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Educator pathway

APC I — All Populations Cadillac

Level I

Educator pathway

A practice-forward Level I pathway on the Cadillac and tower — built for educators ready to cue, spot, and sequence.

APC I — All Populations Cadillac

Overview

Cadillac I on the educator track introduces the full tower and Cadillac environment as a teaching space — not only as a collection of exercises. You learn how spring choices, bar settings, and body position work together so clients experience support, length, and control without losing the flow of a session.

Building on Mat I Certification, this course assumes you already speak the language of breath, alignment, and layered progressions. Here we translate those habits onto vertical and semi-vertical work: spotting, hands-on assists, and group-management strategies that keep mixed-level rooms both safe and energizing.

What You'll Learn

  • Set up like a teacher: read spring maps, rollback bar and push-through safety
  • Teach foundational Cadillac & tower repertoire with clear entrances and exits
  • Cue opposition, suspension, and breath in vertical shapes
  • Spot and assist with confidence within professional boundaries
  • Layer progressions and modifications for common restrictions
  • Plan a coherent Cadillac/tower class for mixed levels

Curriculum Modules

Apparatus literacy & safety Cadillac/tower geography, springs, boundaries ~8 hrs

Build a repeatable setup ritual: nomenclature, gear positions, rollback bar pathways, and mat-to-tower transitions.

  • Spring maps and safety checks
  • Partner walkthroughs for bar, loops, and push-through paths
  • Studio agreements for touch and injury reporting
Level I repertoire — supported shapes Foundational exercises with clear arcs ~10 hrs

Introduce the core shapes: stable support, open-chain reach, and controlled spinal mobility.

  • Supine, seated, and side orientation progressions
  • Cueing breath and opposition without bracing
  • Small-group teaching rounds
Progressions & decision-making When to load, simplify, or redirect ~8 hrs

Practice choosing variations for common scenarios while preserving session flow.

  • Clinical decision trees
  • Pair drills: observer calls the modification
  • Written rationales tying choices to assessments
Spotting, assists & group flow Voice, touch, pacing in live teaching ~8 hrs

Shift from demonstrating to conducting: manage traffic, cue layers, and offer professional assists.

  • Hands-on ladders within policy
  • Voice drills for pacing and scan lines
  • Peer rubric: clarity, inclusivity, safety
Integration & educator documentation Lesson maps, reflections, next steps ~6 hrs

Land the course with annotated lesson maps and reflective prompts.

  • Draft two Cadillac/tower outlines with progressions
  • Self-assessment against PAI criteria
  • Office-hour block for next steps

Who This Course Is For

Mat-certified educators who want to add Cadillac and tower teaching to their repertoire, and studio owners expanding their equipment offerings.

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