Should I Take a Pilates Mat Course Before Reformer Instructor Training?
Written by Saulo Ouverney
STOTT PILATES® Master Instructor Trainer | Founder of Sole Pilates | STOTT PILATES® Academy Partner
Should You Learn Mat Before Learning the Reformer?
If you're considering becoming a Reformer Pilates instructor, you may be wondering whether learning Matwork first is really necessary.
After all, if your goal is to teach Reformer classes, why spend time learning Mat?
For me, the answer is simple: Because the Mat is the seed of the method.
Learning Pilates should never be reduced to learning how to operate a piece of equipment or memorising a collection of exercises.
The Pilates method is a movement system.
Matwork provides instructors with an opportunity to understand that system before adding the additional complexity of springs, straps and a moving carriage.
At Sole Pilates, a STOTT PILATES® Academy Partner, we strongly believe that developing this foundation creates instructors who don't simply know more exercises.
They understand movement better.
And that distinction becomes incredibly important once you begin teaching clients.
Pilates Is a System — Not a Piece of Equipment
One of the most important things aspiring instructors should understand is that Pilates isn't the Reformer.
But Pilates isn't only Matwork either.
The Pilates method is a complete system.
Mat, Reformer, Cadillac, Stability Chair and Barrels each provide different environments in which we can explore movement.
Each apparatus gives us different opportunities to:
· Create stability
· Challenge stability
· Assist movement
· Resist movement
· Develop strength
· Improve mobility
· Explore different relationships with gravity
· Progress exercises
· Regress exercises
· Adapt movement to the needs of an individual client
This is one of the reasons comprehensive Pilates education is so valuable.
The more of the system an instructor understands, the larger their programming toolbox becomes.
If an instructor has access to only a small percentage of the method, their ability to understand and apply the complete Pilates system will inevitably be limited.
SAULO'S PERSPECTIVE Can You Really Become a Pilates Instructor by Learning Only Reformer? Pilates is a complete system. It isn't only Mat, and it certainly isn't only Reformer. If your education gives you access to only a small percentage of the method, your understanding and programming will inevitably be limited. An instructor who understands Mat, Reformer, Cadillac, Chair and Barrels has a much bigger toolbox. Instead of asking, “What can I do on the Reformer?”, they can ask the far more important question: “What does this client need?” |
What Does Matwork Teach That the Reformer Cannot?
Matwork creates a very different movement environment.
There is no moving carriage.
There are no springs providing assistance or resistance.
There is less external feedback from the apparatus.
You have your body, gravity and the movement itself.
This demands awareness.
Students begin learning how to organise their bodies without relying upon equipment to provide feedback.
They must learn to control movement, transition between positions and understand where their body is in space.
These skills transfer directly to equipment-based Pilates.
SAULO'S PERSPECTIVE What I Notice When Mat Students Begin Reformer Training: Students who have practised a lot of Matwork often arrive with noticeably better body awareness and control. They're usually more comfortable moving into and out of different positions and are less dependent on the apparatus or spring tension to organise their movement. When they begin Reformer training, that awareness helps them control the equipment rather than rely on it. The apparatus becomes a tool—not something they depend upon. |
Understanding the STOTT PILATES® Principles Through Matwork
The STOTT PILATES® Principles provide the foundation for understanding how the body is organised during movement.
These include:
1. Breathing
2. Pelvic Placement
3. Rib Cage Placement
4. Scapular Movement and Stabilisation
5. Head and Cervical Placement
6. Lower Body Mobility and Stability
Matwork provides an extraordinary environment in which to begin exploring how these principles work together.
Without the additional complexity of the Reformer, students can concentrate on their own movement.
They can begin recognising compensation.
They can understand alignment.
They can explore stability and mobility.
They can develop proprioception and body awareness.
Then, when the moving carriage and spring resistance are introduced, those principles don't suddenly disappear.
They become even more important.
The Reformer Adds Complexity
The Reformer is an extraordinary piece of equipment.
But the moving carriage and springs introduce variables that the instructor needs to understand.
Spring tension can assist movement.
It can resist movement.
It can provide feedback.
It can alter stability demands.
And sometimes it can make an exercise considerably more complex.
This is why assuming that the Reformer automatically makes Pilates easier or more supportive can be misleading.
The equipment creates possibilities.
But the instructor still needs the knowledge to decide which possibilities are appropriate.
As I often tell students:
The springs don't teach movement. The instructor does.
Why Reformer-Only Education Can Limit Programming
The enormous growth of Reformer Pilates has introduced millions of people to movement, which is something worth celebrating.
However, it has also created a new problem.
In some parts of the industry, the Reformer has gradually become separated from the broader Pilates method.
Classes can begin to revolve around a relatively small vocabulary of movements:
Squats.
Lunges.
Planks.
Abdominal exercises.
Donkey kicks.
Arm exercises.
There is nothing inherently wrong with these movements.
They can all have an appropriate place within intelligent programming.
The problem occurs when they become the programme.
When every class is organised around muscular emphasis—legs, arms, abs, glutes—the extraordinary movement vocabulary available within Pilates can begin to disappear.
Clients may become very familiar with exercise.
But they may never truly experience the depth of the Pilates method.
SAULO'S PERSPECTIVE When Reformer Pilates Becomes Just Another Workout: Squats, lunges, crunches, donkey kicks and planks aren't the problem. They can all have a place in intelligent programming. The lack of movement exploration is the problem. When classes continually revolve around legs, arms, abs and glutes, clients miss the extraordinary movement vocabulary of the Pilates repertoire. At that point, we're at risk of simply using the Reformer as another piece of fitness equipment rather than exploring Pilates as a movement system. |
More Apparatus Creates More Programming Possibilities
Imagine a client struggling with an exercise on the Reformer.
