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Types of Corrections

Guidelines & Programming

It’s your job to keep clients safe during class. At least one touchpoint should occur between you and every client during every True40 class, either by an affirmative touch or a correctional touch. Recognizing that people learn differently (auditory, visual, tactile), you should also set up next to clients to demonstrate correct form (for the visual learners), and give verbal group corrections (for the auditory learners).

You should make sure clients feel comfortable with touch before putting your hands on them. The downtown studio has put a system in place where if clients do NOT want to be touched, they will grab a sticky note at the equipment station and put it at their barre. If your studio doesn’t have a system like this, then ask if you can touch a client before correcting them.

Prioritize corrections that are most important in preventing injury – you will probably not be able to get to all! When you scan the room,  find the “bleeders,” or glaringly obvious form mistakes, and apply the corrections we will go over here. 

1. Individual Hands On Corrections – Tactile

*If a client is doing something that could cause injury, you must attempt to correct them.* 

*You should touch everyone at least once during class, even if it’s an affirmative touch.*

The only caveat would be if someone has indicated they would not like to be touched.

  • When approaching clients to correct them, make sure that they can see you and that you don’t startle them. Get on their level and don’t tower over them (ex. for a glute bridge or core exercise, kneel down and indicate what they should correct).
  • Use quick, firm, direct corrections. PAWS NOT CLAWS. 
  • Explain WHY you are correcting them and ask them how it feels before you leave them (ex. “Hey Kaitlyn, I want you to move your foot back to meet my hand so that your ankles are directly underneath your knees and your knee is supported.” *client moves foot* “Does that feel better on your knee?”). 
  • After your correction, leave them with a positive comment or encouragement. It’s great to use their name here!
  • There is a balance in keeping a client safe while still making them feel comfortable (hands on correcting them too many times will make them feel singled out and discouraged). Blend in the other correction methods (affirmative, group, and demonstrating) we outline below.
  • New clients will often need to be touched more than once. Before class, introduce yourself and tell them that you will be correcting postures throughout class and adjusting form, so that they are aware it is a part of the class and expect it!
  • Shoulder Corrections:
    • “What your mother did”: Gently press down on shoulders with a flat palm to remind clients to release tension in traps. You might use this in TRX work where clients are tensing the neck/shoulders are “shrugged.”
    • “Shark bite”: Place one hand on top of clients shoulder, with the other hand in the shape of an L, gently draw your fingers together in the middle of their back as a cue for them to straighten their spine. You might use this if you see a rounded back/shoulders in upright chair or incline chair.
    • “Lateral shark bite”: Pull fingers together horizontally in the middle of clients’ backs. You might use this in TRX high row (can also be considered an affirmative touch). While you do this, you could use a verbal cue like “draw your shoulder blades toward each other.” 
  • Core/Back Corrections:
    • “Shark Bite” (see above). You might use this if a client is hunching forward during seated core work.
    • Point to their belly button, moving your hand towards their core and verbally cue for them to pull in (you do not have to physically touch them). You might use this in leg lowers if a client is lying on their back. This visual of your pointer finger coming towards them in the posture will help them engage their core properly and keep their back on the mat.
    • Place your hand flat and firm on the small of their back and tell them to “pull their belly in.” You might use this if a client is standing or in prone/all fours. 
  • Hip Corrections:
    • With firm, open hands adjust hips as needed (Paws not claws)
    • To push hips down → with flat hands, grab firmly on each hip and press down so that the shoulders, hips, and ankles are in one long line.
    • To lift hips up → with flat hands, grab firmly on each hip and pull up so that the shoulders, hips, and ankles are in one long line.
      • You might use this in a plank if clients are dropping their hips.
    • To rotate hips →  with flat hands, grab firmly and the client’s hips and rotate to square the hips.
      • You might use this in head to barre if clients are opening their hips.
    • “Rib rotation” → When you square the rib cage, the hips follow. With flat hands, grab firmly and the client’s ribcage and rotate to square the chest in which the hips will naturally follow. You might use this in head to barre if clients are opening their hips.
  • Knee Corrections:
    • A gentle pat behind knee to remind clients to soften their knee joint: You might use this in head to barre if clients are locking out their knee. You can also pat at the top of the thigh.
    • Pat the foot and the pat the floor where foot should be to get the client to move their foot up so that it is directly underneath their knee. You might use this in horse pose if a client’s knee is going over their ankle. 
    • Place the side of your hand on the floor and ask the client to move their foot back to meet your hand. You might use this in a glute bridge if a client’s ankles are in front of their knee.
    • Place one hand on the shin and another hand on the thigh (closer to the knee than to the hip) and push back so that the knee lines up with the ankle OR you could place a flat palm on the front of the shin and push back to accomplish the same goal.
    • “Kickstand” Place one hand on their shoulder to stabilize them and lift their heels up using your toe. You might use this in power base if clients heels are too low and they are not taking the flat footed option. Ask clients if they are modifying before performing this correction. If they ARE, show them the flat footed option and tell them that they can take this option to protect their knee joints

