How do I practice cueing well?

First decide the single most important point in a movement, and cue only that, briefly. Watch the client's response; if it isn't landing, deliver the same idea through a different sense (visual or tactile). Image-based cues a client can actually feel usually work better than anatomical terms.

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How to Cue Pilates Well: Visual, Tactile & Verbal Cues

Q: What is cueing in Pilates?

Cueing is the signals and guidance an instructor gives so a client performs a movement correctly. You mix verbal cues (spoken), visual cues (shown), and tactile cues (a light touch) to fit the moment. A good cue is short and specific, pointing to the key sensation rather than explaining at length.

June 21, 2026 · 6 min read

A Pilates instructor guiding a client's form with a light hand cue

Image: Pexels (free license)

Same exercise, two instructors. One says a single sentence and the client's form clicks into place. The other explains three sentences and the client is still puzzled. It isn't that one knows more exercises. The difference comes down, almost entirely, to cueing. An instructor's real skill shows less in the hands that build the sequence and more in the voice and hands that transfer it into the client's body.

Short answer: Cueing is the signal you give so a client performs a movement correctly. You mix three types — verbal cues (spoken), visual cues (shown), and tactile cues (a light touch). The key isn't "more," it's one thing at a time, short and specific.

First, what cueing actually is

A cue is the signal an instructor throws so the client finds the key sensation of a movement. It isn't narrating the posture from start to finish — it's pointing to the single most important thing in this exact moment. A good cue draws an accurate image in the client's mind, and that image converts straight into movement.

Three cues, and how they differ

Verbal cue (words)The most-used cue. You guide with language — "draw your ribs down toward your pelvis." Images a client can feel beat anatomical terms — "stamp your tailbone into the mat like a seal."

Visual cue (showing)You demonstrate, or point with your hand. Showing the range with "only lift this much" is often faster than ten words.

Tactile cue (a light touch)

You lightly touch the client's scapula or pelvis to tell the body "use here." It's the most powerful cue but the one to handle with the most care. Always get consent first, keep it light and clear, and pair it with words that name your intent — like "I'm going to guide your shoulder down, toward this contact."

The key is switching senses: if a verbal cue doesn't land in a movement, switch to visual; if it still won't click, finish with tactile. Every client absorbs a different sense best.

A few examples of good cues

The Hundred — "short and quick, like your arms are bouncing off the floor." (image of speed)
Roll-Up — "peel your spine off the mat one bone at a time, like unstringing a pearl necklace." (image of articulation)
Bridge — "press the floor away with your feet and lift from the hips toward the ceiling." (defining the start point)

See the common thread? Instead of making clients memorize muscle names, you hand them a picture they can call up and feel immediately.

Cueing mistakes new instructors make

Too much at once. "Ribs down, shoulders down, neutral pelvis, and the breath is…" — dump it all and the client catches nothing. One key point only.
Term overload. "Activate your transverse abdominis" is a foreign language to a client. Translate it into words they can feel.
Only pointing out what's wrong. "This way, let's try" beats "that's not it" — faster, and it feels better.
Repeating the same cue. Instead of repeating a cue that isn't working, only louder, switch senses.

Honestly — a lot of instructors try to memorize an entire cue library, but that's inefficient. What really matters is the judgment to first decide "what is the single most important thing in this movement." Once that's settled, the cue follows naturally. And the point you emphasize shifts depending on where the movement sits in the sequence.

Sequences and cue points, automatically

Enter body type, goal, and class length, and PilaMate builds the sequence — and suggests the key cue point for each movement. A tool built for instructors, launching soon.

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