The Art of Cueing: Why Great Pilates Instructors Don’t Say More—They Say What Matters

Cueing is one of the most important skills a Pilates instructor develops.

It is also one of the easiest places to overcomplicate teaching.

New instructors often feel pressure to explain everything.

Every muscle.

Every joint.

Every breath.

Every correction.

Every detail.

But more words do not automatically create better movement.

In fact, too much information can make a client more confused.

Great cueing is not about saying the most.

It is about saying the right thing at the right time.

At Precision Pilates Training, we teach cueing as a skill that develops through observation, anatomy, practice, and experience.

Because the goal is not to sound impressive.

The goal is to help the person in front of you move better.

A Cue Should Create a Response

The purpose of a cue is simple:

It should change something.

A cue should help the client understand:

• Where to move

• How to organize the body

• What to stabilize

• What to relax

• How much effort to use

• Where to direct attention

• How to perform the movement more efficiently

If you give a cue and nothing changes, the cue may not have worked.

That does not necessarily mean the client did something wrong.

It may mean you need to communicate differently.

This is one of the most important things instructors learn:

A cue is only effective if the client understands it.

More Information Is Not Always Better

Imagine a client performing Footwork.

You could say:

Keep the pelvis neutral.

Engage the abdominals.

Relax the shoulders.

Track the knees over the toes.

Maintain the ribs.

Keep equal pressure through the feet.

Lengthen through the spine.

Control the carriage.

Breathe.

That is a lot of information.

And while every one of those ideas may be valid, the client may only be able to focus on one or two at a time.

Too many cues can create tension, hesitation, and confusion.

Instead, ask:

What is the most important thing this person needs right now?

Maybe it is:

“Press evenly through both feet.”

Or:

“Keep your pelvis heavy as the carriage moves.”

One useful cue is often more effective than six competing ones.

Observe Before You Cue

Strong cueing begins with observation.

Before correcting something, ask yourself:

What am I seeing?

Is it actually a problem?

Is it affecting the goal of the exercise?

Does it need to be changed right now?

Not every difference needs to be corrected.

Bodies are different.

Sometimes new instructors try to “fix” everything because they are trying to make a client match a picture.

But good teaching is not about creating identical bodies.

It is about helping each client move more efficiently and safely.

Observation helps you prioritize.

Cue the Goal, Not Every Detail

If you understand the purpose of the exercise, your cueing becomes much clearer.

For example, if the goal is pelvic stability, you may not need to talk about five other things.

You can direct attention toward the pelvis.

If the goal is thoracic rotation, cue the rotation.

If the goal is shoulder stability, help the client organize the shoulder girdle.

This keeps your teaching connected to the reason the exercise is being used.

The clearer the goal is in your own mind, the clearer your cueing becomes.

Different Clients Need Different Types of Cues

There is no single perfect cue.

Some clients respond well to anatomy.

Others do better with imagery.

Some need a demonstration.

Others need fewer words.

A strong instructor develops multiple ways to explain the same idea.

For example, to encourage spinal length, you might say:

Anatomical cue:
“Lengthen through the crown of your head.”

Imagery cue:
“Imagine someone gently pulling you upward.”

External cue:
“Reach the top of your head toward the ceiling.”

Simple cue:
“Grow taller.”

Same goal.

Different language.

The best cue is the one that makes sense to the client.

Anatomy Helps You Cue With Purpose

Anatomy should make cueing more accurate.

It should not make cueing more complicated.

Knowing anatomy helps you understand:

• What joint is moving

• Which muscles may be working

• What should remain stable

• Where compensation may occur

• What the movement goal actually is

But that does not mean you need to give the client a lecture.

You may understand the entire biomechanical picture while giving the client one simple cue.

That is good teaching.

Your knowledge supports the cue.

The client does not need to hear everything you know.

Imagery Can Be Powerful

Pilates has a long tradition of using imagery.

Good imagery can make movement easier to understand.

You might say:

“Imagine your spine rolling over a ball.”

“Let the ribs soften toward the mat.”

“Reach your heels away from your hips.”

“Imagine your head floating upward.”