2. Affirmative Touches – Tactile

Why we do this: (1) to affirm clients and encourage them to get the most out of their workout and (2) to bring awareness to a specific part of the body
Examples:

“Squeeze heels together” – Take your thumb and pointer finger and squeeze the heels together to encourage clients to press their heels together more tightly, challenging their body

You would use this in power diamond.

“Thigh Hold”- Place your pointer finger and thumb on top of thigh and lightly squeeze to encourage clients to sink lower and fire their quad

You might use this in power four or chair.

“Kickstand” – Place one hand on their shoulder to stabilize them and lift their heels up using your toe

You might use this in a power posture where their heels are too close to the floor.

“Heel Press”  Press down on heels to encourage clients to press their heels to the floor

You might use this in a plank to help them extend through the heels, or in a heel press glute bridge to make sure they are digging down into the mat to maximize the effects of the posture. 

3. Group Corrections – Verbal 

*You should constantly re-cue postures after the initial set up. Scan the room. If numerous clients are doing the same thing wrong, use a group correction. If it’s just one person, use hands on corrections or demonstrate the posture next to them.

  • If numerous clients are doing a posture incorrectly, re-cue the posture to the entire class, tailoring your talking points to whatever needs to be adjusted.
    • Ex. In a power diamond, multiple clients’ turnout is too wide, stressing their knee joints. “I want everyone to turn their toes in just a bit to make a narrow v. Think about 11 and 1 on a clock, or opening your toes about the size of a piece of pizza.” 
    • Ex. If numerous clients are doing plank incorrectly (dropping their hips and putting pressure on their low back), address the entire class that you can build up muscle / core strength by doing it correctly at the barre or with your knees on the floor.
  • If individuals do not hear your group correction or attempt to correct themselves, go to them and apply the individual correction guidelines.
  • Remind clients to use the mirror as a guide especially during warm up or combo. 
  • If you need to give a specific correction to 2-3 people only, group clients together rather than singling them out (i.e. “Kaitlyn and Shelby bring your feet in so that they are directly underneath your hips”). 
  • Think about corrections and assessing clients’ form more holistically. By finding the “root problem” and offering a single correction, you may be able to fix multiple things.
    • Example: You see a client introducing some lumbar sway while in an Incline Chair Squat. Scanning the body a little further, you see that she is also dumping weight into one hip, and there is some supination of the right foot (weight is to the outer side of the foot).  By re-centering the client and offering a more neutral foot stance, this may re-level the hips and align the back.  
  • Verbal Correction Statements
    • Relatable statements
      • “I have a tendency to lift my shoulders when I start feeling fatigued, so as you get tired, press your shoulders away from your ears.” 
      • “It’s often helpful for me to realign my hips multiple times throughout this posture because that is the first thing to go, but the most important to keep in mind throughout glute work.”
      • “Placing the ball under my head during side diamond is my favorite modification because it takes out the distraction of the upper body and helps me really hone in on my side seat.” 
    • Common corrections
      • “Press your shoulder blades together to lift your chest/avoid hunching forward.”
      • “Keep your knees soft in standing glute work/combo weight work to help protect your joints.”
      • “Pretend like you’re cracking a walnut between your shoulder blades.”
      • “Close the gap.” During core, ask clients to place their pinky fingers on their hip bones and their thumbs on their last ribs and have them “close the gap” between their fingers to pull their transverse abdominis in. This is great to use in core before starting an exercise on your back.
      • “Pretend like someone has a string and is pulling you up towards the ceiling.”
    • ‘Avoid’ statements
      • “Avoid rounding your spine or hunching through the shoulders.”
      • “Avoid collapsing your chest or dropping one hip.”
      • “Remember that the integrity of your form is the most important component of keeping class safe and effective.”

4. Demonstrating Corrections – Verbal

Another way to correct is to set up next to clients who may need a little extra help. It also helps other clients around the room to see you from different angles. 

General Note About Corrections: These are different from modifications; however, you may need to offer a modification if you see a client with incorrect form. They might not be able to perform the posture correctly because they are not currently strong enough in that area to support the movement, so you should offer them a modification to help them build strength. (ex. a client is rounding their back in oblique lat pulls so you may want to offer them a ball to place behind their back for more support).

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