Consider this all-too-common complaint about Pilates being overly complicated. Criticisms can take the form of:
“There’s too much to think about.”
“Too many things to remember.”
“I’m overwhelmed.”
“I never know what I’m supposed to focus on.”
“Every teacher tells me something different.”
“I don’t know where to start.”
Well, I have good news: The Pilates method is not incoherent and overly complex. It is quite simple, actually. The problem—and the reason for negative, fear-response reactions—stems from modern delivery. If your Pilates experience feels like an existential threat, you are doing it wrong. So, let’s fix that.
A reputable fitness podcast I (no longer) subscribe to, recently ran a one-hour feature on the role of Pilates and strength. Sadly, the show only managed to contribute yet more mischaracterization about the Pilates method.
I saw a recent social media post claiming there is no such thing as corrective exercise. The argument states that calling something “corrective” implies a person is broken or that there’s a “right” and “wrong” way to move, and thusly, that this binary framing is harmful or outdated.
Now, I don’t typically put much stock into what I read online and more specifically, social media, but this one stuck with me, maybe because I’ve referred to the Pilates method as corrective for years. Or, maybe because it’s another example of a false argument built on a partial definition. I call bullshit.
I have been thinking a lot about Pilates vocabulary lately. Not just the obvious words, like Classical, Contemporary, Reformer, Mat, etc., but also terms that can carry a kind of borrowed authority. Words that sound serious, suggesting depth, lineage, care, and tradition.
One of those words is apprenticeship.