Body Form® Education

How to Cue a Squat
Without Over-Coaching

Q: 7. A client says squatting hurts. Do I stop?

Pause the provoking squat first, then ask where the symptom is, whether it is familiar, how severe it is and whether it changes with rest. Familiar, mild, non-concerning symptoms may sometimes be managed by an appropriate modification within the client's healthcare guidance. New, severe, rapidly worsening or otherwise concerning symptoms require the exercise to stop and may warrant assessment. Persistent, unexplained or function-limiting pain warrants appropriate clinical review. Emergency signs require immediate emergency action.

For Pilates instructors. Set up, observe, and cue with purpose.

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Set Up, Observe, Cue With Purpose

Written by Kira-Leigh Rule, Physiotherapist and Founder of Body Form® Education. Last updated 14 November 2026.

A client is halfway through a squat. You notice their knees move slightly inward. Their heels lift on the next repetition. Their trunk inclines further forwards. You could give three corrections in five seconds. But should you?

Good cueing is not about correcting everything you can see. It is about giving information that helps the person perform the intended task. Set up the squat clearly, demonstrate where helpful, give one or two useful starting cues and then observe. If something matters to the goal or the client's suitability for the exercise, decide whether to cue it, change the setup or select a different movement.

If the client reports pain, pause the provoking movement and ask about the symptom. A familiar, mild symptom and a new severe symptom do not warrant the same response. Your job as an instructor is to adapt exercise within your professional competence and recognise when further assessment is required, not to diagnose the cause.

The aim is not silence, and it is not the fewest possible cues. It is purposeful feedback: the right information, at the right time, for the person and task in front of you.

At a glance

Teaching decision	What to do
Set up	Explain the task and demonstrate an appropriate version. Give one or two initial cues if they help.
Observe	Allow a few repetitions before adding information, unless immediate intervention is needed for safety.
Cue	Choose one useful change, give the client time to respond and observe again.
Cue type	Use verbal, visual, tactile or environmental feedback according to the task and client. Direct touch requires specific consent.
Movement or outcome cue	Neither is universally superior. Choose the wording that makes sense for the intended task.
Change the exercise	Adjust range, load, stance, support, tempo or the exercise when cueing alone is not useful.
Pain or warning signs	Pause the provoking exercise; use the symptom's nature, severity and associated features to decide what happens next.

Body Form® Education prepares instructors to teach and adapt movement within their qualifications and competence. Completing a teaching or CPD certification does not independently qualify a graduate to diagnose medical conditions or provide clinical treatment.

What Over-Coaching Is

Over-coaching is giving more information than the client can meaningfully use at that moment. It often comes from good intentions. You notice something, correct it, see another change, and give another instruction before the client has had the chance to process the first.

In a group class, it can also happen because the instructor feels they need to speak continuously. But a client does not necessarily need more words to do an exercise well. Sometimes they need a clearer demonstration, a different starting point, more practice or simply a moment to work the movement out.

Signs that your coaching needs review

Introducing a new correction on nearly every repetition.
Giving simultaneous instructions for the feet, knees, pelvis, ribs and shoulders.
Correcting small movement differences that do not interfere with the exercise goal.
Repeating the same cue, louder or in different words, without checking whether the task itself needs changing.
Talking through every repetition, leaving little opportunity to observe how the client responds.

You might notice a client looking at you continually, hesitating, changing one part of the movement only to lose another, or becoming uncertain about what to prioritise. These observations can tell you that the information is not working. They do not prove that you have created a dependency or impaired motor learning.

That distinction matters. We should not make claims about the nervous system or learning simply because a coaching interaction looks busy.

Performance now is not the same as learning later

A client can perform a squat successfully in the moment because you are demonstrating, counting, prompting or correcting. Learning is better judged by whether they can perform the task later, in a relevant context, with an appropriate amount of assistance.

