Season 2, Episode 5: How much should I correct people?

Tania Huddart: Think about the first pancake you ever made. It's always a bit misshapen. A bit lumpy round the edges. Nobody throws the pan away because of it. You just make the next one. And that's what your client's first go at a new exercise looks like. So watch the first couple before you say anything. The body needs time to get to know a movement.

Host: Welcome to Build Confidence and Purpose with Pilates. I'm here with Tania Huddart: Pilates teacher, teacher trainer and author of Pilates & Purpose. Both voices you'll hear are made with AI. Every word Tania says is her own, and she's approved each one.

Last episode, we looked at who's actually on the mat in front of you. Today, what to do once they start moving. How much should I correct people?

Tania, welcome back.

Tania Huddart: Thank you. And this one comes up in nearly every conversation I have with a new teacher. I think it's because new teachers want to be useful. You see something that isn't quite right, and you feel you have to fix it. If you don't say something, you're not doing your job. That's the feeling, anyway. So you say something. And then something else. And then something else.

Host: Let's start with that pancake. Where did it come from?

Tania Huddart: It's an idea from leadership and education training. They use it to teach how people communicate. I've found it works beautifully for teaching movement too.

Start with you, though. Think back to your very first class. If it was anything like most first classes, it was a bit patchy. You probably over-analysed everything afterwards. You doubted yourself. You were far too hard on yourself. Mine was no different. But you lived to see another day.

Host: And the clients?

Tania Huddart: Your clients probably didn't even notice. They didn't see your rough start or the self-doubt. They were busy with their own bodies. That was your first pancake.

And it's the same for them. The first time someone tries a new movement, it's crusty and uneven. That's not a mistake. That's what a first try is. It gets better as they go, and it gets more interesting with your help. But give it a moment first. Let them get to know the movement before you add your voice to the mix. Watch the first couple of repetitions. That's usually enough. You'll see whether it's settling down on its own, or whether they need something from you.

Host: And if it's the same lumpy pancake every week? Same thing, same client, same mistake?

Tania Huddart: Then I'd look at my teaching before I look at their body. Maybe the words aren't working. Maybe it's too much in one go. You can break a complicated exercise into parts. Teach each piece on its own. Let them slow down and get each piece right before you join them up.

And show it again. When you first introduce it. Again as a reminder in the next class. And again at the end, as a last reminder. People need to see something more than once before it sticks.

Host: What actually goes wrong when a teacher corrects too much?

Tania Huddart: After twenty-one years of training teachers, I'd say this is the thing I see most in someone new. And it's one of the hardest habits to break, because it comes from caring.

But here's what happens. If you correct someone every time they move, they start to rely on you instead of themselves. They stop listening to their own body. They wait for your voice to tell them if it's right.

Host: Listening to their own body. What does that mean, in practice?

Tania Huddart: Your body is always giving you information. Where your joints are. Which way you're facing. Whether something feels steady or wobbly. That information comes from inside you. It's always there. And it helps you notice when something's off, and when something's improved.

Then there's what comes from outside, which is usually you, the teacher. Both matter. But if the outside voice never stops, people switch off the inside one. They hand the whole job over to you. And then what happens when they're at home, or on holiday, and you're not there?

Host: So the correction becomes the problem.

Tania Huddart: It can. And there's another thing. A lot of clients get far too much information. They're trying to hold ten things in their head at once. They can't. Nobody can.

You can't teach everything you know at once. If you try, people get confused, or overwhelmed. You can only share what fits in the time you've got.

It also gets easier if you build the basics first. When people understand the simple version of a movement, and they've had time to practise it, your feedback has something to land on. Without that, you're correcting in thin air.

Host: So what's the rule of thumb? One correction at a time?

Tania Huddart: One at a time. Give them one cue. Let them try it once or twice. Then, if they've got it, add the next. You don't need to share everything you know in one session. It takes time for a body to learn a new way to move. I'd rather you said one useful thing than ten clever things.

Host: Is there ever a time to jump in straight away?

Tania Huddart: Yes. Safety. If you see something going wrong that could hurt them, you say something now. Not after two repetitions. Now. A change in alignment that could cause an injury. A spring or a strap that isn't set right. You check those before they start. Patience is for learning. It's not for safety.

Host: And if it's not unsafe, just not very pretty?

Tania Huddart: Then it can wait. It doesn't have to look pretty. Trying a new way to move can look a bit unflattering, and that's fine. What matters is how they experience it. There's no wrong way to move. People already compare themselves to you, and to the person on the next mat. Your job is to make it a safe place to be a beginner, not a place where they feel watched and judged.

