In this issue

• To all coordinators…Godsend or Nightmare
• Aqua Fitness Video
• Network’s Small Group Training Summit
• Upcoming workshops – Melbourne
• Exercise of the month – Gymstick Back and Hip Extension with Shoulder Press
• Testimonial of the month – Puja Shah Desai

DID YOU KNOW??

Laugh and you’ll burn up three and a half calories, no joke.

Need more??

You can access a variety of Marietta’s writing on her website. Click here to view the articles

Gymstick Benefits

The Gymstick is designed to offer total body resistance training, by allowing for hundreds of movements and variations, replicating free weight exercises. However, unlike free weights which introduce load in a downward direction as a result of gravity, Gymstick provides resistance in virtually any desired direction and in any position.

You tell us!!

If you have a story or testimonial you would like included in this newsletter please email

[email protected]

To all coordinators…Godsend or Nightmare

By Marietta Mehanni and Ange La Scala

Did you choose well? Did you hire the right instructor for the class? How do they fit in with the rest of the team? Are you having regrets and now your hands are tied because they have a following of members? Or are they the best thing since sliced bread?

Hiring instructors to ensure a successful integration into your group exercise team is one of the most important aspects of a program coordinators role.
The following steps outline the process in building a successful team.

Interviews

How does a coordinator go about assessing whether an instructor will fit into the club’s culture?
What to look for initially:
• Preliminary contact – phone conversation
• Punctuality
• Initial presentation – are they dressed appropriately?
• Communication skills – are they good listeners, or do they just want to talk about themselves?
• Body language and eye contact

What would raise a red flag in the initial stage?
• If they are hard to get in contact with, then you will probably always have this issue in the future
• If they are late for an interview or audition, then they will be more likely to be late for their classes – exceptions do apply
• If they are dressed inappropriately, what image are they then going to portray in their classes
• If their communication, eye contact and body language skills are poor, then they will not be effective instructors

The first step is to have a face to face meeting. Hiring someone over the internet, or phone is problematic as you will have no indication of potential issues. So what are the first steps that should be taken to arrange an interview with a new instructor?

Click here to read more

Tricks, Tools and Trades of Program Coordinating July 11 / 12
This informative two day workshop will provide you with detailed knowledge and tools to be an effective team leader and to navigate the challenges that face all coordinators. Click here for more info and bookings

Aqua Fitness Video

Missed out on FILEX? Join in the fun of this dance themed aqua fitness class, choreographed and presented by Marietta Mehanni and Dominic Gili at FILEX 2012 – Australia’s premier fitness conference. Click the song title below to watch the clip

You’re the one that I want

Nutbush City Limits

Jungle Boogie

Network’s Small Group Training Summit

Upcoming workshops – Melbourne

Exercise of the month – Gymstick Back and Hip Extension with Shoulder Press

Extend back, lifting chest and both legs off the floor whillst extending elbows

Testimonial of the month – Puja Shah Desai

I still remember the transition phase of my career from India to Australia. After arriving in Australia, I started doing Management course and teaching Yoga and Hilo classes at a gym in South-East Melbourne based on the degree and experience in India. Soon I realised that there was something missing from my classes and that classes could not be conducted in Australia the way they were in India. From using the same Aerobics techniques and moves that I was using in India to using Microphone (which are not being used by Indian Fitness Industry), from the terminology of moves to using the studio to its full advantage, from perfection in cueing to handling the clientele, from having work insurance to PPCA rules and so on.. I clearly needed some guidance. I also wanted to do some Fitness courses in Australia. At this point of time, the gym manager came to my aid and asked me to meet Marietta, who used to teach a class at the same gym every Sunday morning and said that she had been conducting courses for aspiring instructors and that she might be able to help me with my queries.

I went that very same week to attend Marietta’s class and meet her at the end of it. By the time, class got over, I knew in my heart that I had found the right teacher and that I wanted to learn from her. The agility with which she moved and at the same time motivating and cueing participants- as an instructor I could make out very easily that I was just going to meet the best Fitness instructor I have ever met. And I will stick to that sentence even today- the best instructor I have ever met. Not just because of her technique and knowledge but also for having hunger for spreading and sharing her knowledge ( without expecting any returns of it) to the instructors by mentoring them, not just because of her super hit classes but also because of her dedication to give her best to participants even when she herself is not 100 percent alright (I remember her teaching a class with sore throat and once with shoulder injury which made it difficult for her to even raise her arm above head level), not just because of her popularity but also because of her humbleness that comes with it.

Needless to say, I got hooked with her classes after that First Sunday morning. And I remember ditching parties and late night movies on Saturday nights just because I would want to be my best and fittest me to enjoy her amazing routines. Upon her advise, I did certification courses from CAE to gain my gym and personal instructor certifications in Australia and then later on Group exercise certification which she herself conducts. Upon its completion, She offered to mentor me. I was in the seventh cloud that I was going to learn from ‘the Marietta’. And she made sure to bring best out of me, not expecting anything unusual out of me but playing with my strengths and weaknesses. Since I had my learning from India and since I had been teaching Fitness classes for some years, it was difficult to erase that old knowledge and learn something new. But Marietta always kept her patience and taught in such a way that I could combine my old experience and new knowledge to get to a better level.

Upon completion of  my Management course, I started working full time in the industry and even after Mentoring got over, Marietta kept giving her support whenever I asked for it. When I was in doubt about doing Aqua certification or not, she was the one who encouraged me.
In 2012, I decided to come to India with my husband for personal reasons and at this moment I am in Mumbai, India. Again completely different Fitness industry than Melbourne or Ahmedabad, India (that is where I had always stayed before moving to Australia) But the training I had with Marietta is helping me here also and I am sure it will always guide me.

I remember her golden words, ‘Good technique and cueing alone does not make a great instructor. your dedication, your passion for the fitness, your focus on small gestures to make your clients comfortable ( Right music volume, temperature and not to forget a smile), updating your self and then educating your clients and so many things like that separates you from an ordinary instructor.’

Thank you Marietta.