If they struggle to reproduce the squat at their next session, do not assume you gave too many cues. Perhaps the movement was unfamiliar, the demonstration was unclear, they needed more practice, or the task was too complicated for the amount of practice available. Sometimes more guidance is useful. Sometimes less is useful. The evidence does not establish a universal feedback frequency that will produce better learning for every client.

A 2022 meta-analysis of reduced feedback frequency found high uncertainty and no significant overall benefit for reduced frequency at acquisition, immediate retention or delayed retention. That is a reason to choose feedback deliberately, not to adopt a rule of withholding it. See the source reference below.

A One-Cue Approach

At Body Form, a useful starting method is to set up an exercise clearly, offer one relevant cue and observe the result before adding the next. This is a practical teaching method, not a scientifically validated limit on the number of cues a person can receive.

For a squat, that might look like this:

Establish the task. Show the squat you want the client to practise, including a sensible depth, stance and support for them.
Give the starting information. For example: “Stand with your feet comfortably apart. Lower towards the chair and stand again.”
Let them move. Watch a few repetitions, rather than immediately correcting each small variation.
Decide what matters. Is there a balance concern, an unexpected symptom, a change in the intended training demand, or difficulty understanding the movement?
Give one relevant cue or adjust the task. Avoid introducing several unrelated corrections at once.
Observe again. Ask what they noticed if that information will help you teach the next repetition.

You do not need to wait for a set number of repetitions if a client is about to lose balance, is unsafe on the equipment, or reports a concerning symptom. Similarly, you can give more than one cue when the exercise genuinely requires it. The point is to avoid competing instructions that prevent you from seeing what helps.

What you can often leave alone

A squat does not need to look identical across every client. A stance that is a little wider, feet that turn out, a different trunk inclination or minor variation between repetitions is not automatically incorrect. Anatomical proportions, training history, external load, mobility and the particular squat variation influence how the task looks.

Do not use your own preferred movement shape as the standard for every person. Ask whether the strategy suits the exercise you are teaching and the individual performing it.

That does not mean movement is beyond analysis. It means analysis has to start with a purpose. If you are teaching a controlled bilateral squat to a stable target and the client is losing balance, repeatedly collapsing into the chair or cannot control the intended descent, those are useful reasons to intervene. If the squat is effective and appropriate, a minor difference in stance may need no correction at all.

Choosing the Cue Type

Verbal, visual, tactile and environmental strategies can each be useful. They are not four fixed learning styles. A person who benefits from demonstration today is not permanently a “visual learner”, and the same client may respond better to words for another exercise.

Cue type	What it involves	A squat example	What to consider
Verbal	Spoken information about the task, the movement or its intended result	“Lower towards the chair, then stand tall.”	Use familiar language. Avoid several anatomical instructions in one sentence.
Visual	A demonstration, image or visual reference	Demonstrate the squat from the side; point to a visible target.	Show the version you actually want the client to attempt.
Tactile	Appropriate direct physical contact by the instructor to convey movement information	With specific consent, use a brief, clearly explained contact to guide the intended movement.	Direct touch requires specific consent and professional judgement; it is not necessary for effective teaching.
Environmental feedback	The arrangement of equipment or objects to provide a task reference or feedback	Squat towards a stable chair or box; use a suitable support for balance.	Contact with a chair or wall may give the client physical feedback without instructor touch; merely seeing a target is not a tactile cue.

Consent for tactile cueing

Before touching a client, explain where you intend to make contact, why you think it may help, and what you would like them to do. Ask for specific consent and give them a genuine opportunity to decline without explanation. Consent can be withdrawn at any time. It is not implied because they accepted hands-on help last week or from another instructor.

Stay within professional boundaries, your current training, your workplace policy and the client's preferences. Observe their verbal and non-verbal responses. If they are hesitant or uncomfortable, stop and use another approach.

You can teach an excellent squat without touching anyone. A clear demonstration, a chair as a target, a change to the starting position or a simple verbal instruction may do the job.