Host: When you do correct someone, how do you say it?

Tania Huddart: Start with what's working. When you praise someone, praise the specific thing they did. Not just "good". Say what was good. "Your shoulders stayed soft that time." Being clear like that helps them learn. And notice improvement over time. Tell them when it's better than last month. People need to know they're making progress. Motivation and progress walk hand in hand. When a client feels they're getting somewhere, they want to keep going. When they feel they're always getting it wrong, they don't. Positive feedback builds their confidence. And it makes them more likely to do the movement well again.

Host: And instead of telling them what to fix?

Tania Huddart: Often you can ask. Give them a couple of options and wait to see what they choose. Ask them what they noticed. Ask them to try it a different way. Telling people what to do all the time makes them passive. They expect you to have all the answers, and they lose their curiosity. When they suggest something and try it, they own it.

And when someone does answer one of your questions, welcome it. Even if the answer is vague or only half there. If they feel you're glad they spoke up, they'll speak up again next time. If they feel silly, they won't.

It helps to have two kinds of question. A simple one checks they remember something. "Where's your pelvis for the Hundred?" There's one answer. A bigger one makes them think for themselves. "How will you find a comfortable middle position for your pelvis today?" That one takes a moment. Give them the moment. It's very tempting to answer for them. Don't. The minute you do, it's your problem again, not theirs.

Host: Is that where the pancake comes back in?

Tania Huddart: It is. The pancake has three more lessons, and they're about this.

The first is that you can't see the other side of a pancake by looking at the top. You don't know what your client is thinking until you ask them.

The second is that you have to flip it to see the other side. That takes effort. Ask questions. Be curious. Give them a chance to explain how it feels from where they are.

And the one people forget is that the centre of a pancake is softer than the edges. People can seem a bit crusty on the outside. You have to get through to the middle. So listen without judging. Then check you've understood. Check whether your words landed. Did they understand what you said in the way you meant it? Very often a correction doesn't work because they heard something different from what you said. That's not their fault. That's just how words work. So ask.

Host: This sounds manageable with one person. But in a group class, with twelve people, how do you decide who to correct?

Tania Huddart: That's the biggest challenge in a group. Keeping everyone focused while you help one person. It takes time and experience to get good at it. I won't pretend otherwise. But it starts with the first step.

It helps to think about how much you're leading, and how much they're leading. At the start of a new movement, you lead. You show it, you cue it, you set the pace. The book calls that the Command style.

Then you hand over a bit. They practise it in their own time and rhythm, and you give quiet feedback to one person at a time. That's the Practice style.

Then you can offer a few levels of the same movement and let each person choose where to start. You step back and watch, and step in when someone needs you. That's the Inclusion style.

I love what that last one does for people. They learn to be honest with themselves about where their body is today. Not where they wish it was. That honesty is worth more than any correction I could give them.

Host: So the correcting gets lighter as the class goes on.

Tania Huddart: That's the idea. You're moving the responsibility across to them, bit by bit. And you can carry that outside the studio. Ask people to practise the movement twice more at home. Tie it to something they already do. A balance exercise while they brush their teeth, or wash the dishes. No extra time needed.

Host: And what about when your correction just doesn't work? You say something and they look at you blankly.

Tania Huddart: Stay calm. It happens to everyone. Your client probably doesn't even know that what you tried didn't work. So stop. Think. Breathe. Try another way. It will be better next time. Sometimes the fix is to give them less. If adding the breath is making the movement fall apart, take the breath away. Let them move first. Add the breath once the movement feels comfortable. Tell them it's not a problem. Stress about getting it right only gets in the way.

And if you're really stuck, ask a more experienced teacher. That's not weakness. That's how you learn.

Host: So, three things to take home?

Tania Huddart: One. Watch the first couple of repetitions before you say anything. The first pancake is always lumpy.

Two. One correction at a time. Let them try it before you add the next. Except for safety. Safety, you say now.

Three. Ask more than you tell. Their own body is the teacher they take home with them.

Host: And the question to sit with?

Tania Huddart: Next time you correct someone, ask yourself this. Did they understand my words in the way I meant them? And how do I know?

Host: If you want the whole toolkit, from feedback to cueing to class planning, it's all in Tania's book Teach Pilates with Confidence.

Next episode, the other side of the same coin. Why doesn't everyone get my cue?

Tania, last word?

Tania Huddart: Just this. You don't have to fix everything today. Watch. Wait. Then say the one thing that will help most. The rest can wait for the next pancake.