and began to consider what a qualification could look like. The information on school criteria is due for publication later this year (2021) with further discussions in the pipeline for professional recognition. What do I need to do to become a member and what are your rules on CPD
To join as a member please go to our webpage http://www.pilatesteacherassociation.org/join-pta. Everything can be sent online. We do not prescribe or endorse CPD/CEC and leave it to the individual teacher to use reflective practice to identify what they need to develop and grow as a teacher. This is common within most health related professions. We recommend at least 12 hours of CPD per annum and at least 6 private lessons with more experienced teachers. We do offer a conference, online or in person which contributes to the CPD hours but is not compulsory to attend. If you are a Comprehensive teacher or in the process of training as a teacher and are committed to the Pilates method and want recognition for your occupation, are tired of tied cpd and want to see separate recognition from the Gyms and fitness sector, join the PTA. We are working for the teachers and led by the teachers.
