Pilates is a sustainable business

02 March 2009 - Posted by James Raaff in In the press, News

Training as a Pilates instructor will not only provide a competitive edge for people currently working, or aspiring to work,  in the massive health and fitness industry by providing exercise that is new and effective, but can also enable potential entrepreneurs to start a business that will offer long-term sustainability over several decades.

“While Pilates is often perceived as being only for the young and fit, or as the exercise of choice for dancers, it is actually suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels,” says biokineticist James Raaff, whose business James Raaff and Associates has been training Pilates instructors for seven years. “As the Pilates studio owner grows older, that person need not stop teaching or sell up: they can simply adapt their business to specialise in the training needs of clients who are of a similar age or at the same stage of life as themselves, if they choose.”

Women in their 40s and 50s, for example, can benefit from resistance training using Pilates apparatus to maintain muscle strength and help to prevent bone loss, which occurs more rapidly after the menopause; while people in their 60s and 70s can use Pilates exercises to build the strength and flexibility needed to continue carrying out everyday tasks without undue physical effort, he explains.

Raaff says that Pilates – a form of movement and a principle-based way of learning healthy postural habits – can greatly increase general health and fitness at any age, developing a functional balance of strength, power, endurance, flexibility, co-ordination, balance, agility and speed to create a body that moves with grace and ease.

But starting a Pilates studio calls for more than simply learning exercises from a DVD or book, or completing a short training workshop, buying equipment and setting up in business.  “It is not enough for instructors simply to understand the exercises and the movements of Pilates:  to provide good training they also have to intricately understand the human body,” he says.

He points out that fitness instructors who hold the national fitness certificate required to work in the fitness industry in South Africa still have to be trained in the more specific skills that Pilates instructors need. “Even after years of medical study at university, doctors, biokineticists and physiotherapists still have not learnt the specific anatomy that is required by a Pilates instructor or any other mind-body exercise teacher,” he says.

He explains that his company does not reteach anatomy or physiology that students have learnt in other disciplines, but helps them reach a greater depth of understanding. “Our courses cover some of the motor learning concepts, and look at how the brain adapts and learns on neurological level. Students also study the biomechanics and physics that Pilates instructors need to understand. Simply put, we educate trainers about what goes on within the body, changing their thought paradigms and the way they approach clients to bring about desired change. If they understand what happens scientifically, they can do this better.”

To ensure that prospective instructors are able to learn at a higher level, Raaff insists that students should have a recognised certificate, diploma or degree in basic health or fitness studies before embarking on his courses. He suggests that anyone who requires basic health and fitness education can begin with the Exercise Teachers Academy (eta) offering and then move on to develop Pilates skills.

His course facilitators are qualified to teach at this higher level, with a broad knowledge and understanding outside the context of Pilates, enabling them to answer questions and queries with confidence and authority. The courses held at the Pretoria studio are run by a medical doctor, while Cape Town students have the benefit of Raaff’s knowledge of biokinetics.

The outcomes-based training comprises modular courses that combine theoretical knowledge, practical experience and hands-on training. “The modular format meets the requirements of working professionals, and also allows those with prior knowledge or experience to begin training at the appropriate level,” he says.

Most of the full-time course units are of one or two days’ duration, and each concludes with a one-hour theory exam and a one-hour practical exam. Upon completion of the comprehensive courses, graduates may register on the SA Directory of Certified Pilates Instructors (www.pilatesinfo.co.za).

To assist those who wish to set up their own Pilates practice, Raaff’s business partner, who has an MBA degree, runs business management workshops at their Pretoria and Cape Town studios, when there is sufficient demand.

For more information, contact James Raaff and Associates on phone 021 465 2870 or e-mail info@jamesraaffandassociates.com.