PILATES TEACHER ASSOCIATION – UNITING PILATES IN FITNESS AND IN HEALTH

Protecting the Public- Protecting the Method

Why do we need to exist?

Pilates has been described as a generic exercise term since October 2000 and since then there has been a proliferation of training programmes and classes entitled “Pilates” around the world.  In some countries standards have been set for teaching Pilates, on mat only, by government funded organisations which are open to interpretation with little or no input from Comprehensive Pilates schools or Teachers.  Endorsement of short trainings and online programmes are prolific. This is a risk to the public and a risk to the method.

What we do:

The PTA does not provide teacher training or certification. This would be a conflict of interest.
We are an independent, neutral, membership led body representing the wide community of Pilates Teachers from many schools.
Our goal is to have Pilates Teacher as a protected title.  In establishing the Pilates Teacher Association we have followed the guidance of  http://www.professionalstandards.org.uk/ (PSA) the Government body for the regulation of healthcare professionals..  The Pilates Teacher Association will endeavour to collaborate with organisations who have set standards for Pilates mat exercise in the past and negotiate on behalf of our membership.  In doing so we will attempt to minimise the risk to the public and ensure that the method and legacy of the work created by Joseph Pilates is honoured.

The goals of the Pilates Teacher Association (PTA) are to protect the public by promoting and advancing standards of conduct, practice and continuing professional development in Pilates by:

• Developing, through committees that are broadly representative of practitioners and educators, agreed definitions and standards in relation to the Pilates method
• Recognising comprehensive schools and the qualifications of teachers, and maintaining a public register
• Representing the interests of Pilates teachers and Pilates teacher training schools

We will work to achieve this by:

1. Providing a Register Pilates Teachers and Pilates Mat Teachers
2. Maintaining the integrity of the method also known as Contrology – exercises, apparatus and writings – created by Joseph Pilates. This includes the teaching of the method continued by Clara Zener or Pilates and their first-generation teachers including the late Bruce King, Eve Gentry, Carola Trier, Bob Seed, Bob Fitzgerald, Kathleen Stanford Grant, Ron Fletcher, Romana Kryzanowska, and the living first generation teachers Mary Bowen, Lolita San Miguel and Jay Grimes
3. Positioning the Comprehensive Pilates Teacher occupation as distinct profession with specific training standards
4. Protecting use of the title “Pilates Teacher”.
5. Collaborating in the development and maintenance of high professional, ethical and educational standards for stakeholders in the industry.
6. Representing the Pilates method nationally and internationally building relationships with (including and not exclusively) Governmental bodies, voluntary registration sectors, Universities, Schools, medical professional and allied healthcare professionals, Fitness Industry, and any other appropriate bodies/associations/organisations
7. Providing services to the Pilates Industry that cannot easily be provided by anything other than a specialist organisation
8. Developing awareness of the PTA in the wider healthcare, leisure and business communities
9. Encouraging evidence-based practice and the promotion of research into Pilates
10. Any other activity which is approved by the board which is the best interests of the public, the method and our members