ITT vs. Ellie Herman certification?

topic posted Sun, January 29, 2006 - 11:12 AM by  ~M
i'm thinking of becoming a pilates instructor and was wondering if anyone out there (san francisco bay area) can tell me which is the better choice for instruction and future job placement?

thank you!
posted by:
~M
offline ~M
SF Bay Area
  • Re: ITT vs. Ellie Herman certification?

    Mon, February 27, 2006 - 4:27 PM
    Ellie Herman is very well respected, tho i believe you may be working in a posterior pelvic tilt with her. Best to know which you wish to practice and teach as they are very different to the body and affect who you can work with. It is best to figure out if you prefer authentic work or evolved modern Pilates (neutral pelvis, neutral spine). Physicalmind is the work of Eve Gentry, Joe's first student to be given blessings to open her own studio. She found the people she worked with weren't dancers and didn't get the movement easy, so she broke down Pilates movement like she did notating dance choreography and created fundamentals of Pilates. Stott Pilates teaches fundamentals too. In my mind either of those two are the best. meli
    • Re: ITT vs. Ellie Herman certification?

      Mon, February 27, 2006 - 5:15 PM
      hi meli,

      got your message. thanks!

      this is the studio i was thinking of...
      www.ittpilates.com/

      the ellie herman classes don't start again till next year and i'm unwilling to wait to begin a new career.

      i'm a dancer, although not classically trained. sometimes i teach samba... not often.

      i did the mari winsor tapes a while ago and even though its a popular video, the movement spoke to me.

      i don't want to be scrounging and poor as a pilates instructor either. so i want to make sure i choose a school/ method that is widely recognized as well as being in SF Bay Area.
      • Re: ITT vs. Ellie Herman certification?

        Tue, February 28, 2006 - 8:02 AM
        So, one of the problems with becoming a Pilates instructor the way you seem to be going about it is that you haven't had formal dance training or real Pilates instruction one-on-one, and the short courses you take to get mat certified are not going to make you a mat instructor, they'll just be the beginning of your education. Pilates takes years to learn and requires a commitment to that. I think it would do you a lot of good to find a very good instructor in your area to take private lessons from for a few weeks to get the feel of real Pilates instruction. Before I taught Pilates I taught swimming, weight training, step aerobics, kick boxing and ab class at the YMCA, and learning to teach those things was easy easy easy, but when I went to school for Pilates I realized how different it was and how much more care and dedication it requires to be good at it. Lots of instructors who don't take care to educate themselves well hurt students badly, and are sued. This is big talk around studios. It is because the trademark suit made it so anyone can call themselves a Pilates instructor and the public doesn't know how to differentiate a teacher who has a hundred hours of anatomy study from one who had a weekend course.
        • Re: ITT vs. Ellie Herman certification?

          Tue, February 28, 2006 - 8:38 AM
          its not a weekend course . its at least 6 months... and i am serious. but i am also practical.
          • Re: ITT vs. Ellie Herman certification?

            Sat, March 25, 2006 - 12:07 AM
            I'm currently training at Ellie Herman and the program is pretty vigorous. She teaches mostly West Coast style Pilates (emphasis on neutral spine), except when the exercises are loaded (then she teaches them in flat back).

            You can get more information about the training program on her website www.ellie.net.

            Realistically, it's going to take me 2 years to complete the program. I have a full time job and spend my spare time at the studio logging my hours. For some, it will take less time (especially if he/she doesn't have a full time job), for some,more. It really depends on the individual.

            I'm pretty happy with the program. It's taking way longer than I expected, but I'm getting a great education.

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