Choosing Between Movement and Outcome Cues

A movement-focused or internal-focus cue draws attention to a body part or movement, such as bending the knees and hips. An outcome-focused or external-focus cue draws attention to the intended effect, such as moving towards a target or pressing against the floor.

External-focus cueing is often described as inherently better for motor learning. The research is less settled than that statement suggests. Chua and colleagues' 2021 systematic reviews and meta-analyses reported average advantages for external focus in several outcomes. McKay and colleagues' 2024 Bayesian reanalysis, accounting for publication bias, found negligible average effects and meaningful heterogeneity between studies.

The practical conclusion is not that internal cues are better, or that external cues are useless. Neither should be treated as a universal solution. What you say should depend on what you want the client to learn, the task and how the client responds.

Movement-focused cue	Outcome-focused cue	Teaching consideration
“Bend through your hips and knees.”	“Lower towards the chair beneath you.”	A stable target can clarify the task without asking every client to push the hips excessively backwards.
“Straighten your knees and hips to stand.”	“Push the floor away as you rise.”	Both may help; observe whether the cue produces the intended squat strategy.
“Keep your trunk controlled as you stand.”	“Rise towards the ceiling.”	A clear outcome may help with timing, but neither phrase specifies every aspect of trunk control.
“Keep your feet grounded.”	“Keep steady pressure through the floor as you stand.”	This can be useful where foot contact matters to the task; do not demand one exact pressure pattern for everyone.
“Change how your knees travel.”	“Press the floor apart with your feet.”	This is a task-specific cue that may alter hip rotation or knee position; not a standard correction for every knee that moves inward.

The chair cue is deliberately towards the chair beneath you, not “sit your hips as far back as possible”. Sending the hips further backwards can increase forward trunk inclination and change how load is shared between the hip and knee. That might be useful for one training objective and inappropriate for another.

The same applies to the common “knees out” instruction. If the position of the knees matters to a particular exercise goal, choose an appropriate strategy and see whether it changes the intended movement. Do not tell every client that their knees are caving in and will cause injury.

Observe the Squat Before You Cue

A squat is not one fixed movement pattern. Depth, stance width, foot rotation, forward trunk inclination and the position of the shins can alter the muscular demands and external joint moments. A 2024 biomechanical review by Straub and Powers explains how changing these variables can shift demands between the hip and knee.

That paper is a clinical commentary reviewing biomechanics, not a trial proving that any one technique prevents injuries. It is useful for understanding how the exercise changes when you modify the setup. It does not justify declaring every variation either dangerous or universally safe.

What you see and what to do with it

Observation	What it may tell you	Appropriate response
Heels lift	Depth, balance, ankle motion, stance, footwear or a chosen movement strategy may contribute.	Ask whether it matters to the task. Try a different stance, target or depth where appropriate. Do not automatically label poor ankle mobility.
Knees move inward	This may reflect the movement strategy, anatomy, load, stance or fatigue.	Observe whether it affects the goal or comes with concerning symptoms. Do not infer weak glutes or injury risk from the appearance alone.
Trunk leans forwards	Trunk inclination changes hip and knee loading demands and depends partly on proportions and the task.	Keep it where it suits the exercise. A more upright squat may have a different loading emphasis, not necessarily a better technique.
Weight shifts to one side	Balance, confidence, pain, previous experience or deliberate strategy may be relevant.	Ask what the client notices. Consider task changes; do not force perfect symmetry without a reason.
Balance is difficult	Stance, support, surface, fatigue or task familiarity may limit performance.	Offer an appropriate stable support, change the setup or choose another variation.
Descent becomes less controlled	Load, fatigue, depth, balance or task complexity may be contributing.	Adjust resistance, range or repetitions. Slowing the descent can help with task awareness but can also increase time under tension.
The movement changes late in a set	Greater fatigue may be one explanation; it is not established from observation alone.	Decide whether the changed strategy still serves the objective. Reduce demand if maintaining the original strategy is important.