Imagery works because movement is not always easy to understand through anatomy alone.

But imagery should still have a purpose.

Avoid using creative language just because it sounds interesting.

Ask:

Did the image help?

If yes, use it.

If not, try something else.

Avoid Over-Cueing

Over-cueing often happens when instructors are nervous.

Silence can feel uncomfortable.

So they keep talking.

But clients need time to move.

They need time to process.

They need time to feel.

Sometimes one of the most effective things an instructor can do is stop talking.

Give the cue.

Watch the response.

Let the client experience it.

Then decide whether another cue is needed.

That pause can make teaching much more effective.

Timing Matters

Even a great cue can fail if it is given too late.

If you explain the movement after the client has already completed it, the cue is not very useful.

Good cueing happens at the right moment.

Sometimes you cue before the movement.

Sometimes during.

Sometimes after.

The timing depends on the goal.

For example:

Before:
“Keep the pelvis steady as the leg moves.”

During:
“Good—maintain that control.”

After:
“Did you feel how different that was when the pelvis stayed still?”

This creates a learning process rather than a constant stream of corrections.

Cue What You Want, Not Only What You Don’t Want

A common mistake is giving negative cues.

“Don’t lift your shoulders.”

“Don’t arch your back.”

“Don’t lock your knees.”

The problem is that the client may still not know what they should do.

Instead of:

“Don’t lift your shoulders.”

Try:

“Let your shoulders soften away from your ears.”

Instead of:

“Don’t arch your back.”

Try:

“Keep your ribs connected as you move.”

Instead of:

“Don’t lock your knees.”

Try:

“Keep a little softness through the knees.”

Positive direction gives the client something specific to work toward.

Use Fewer Words With Experienced Clients

As clients gain experience, they usually need less explanation.

A beginner may need:

“Press the carriage out while keeping your pelvis stable.”

An experienced client may only need:

“Pelvis.”

One word can be enough.

This is one of the signs that communication is improving.

Instructor and client begin developing a shared language.

Let the Client Feel the Difference

One of the most powerful ways to teach is to help the client feel contrast.

You might say:

“Try it once your usual way.”

Then:

“Now keep the pelvis still and move only from the hip.”

Then ask:

“Which felt more stable?”

This helps the client learn internally.

Instead of simply following instructions, they begin understanding their own movement.

That is valuable.

Not Every Correction Needs to Happen Today

A client may have several things you want to improve.

Pick the most important one.

If you try to fix everything at once, you may overwhelm them.

Teaching is a process.

You can revisit movement patterns over time.

Progress happens through repetition.

The goal is not perfection in one session.

The goal is improvement.

Cueing Should Match the Environment

Cueing a private client is different from cueing a group class.

In a private session, you can be more specific.

In a group setting, cues need to work for multiple people.

That means instructors need to be able to switch between:

• General class cues

• Individual corrections

• Demonstration

• Observation

• Encouragement

The ability to manage all of that takes practice.

Confidence Makes Cueing Simpler

New instructors often over-explain because they are trying to prove they know the material.

As confidence grows, cueing usually becomes more concise.

You begin to trust your observation.

You stop trying to say everything.

You choose what matters.

That is a sign of maturity as a teacher.

Practice Cueing Like Any Other Skill

Cueing improves with repetition.

Practice teaching an exercise without demonstrating it.

Record yourself teaching.

Listen back.

Ask:

Am I repeating myself?

Am I talking too much?

Are my cues clear?

Am I using unnecessary words?

Could I say this more simply?

This kind of reflection can dramatically improve teaching.

Great Cueing Is About Connection

At the end of the day, cueing is communication.

You are helping another person understand movement.

That requires knowledge.

But it also requires listening.

Watching.

Adapting.

Pausing.

Trying again.

The best instructors are not the ones with the longest vocabulary.

They are the ones who know how to communicate clearly.

At Precision Pilates Training, we want our instructors to understand that effective cueing is not about saying more.

It is about saying what matters.

Because when your words are clear, intentional, and connected to what the client needs, movement becomes easier to understand.

And that is where great teaching begins.