A comprehensively educated instructor has choices.
Perhaps the client needs more stability.
Perhaps another apparatus can provide that.
Perhaps the movement needs to be simplified.
Perhaps a Mat exercise can help the client understand the movement pattern.
Perhaps the Cadillac can provide assistance.
Perhaps the Stability Chair can introduce the concept differently.
Perhaps a Barrel can change the relationship with gravity.
Then, when the client is ready, we can return to the original exercise.
This is intelligent programming.
The goal isn't to demonstrate how many exercises the instructor knows.
The goal is to find the movement experience the client needs.
Better Foundations Create Better Progressions
The STOTT PILATES® repertoire develops progressively.
Essential repertoire establishes movement foundations.
Intermediate repertoire increases the challenge.
Advanced repertoire requires significantly greater levels of control, strength, mobility and body awareness.
Understanding those progressions is extremely important.
If clients are continually given exercise variations without developing the foundations underneath them, movement can become more complicated without necessarily becoming better.
An educated instructor knows when to progress.
But equally importantly, they know when not to.
Sometimes creating more stability is the most intelligent progression available.
SAULO'S PERSPECTIVE “But I Only Want to Teach Reformer” The Mat is where you begin to understand many of the principles underpinning the method. It's the seed of the method. Can you learn Reformer exercises without that broader foundation? Of course. You may become perfectly capable of teaching them. But becoming an exceptional instructor requires more than knowing exercises. It requires understanding movement, progression, regression and why you're choosing an exercise in the first place. Trends change. Knowledge lasts. |
Does This Mean Mat Is Better Than Reformer?
Absolutely not.
That misses the point entirely.
Mat and Reformer shouldn't be competing with one another.
Neither should Cadillac, Stability Chair or Barrels.
They are different parts of the same system.
Each provides opportunities that the others cannot reproduce in exactly the same way.
The question shouldn't be:
“Which piece of Pilates equipment is best?”
A better question is:
“Which part of the Pilates system will best help this client right now?”
That is where comprehensive education becomes incredibly powerful.
Why STOTT PILATES® Education Begins with Foundations
The STOTT PILATES® education pathway is structured progressively.
Students begin developing their understanding of:
· The STOTT PILATES® Principles
· Contemporary biomechanics
· Movement observation
· Exercise analysis
· Programming
· Cueing
· Modification
· Progression and regression
The Intensive Mat-Plus™ Course establishes these foundations.
The Intensive Reformer Course then introduces the additional possibilities and challenges created by spring resistance and the moving carriage.
For students who want to continue developing their education, Cadillac, Stability Chair, Barrels, Advanced repertoire and Injuries & Special Populations can expand that programming vocabulary even further.
The objective isn't simply to collect qualifications.
It's to progressively understand more of the system.
SAULO'S PERSPECTIVE Knowledge Before Repertoire Knowing more exercises doesn't necessarily make someone a better instructor. The real skill is understanding when to progress, when to regress and when another part of the Pilates system may better serve the client. The goal isn't to demonstrate how much repertoire you know. The goal is to understand what movement your client needs—and why. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to take Mat before a STOTT PILATES® Reformer course?
The STOTT PILATES® education pathway is designed progressively, with Matwork providing important movement and teaching foundations before students advance their equipment education.
If you're considering instructor training, we recommend discussing your existing Pilates experience with the education team before enrolling.
What if I've already taken lots of Reformer classes?
Previous Reformer experience can certainly be valuable.
However, practising Reformer and learning to teach Pilates are very different things.
Instructor education requires you to develop observation, movement analysis, programming, cueing and modification skills—not simply familiarity with exercises.
Is Mat Pilates easier than Reformer Pilates?
Not necessarily.
Matwork can be extremely challenging because the body often has to organise movement against gravity without the assistance or feedback provided by equipment.
Difficulty also isn't the primary objective.
Movement quality is.
Should Pilates instructors eventually learn other apparatus?
For instructors who want to develop a deeper understanding of the complete Pilates system, expanding their education beyond Mat and Reformer can provide an enormously valuable programming toolbox.
Cadillac, Stability Chair and Barrels each introduce different ways to assist, challenge, progress and regress movement.
Continue Your STOTT PILATES® Education
If you're considering becoming a Pilates instructor, begin by exploring the STOTT PILATES® Intensive Mat-Plus™ Course at Sole Pilates.
If you've already established your Matwork foundations, you can continue your education through the STOTT PILATES® Intensive Reformer Course.
We also recommend reading:
· STOTT PILATES® Reformer Course UK: Everything You Need to Know Before Becoming a Reformer Instructor
If you're unsure which course is appropriate for your previous experience, please contact us and we'll be happy to discuss your education pathway.
At Sole Pilates, our mission is to develop knowledgeable, confident instructors through world-class education, personalised mentoring and a genuine understanding of human movement.
About the Author
Saulo Ouverney is a STOTT PILATES® Master Instructor Trainer and founder of Sole Pilates, a STOTT PILATES® Academy in the UK.
With more than 20 years of teaching experience, Saulo has educated Pilates instructors throughout Europe, Asia and North America. He previously worked at Merrithew's Corporate Training Centre in Toronto, where he helped educate and mentor instructors in the STOTT PILATES® methodology.
His teaching philosophy combines contemporary biomechanics, movement quality and personalised education to help instructors build lasting confidence and professional excellence.
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