A useful observation does not have to become a diagnosis. “Your knees came closer together during the last two repetitions” is different from “Your glutes are weak”. “Your weight shifted towards the right” is different from “Your left hip is dysfunctional”.

Instructors can describe movement and make appropriate exercise choices without claiming to know the underlying clinical cause.

Do not correct a squat simply because it looks different from yours

Consider two clients squatting to the same depth. One has a relatively upright trunk and more forward knee travel. The other inclines the trunk further forwards. Their proportions and loading goals may differ. Neither shape is an automatic measure of competence or safety.

If the objective is to emphasise a particular loading strategy, a cue or modification might be justified. If the objective is to practise standing up from a chair, an effective, comfortable sit-to-stand pattern may be enough. There is no value in adding corrections without first knowing which outcome you want.

Regressions and Progressions of a Squat

If the cue does not help, ask whether changing the demand would help. This might be a regression, a progression, or simply a different variation with a different objective.

The order matters less than the reason. There is no evidence-based rule that range must always change before resistance or support before tempo. Choose the variable that fits the movement, then reassess.

Options to reduce or adjust the demand

Range: Squat through a shorter range if depth is the limiting demand or provokes symptoms. Less depth does not automatically mean less demand in every variation, but it is often a useful option.
Load: Reduce external resistance when that better suits the current goal or the client's capacity.
Support: Use a wall, stable rail or other appropriate support when balance limits the task. Support changes the exercise demand and is not a failure.
Target: Use a chair or box at an appropriate height, either as a reference or for a controlled sit-to-stand variation. Confirm it is stable and appropriately placed.
Stance: Adjust stance width or foot rotation where it improves comfort, balance or execution of the intended task.
Repetitions and rest: Reduce accumulated fatigue or provide more recovery time where useful.
Tempo: Choose a deliberate rhythm that matches the aim. Slower is not always easier; a prolonged lowering phase may increase muscular effort.

Options to change or progress the demand

Greater range: Increase depth where it suits the training objective and the client has the capacity to use it.
More load: Progress external resistance when strength is the goal and the task can be performed appropriately.
Less support: Reduce assistance when the intended challenge includes more independent balance or strength.
Tempo: Deliberately increase time under tension, introduce a pause or change the speed when it serves the programme.
Different squat variation: A split squat changes stance, balance and how loading is distributed between the legs. It can be an appropriate additional challenge or a different training stimulus, but it is not automatically a harder progression of a bilateral squat.
Additional movement layers: An arm pattern or rotation may change coordination demand without producing the strength progression you intended. More choreography is not automatically more effective programming.

If the goal is strength, ask whether the progression actually increases a useful training stimulus. If the goal is balance, ask whether balance is being challenged meaningfully. If the goal is learning the squat, more movement components may only make the task harder to understand.

The squat on the Reformer

“Reformer squat” can describe different setups, so the spring recommendation cannot be universal. You need to know which parts of the body are supported, where the feet are placed, whether the carriage moves and what the springs are doing in that specific exercise.

For example, a standing variation with one foot on a stable platform and another on a moving carriage imposes different demands from a squat performed entirely on a stable surface, or a variation in which a client uses straps or another appropriate aid for support. A spring might resist movement, assist a particular action or change carriage stability, depending on the setup.

Before changing spring settings, identify the mechanics of the exercise. A lighter spring does not automatically make every Reformer movement easier or safer. Lower tension may mean less resistance in one movement and less support or stability in another.

For any standing Reformer variation, prioritise the manufacturer's equipment instructions, secure foot placement, safe entry and exit, carriage control and the client's current balance and competence. Do not introduce standing carriage work merely to make a squat more interesting.

