Effective Teaching | Part 1

Effective Teaching | Part 1

At Barre Eclipse, we believe that as the teacher, you have the responsibility to leave no student behind. The motto we live by in every workout we lead: "if you can't cue it, don't do it!" It's catchy. Easy to remember, too, huh?

We prioritize effectiveness over creativity and choreography. An effective workout is one that exercises the targeted muscle group all the way to muscle failure. 

Typically, only with much experience and have mastered our teaching techniques, can we make our workouts dynamic and full of variety. You learn, over time, how to balance between creativity and effectiveness.

PROPS

Props are terrific additions to your classes. They add engagement and fun and extra spice to all of our workouts. But, there is such a thing as too many props. Too many props create a cluttered workout space and often require wordy and complicated transitions. Less is more. When you create your classes, limit your props to no more than three per class.

SETTING UP THE MAT

Before the class begins, walk through your sequence and observe what props you need and when. Notice where it's most efficient for your setup, and organize your mat based on what is most accessible to your props, placing them somewhere that they won't interfere with other exercises. 

For example, if you use weights in your Plank workout, have your students place their weights at the top of their mat, so they are easy to grab during the flow of Plank. Before you start your class, remind your students to copy your set up for speed and efficiency.

EXERCISE SET UP

Speaking of speed and efficiency, we take no more than 15-seconds to set up our exercise. Meaning all props are in place, and everyone is in their starting shape and ready to move within the first 15 seconds of the workout's song! Getting our students ready to go in 15 seconds takes practice, so keep with it until you nail it.

ALWAYS START SLOW

After you've set up your workout, you're ready to start moving. We always start our students on a slow tempo movement. The slow tempo enables us a few things: 1) to cue and detail the shape for the most effective alignment while our students are moving, and 2) it allows us to look around and ensure everyone is with us. Lastly, 3) it gives us time to offer positive, constructive cues if it's needed. For the student, when we start slow, they gain familiarity with the movement before layering on complexity and speed. Read on.