Issue #318 – November 18, 2020
Pilates Wisdom from Jay Grimes
by Ana Caban
When I sat down in Balanced Body Headquarters over 2 ½ years ago, I had no idea what an amazing and historical ride I was in for. I entered a conference room with managers of several departments, and CEO Ken Endelman, all of whom had questions for me. We talked about my skills, experience and vision for what I might offer Balanced Body. However, what they were most interested in was how I might help Balanced Body penetrate the classical Pilates market. Wait, what? Yes, my training is in classical Pilates. In fact, I was fortunate enough to be certified by Romana Kryzanowska. However, making a major impact in the classical Pilates market certainly seemed like a daunting task. That was until I learned about the soon to be released Contrology Reformer. Since then Contrology has released a Cadillac, Ped-o-Pul and Arm Chair. Let’s go back to before I interviewed at Balanced Body, to better understand how the Contrology line came to life and what I learned from Pilates Legend Jay Grimes.
“As the story goes, Kathi Ross-Nash approached Balanced Body CEO Ken Endelman to design classical Pilates equipment for her. Kathi introduced Ken to Jay Grimes, and later to Karen Frischmann, who had been working on developing classical springs, (and knew a whole lot about springs and spring-making). You see, Jay had been frustrated with the changes that had been made to Pilates equipment over the years. He longed for a reformer like his (crafted by Donald Gratz in the 1970s) to be available to all. According to Jay, “They were little changes, but when you added them all together, they made a huge difference. And it was driving me crazy because you cannot do the work properly if the equipment isn’t right. I really wanted to get back to the experience that I had when learning Pilates and what it felt like.” Karen, Ken and Jay worked on the Contrology reformer springs for a year and a half before they got them right, and the rest is history.”
I jumped into my role as Brand Ambassador for Contrology and began spreading the word about these amazing springs and reformer through in-person events with Jay, as well as virtual ones. I’m excited to share the knowledge that I have gained directly from Jay along the way. Here are Jay’s actual responses to commonly asked questions and thoughts on Pilates.
Balanced Body CEO Ken Endelman and Jay Grimes hanging out!
What was Joe’s goal for his students?
“Joe’s goal for his students was that you wouldn’t need him. He gave you mat work as homework… His goal was independence for his clients.”
Would Joe teach the same or different exercises to clients?
“Joe’s goal was ultimately for everybody to do everything (exercise) whether they were a 20-year old dancer, or an 88-year old lady with a double hip replacement. But what he did when you started, was he would throw you on the reformer, or he would throw you on the mat. And you did your first six, eight or ten exercises exactly the same; nothing added, nothing taken away. Then when you were done with all that, he would take you to the Cadillac, or Wunda chair, and say “This is for you.”
He made you feel special. It was always positive. Joe never, ever, ever said anything negative about anyone and their body. He wanted everybody to feel like an Olympic athlete. And you would get maybe two or three “This is for yous” that were specific to your body.
He didn’t try to teach you everything he knew right off the bat. So, you did those same exact exercises, and after six or eight lessons you’d come in and he would say, “Start.” and walk away from you. Because from day one you were trained to be independent; do your own springs, etc.”
So, then he would just leave you, but he was always watching you like a hawk. He has eyes all around his head, not just in the back… You were never allowed to do anything dangerous, but when you got to the point where you could do all of that reasonably well you would come in and Joe would say, “Start. When you get to this point stop and call me.” And at that point he would teach you another two new exercises and say “Now each time, do these here. Now continue.”
You cannot teach Pilates. (Ana’s note for clarification: you are more of a guide.)
“Pilates has to be discovered in one’s own body. When the equipment is right, you get all of this feedback. You don’t need a teacher standing there saying, “Do this. Do that.” Just go with it and you’ll find it.”
Stop Cueing
“The most unfortunate word in the English language is cue. You cue an actor. You cue in pool. Be aware of the body in front of you. Talk less. Be out of the way of the student. Talking is not teaching. All of that talk becomes noise.
Give students what they need and let them go – no anatomy, just “dis”. Joe, and Clara, would point at a body part and say, “dis”. Students will zone out if you talk anatomy. Poke them and they’ll get it!
It’s very different now. Things were not explained back then. We were just told to move. “Move!” It’s the movement that changes the body.”
Stop over-correcting students
I was working with Joe a couple of months before I got my first correction – “Use your gut!”. You can’t tell somebody what they should feel. They’ll discover it. It’ll start to happen. This may happen after coming in five to six times and starting with the footwork. They will suddenly feel it. And that’s when it all starts to come together and mean something.
Jay Grimes NOT over-correcting Ana Caban
There is a lot to learn from the simplicity of Jay’s words and the experience that he had with Joe. I have been teaching Pilates for over 20 years and incorporating what Jay has shared into my teaching has been liberating. Joe’s system is simple and effective. It’s nice to know that with the right equipment we don’t “teach” Pilates, we allow our students to discover it. I’m thrilled that Jay and Ken have worked together to create equipment that truly teaches the student and am honored to be part of the Contrology by Balanced Body team.
Ana Cabán is a leading Pilates instructor. For more than 2 decades she has gained a strong reputation among health and fitness industry experts for her distinctive style. Ana has sold over 4,500,000 of her award-winning bilingual fitness DVDs. Touted “a star Pilates instructor” by InStyle magazine and “the fitness guru to propel you into shape” by Martha Stewart Radio, she has appeared as the go-to fitness & lifestyle expert in the media for years. Some of the media outlets to feature Ana include Health, Fitness, Pilates Style, Latina and O magazines, Univision, FOX, NBC and SiriusXM. She is a proud to be part of the Contrology by Balanced Body team.