Reformer variable	Question to ask
Spring	Does it resist, assist or change the stability of this particular movement?
Foot placement	Are contact points secure and appropriate for the chosen setup?
Range	Does the chosen range suit the intended loading and the client's response?
Tempo	Is the movement controllable without creating unnecessary fatigue or instability?
External support	Would appropriate support improve the exercise or change its objective?
Exercise choice	Is this Reformer variation useful, or would a more stable squat meet the goal better today?

A thoughtful setup change may achieve more than repeating the same verbal cue. That is a practical teaching decision, not proof that equipment changes are generally superior to verbal instruction.

Change the Exercise, Not Just the Cue

There are times when the client understands what you are saying but still cannot perform the movement as intended. That does not necessarily mean you need a more creative cue.

Consider changing the exercise when the client is losing balance, the load exceeds their current capacity, the range is too demanding, fatigue is changing the intended task, or several cues have failed to clarify what the movement asks them to do.

There is no fixed number of unsuccessful cues after which you must change an exercise. Nor does movement variation on its own establish that you need a regression.

A simple teaching sequence

Observe: What exactly is happening? Describe it without assigning a cause.

Ask: What does the client feel or understand about the task? Is there discomfort, uncertainty, fatigue or a balance limitation?

Choose: Is a cue likely to help, or would an adjustment to load, range, support or position better address the problem?

Reassess: Did the change improve the intended task, and is participation still suitable?

If the movement remains inappropriate for the client, choose an alternative that trains the same general objective where possible. You can also finish that block rather than persisting with an exercise simply because it was written in the class plan.

This is not giving up on teaching. It is recognising that good teaching includes exercise selection, not just the words you use while the client moves.

When to Stop and Refer

If a client reports pain during a squat, pause the provoking exercise and ask them to describe the sensation, where they feel it, whether it is familiar and whether it is changing. Pain is not one clinical category. Its significance depends on severity, onset, behaviour, associated symptoms and the client's circumstances.

The following categories are practical guidance for instructors, not diagnostic criteria. They do not replace studio emergency procedures or individual advice from a treating professional.

Presentation	Appropriate action
Familiar, mild, non-concerning symptoms, where exercise suitability is established and any relevant guidance is known	Consider an appropriate modification and reassess. Do not continue if the symptom changes or becomes concerning.
New, sharp or unusual pain	Stop the provoking movement, clarify the symptom and decide whether assessment is needed. Novelty or sharpness alone does not determine urgency.
Persistent, worsening, unexplained or function-limiting pain	Recommend assessment by an appropriate Physiotherapist or medical practitioner.
Significant acute swelling, inability to bear weight after an injury, or a substantially new loss of function	Stop loading the affected joint and arrange urgent medical assessment, escalating when an emergency cause is possible.
Suspected fracture or dislocation; sudden painful swelling without clear injury; hot, severely painful swollen joint with or without fever; or suspected serious postoperative complication	Arrange immediate emergency medical assessment. Use an ambulance when required and follow studio procedures.
Collapse, loss of consciousness, chest pain suggestive of a medical emergency or severe breathing difficulty	Stop the session and call 000 in Australia. Do not delay the call to reposition the person. Follow the emergency operator's instructions.
Possible stroke symptoms, including sudden facial droop, substantial new one-sided weakness or difficulty speaking	Call 000 immediately. Do not attempt to assess the cause through movement testing.
Dizziness or faintness during exercise	Stop immediately, prevent a fall and assist the client into a safe position if appropriate. Loss of consciousness requires an emergency call. Seek urgent help for severe, persistent or associated concerning symptoms.
Persistent or recurrent dizziness without emergency features	Recommend medical assessment rather than repeatedly trialling exercise changes.

An instructor does not need to diagnose a fracture, joint infection, stroke or other emergency. They need to recognise that the presentation may require medical attention and act according to its urgency. For life-threatening situations, activate emergency procedures immediately.

Where symptoms are familiar and clinically non-concerning, modification may be appropriate within the client's healthcare guidance and the instructor's competence. But a change in pain after one exercise adjustment does not reveal the underlying diagnosis.

What is within your scope?

