5 Evidence-Based Reasons to Change the Words You Choose as a Pilates Teacher

Why your cueing matters more than your choreography — and what the research says about it.

As Pilates teachers, we invest countless hours into perfecting movement, sequencing, and technique. But there’s a teaching tool far more powerful than most instructors realize:

Your words.

Cueing isn’t just about giving instructions — it’s a form of influence. It shapes what clients believe about their bodies, how they perceive pain, how they move, and even how they heal. Modern pain science and motor learning research make this clear:

The language you use in the Pilates studio can either build confidence and resilience… or unintentionally contribute to fear, tension, and long-term back pain.

Here are five evidence-based reasons to rethink your cueing — and how upgrading your language can elevate your teaching practice and your impact.

1. Clients Remember Your Words Long After the Pilates Session Ends

A landmark study by Darlow et al. 2013 (PMID: 24218376) found that people with back pain clearly remembered what their clinicians said — not just during their pain episode, but years later.

Those words became beliefs. Those beliefs shaped behaviour. And those behaviours dictated how they moved long after the original injury.

This means that even well-intentioned phrases like:

• “Be careful with your back.”

• "Don't strain your neck."

• “Make sure you stay in neutral”

• “Engage your abdominals to protect your spine.”

…can create long-standing fear or avoidance.

In Pilates, your language becomes part of your client’s movement identity.

2. Negative Language Predicts Future Pain — More Than Posture or Age

A 10-year study published in 2024 (PMID: 37947323) followed men with no or low back pain for ten years and discovered something groundbreaking:

Negative beliefs around back pain were associated with an increased likelihood of developing high-intensity pain and/or high intensity disability.

This means fear-based cueing can have real consequences for our clients.

When teachers use fear-based language like:

• “Protect your spine.”

• “Don’t round or you’ll hurt yourself.”

• “Stabilise your spine”

They may unintentionally increase the likelihood of persistent pain.

Clients who believe they are fragile move like they are fragile.

3. Your Cueing Shapes Nervous System Response

The nervous system is always scanning for safety or threat. And your words are part of that scan.

Language that implies danger — unstable, weak, risky — can increase muscle guarding, reduce mobility, and amplify pain perception.

Empowering language — strong, adaptable, supported — signals safety and promotes ease.

Your words can:

• Calm the system

• Reduce unnecessary bracing

• Improve fluidity

• Increase comfort

Safety-based cueing creates better movement instantly.

4. Empowering Language Builds Confidence and Better Movement Outcomes

One of the strongest scientific arguments for upgrading your language comes from Wulf & Lewthwaite’s OPTIMAL Theory of Motor Learning 2016 (PMID: 26833314). This framework identifies three psychological factors that dramatically improve movement performance and retention — all of which can be influenced by your cueing.

Enhanced Expectancies of Success

Clients move better when they believe they can move better.

Empowering language (“You’re moving well,” “Your body adapts quickly”) increases expectancies for success, which improves:

• Coordination

• Accuracy

• Motor learning

• Sense of capability

Fear-based cues lower expectancies — and performance.

Autonomy

People learn movement more effectively when they feel they have choice.

Cues like:

• “Choose the range that feels good today.”

• “Explore the version that works for you.”

• "Try exhaling on the press out... Now try inhaling. Which helps you the most?"

…support autonomy and lead to better engagement, confidence, and long-term learning.

Rigid, prescriptive cueing does the opposite.

External Focus of Attention

Wulf and Lewthwaite's body of research shows that focusing on movement effects by giving a task to accomplish (e.g., “Make as much space as you can between your back and the mat”) improves performance more than internal cues (“Activate your spinal extensors”).

External focus reduces tension, overthinking, and guarding — all outcomes we want for clients with pain or fear.

Empowering language directly aligns with the OPTIMAL Theory, making every Pilates session more effective, more confidence-building, and more enjoyable.

5. Your Language Is Part of Your Professional Identity — And Your Brand

In today’s Pilates industry, clients are more informed than ever. They want instructors who understand modern movement science and communicate it clearly.

Instructors who use supportive, evidence-based cueing:

• Build trust more quickly

• Retain clients longer

• Get better movement outcomes

• Stand out in a crowded marketplace

Studios that train their teachers in updated cueing strategies report:

• Higher satisfaction

• Fewer pain complaints

• More confident movers

• Stronger client loyalty

In other words:

Changing your language isn’t just good teaching — it’s good business.

Why This Matters for Pilates Teachers Today

The future of Pilates education is evidence-informed, client-centred, and built on communication that empowers rather than limits.

When your language evolves:

• Your teaching becomes more effective

• Your clients become more resilient

• Your classes become more accessible

• Your brand becomes more credible

• Your results speak for themselves

And this is exactly what we help Pilates teachers master within our education.