Within the role of a suitably qualified Pilates instructor	Outside that role unless separately qualified and authorised
Observe and describe movement without assigning a diagnosis	Diagnose a medical condition or claim to identify the injured structure
Cue, programme and modify exercise within training and competence	Independently deliver clinical treatment outside professional scope
Ask about exercise suitability and relevant professional guidance	Override or invent restrictions set by a surgeon or treating clinician
Offer a suitable alternative where participation remains appropriate	Persist with an exercise despite concerning symptoms to prove it is safe
Recommend assessment and document what happened	Promise a medical or rehabilitation outcome

Pilates can contribute to a person's rehabilitation, but an instructor's role in that process depends on qualifications, competence, professional scope, insurance, and any relevant care plan. Body Form® Education's teaching certifications and CPD do not confer independent authority to diagnose or treat medical conditions.

Two Illustrative Scenarios

These examples are fictional teaching situations. They demonstrate instructor decision-making rather than prescribing management for an individual client.

Scenario A: Knees Moving In

A client is performing bodyweight squats in a mixed-level class. On the later repetitions, their knees move closer together. You have already said “knees out” more than once, but the movement has not changed.

You stop repeating the cue and observe. You ask how the client is feeling. They report tiredness, but no pain, instability or other concerning symptom. You consider the objective of the exercise.

If the movement still meets the goal and the client is working appropriately, you may decide no further correction is required. The observed knee position does not, by itself, prove weakness, fatigue-related dysfunction or an increased injury risk.

If the later repetitions are no longer meeting the desired training objective, reduce the repetitions, adjust load or stance, provide rest, or choose another appropriate squat variation. Then reassess. You are making a programming decision, not diagnosing the reason the knees moved.

Afterwards, you might ask: “What did you notice changed as the set went on?” Use the answer to inform the next teaching decision rather than assuming the client must have felt what you expected.

Inside scope: observing, asking, cueing with a reason, modifying the exercise and documenting concerning responses where appropriate.

Outside scope: telling the client they have weak glutes, faulty alignment or an injury risk based solely on the visible knee movement.

Scenario B: Pain on the Way Down

During a squat, a client reports a new sharp feeling at the front of the knee as they lower. They ask whether they should just squat less deeply.

You stop the squat. You ask where they feel the symptom, whether it is settling now that they have stopped, whether it has happened before and whether they have any other concerning symptoms. You do not identify a structure or keep trying painful variations to work out the cause.

If pain persists, worsens, is unexplained or is otherwise concerning, recommend assessment by a Physiotherapist or medical practitioner. Significant swelling, inability to bear weight or another urgent feature changes how quickly they need assessment.

You might say: “That is not something I can assess properly in class. Let's leave that movement for now. I recommend having it checked before we try to load it further.”

Whether the client returns to squatting depends on the full presentation, the response to appropriate activity and any relevant advice from their healthcare professional. A single brief pain episode does not establish a diagnosis or mean they can never squat again.

Inside scope: stopping the provoking exercise, asking relevant questions, choosing not to continue, recommending appropriate assessment and recording what happened.

Outside scope: diagnosing the knee, promising a particular recovery timeline or repeatedly testing the painful task as if that were a clinical assessment.

Where to Learn More

Already qualified: develop the reasoning behind your cues

Applied Anatomy and Biomechanics Certification: AUD $550 upfront. Physiotherapist-led, fully online and self-paced, with unlimited course access. Designed to help qualified instructors connect anatomy and biomechanics to real movement analysis, exercise adaptation and programming decisions.

Strength Pilates Principles Certification: AUD $399 upfront. Physiotherapist-led, online and self-paced, with unlimited course access. Includes cueing for strength, exercise selection, load management, tempo and progressive programming.

These certifications are continuing professional development for qualified Pilates instructors. They do not replace Mat or Reformer teacher training, or independently qualify someone to teach Pilates or provide clinical treatment. Eligibility and insured scope remain relevant.

For details of any other programming and cueing certification, consult the current CPD course directory rather than relying on an unverified launch status.

Not yet qualified: learn how to teach the task

Mat Pilates Teacher Training and Reformer Pilates Teacher Training teach exercise setup, verbal, visual and tactile cueing, anatomy, biomechanics, functional movement patterns, programming and appropriate exercise adaptation. They are Physiotherapy-led, meaning designed and directed by Physiotherapists, rather than granting graduates a clinical licence.

The squat sits alongside the hinge, lunge, push and pull as a functional movement pattern within the Body Form® Method. Instructors should understand what each movement asks the client to do, how to progress it and how to teach it to the person in front of them.

Sources

The following references underpin the research discussion and the clinical escalation examples. Biomechanical explanations are used to inform exercise selection, not to establish a universally safe squat technique. Motor-learning research findings are presented with their limitations.

Questions

1. How many cues should I give for a squat?

There is no universally correct number. One or two setup cues can be a useful starting point, followed by observation and further information when it helps. Some clients need more support, others less. The aim is to provide relevant information rather than fill every repetition with instructions. If a cue is not helping, consider another cue, a demonstration or a change to the exercise.

2. A client's knees move inward in a squat. What should I cue?

First decide whether the movement matters to the exercise goal and whether the client has symptoms or another concern. Knee movement is affected by the task, load, stance, individual anatomy and movement strategy. It does not automatically identify weak muscles, poor technique or injury risk. If a change is appropriate, you might adjust load, stance, depth or repetitions, or try a task-specific cue. Observe what happens rather than assuming every knee must follow the same path.

3. Should I use internal cues such as “squeeze your glutes”?

You can use an internal cue when it helps the person understand the task, but you do not need to make them feel a particular muscle for the squat to be useful. Outcome-focused cues can also help. Research comparing internal and external attentional focus has reported mixed interpretations once publication bias is considered. Use the cue that helps this client perform the intended movement, and reassess its effect.

4. Can I touch a client to cue a squat?

Only with specific consent and within your professional scope and workplace policies. Explain where you intend to touch, why, and what you want to communicate. The client can decline without explanation or withdraw consent at any time. Previous consent does not automatically apply to a new contact. Demonstration, words and environmental feedback are valid alternatives.

5. What if the client still does not understand after I change the cue?

Consider the task itself. Reduce the range, use an appropriate stable target, add support, adjust resistance or choose a different variation. The issue may be balance, fatigue, unfamiliarity, strength or the demands of the setup rather than the words you used. There is no fixed number of unsuccessful cues after which you must change an exercise.

6. Should I correct every repetition?

No. Observe what matters to the task, the client and their safety. Small differences in stance, depth or trunk position are not necessarily errors. Correct or modify when there is a meaningful reason, such as an unsuitable exercise demand, difficulty with the intended movement or a concerning symptom. A cue should have a purpose.

7. A client says squatting hurts. Do I stop?

Pause the provoking squat first, then ask where the symptom is, whether it is familiar, how severe it is and whether it changes with rest. Familiar, mild, non-concerning symptoms may sometimes be managed by an appropriate modification within the client's healthcare guidance. New, severe, rapidly worsening or otherwise concerning symptoms require the exercise to stop and may warrant assessment. Persistent, unexplained or function-limiting pain warrants appropriate clinical review. Emergency signs require immediate emergency action.

Recognition

Accredited and Recognised

Body Form® Education teacher training is ITTAP accredited through the Pilates Method Alliance, mapped with AUSactive in Australia, and audited and verified by Pilates Aotearoa in New Zealand. This applies whether you complete Mat, Reformer or the full comprehensive pathway. Employment, insurance, visa and professional registration requirements vary by country and employer, so check the requirements where you plan to teach. CPD certifications are continuing education for qualified instructors.

Recognition and accreditation

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How to Cue a SquatWithout Over-Coaching