Level 3 Mat Pilates Instructor Course
About This Course
Level III Mat Pilates Instructor Course | Online Certification, EFWA®
How this programme is delivered
This programme is delivered entirely online. Lectures, learning materials and assessments are completed remotely at your own pace, with tutor support through the course Q&A. There is no in-person practical observation.
About this course
Mat Pilates is the foundation of the method. Everything taught on the Reformer, and every adaptation made for pregnancy or for children, rests on the principles established here.
This course covers the mat repertoire together with the anatomy and biomechanics that underpin it. Whether you are taking your first steps towards teaching or formalising years of personal practice, the emphasis throughout is on understanding what each exercise asks of the body — not simply reproducing a sequence.
Essential details
Certificate awarded: EFWA Certificate in Mat Pilates Instruction
Format: 100% online, self-paced
Endorsement: International Pilates Federation (IPF)
Support: Tutor support through course Q&A, unlimited access
Guided learning time: Approximately 10 hours
The EFWA Anatomical Overlay
This is what separates an EFWA programme from a Pilates video library.
Every practical demonstration runs alongside an anatomical panel prepared by Dr Mert Eray Onen, author of Anatomy of the Locomotor System. For each exercise the panel identifies the joints involved, the movement occurring at each — flexion, extension, abduction, rotation — the muscles producing that movement, the muscles stabilising isometrically, and the muscles being lengthened.
Most instructor courses show you the exercise. This one shows you what is happening inside the body while you perform it, and why the cue you give a client works.
Who teaches what. Theoretical modules — anatomy, kinesiology and exercise physiology — are delivered by Dr Mert Eray Onen, who has taught these subjects at university level since 2004. Practical demonstrations are delivered by Melisa Arslan, with the anatomical analysis for each exercise prepared by Dr Onen.
Course curriculum
Applied anatomy and physiology. Biomechanics and muscle function: how the body produces movement, how it compensates, and how it adapts to Pilates training.
Principles of Pilates. The method’s founding principles and how they inform practical teaching decisions.
The mat repertoire. A structured progression from foundation exercises through to advanced work, with modifications at each stage.
Teaching strategy. Leading one-to-one sessions, small groups and larger classes, and adapting your communication for different learners.
Tutor Q&A. Direct access to tutors for questions on anatomy, technique and practice throughout your study.
Depth rather than duration
Students often ask why the core content is approximately ten hours. Traditional courses frequently extend their stated hours with historical background that can be read in a book. Every module here is built around what you will use when teaching.
Precision. How to perform and how to teach each movement, with the anatomical reasoning behind each correction.
Applied anatomy. Which muscle groups are engaged in each exercise, which stabilise, which lengthen — and why that matters for teaching safely.
Repetition. You can rewind and review any movement as often as you need, and pause at the precise moment a position changes. Individual correction in a class of twenty is necessarily limited by time.
Unlimited access. Your access does not end when your certificate is issued. Course materials remain available to you indefinitely.
Who this course is for
Those preparing to teach: Committed practitioners moving from personal practice into instruction.
Practising fitness professionals: Gym instructors, personal trainers and coaches extending their teaching into Pilates.
Movement and therapy professionals: Massage therapists, sports therapists and physiotherapists with an interest in movement education.
Practising Pilates instructors: Those who want to strengthen the anatomical and physiological foundation of their existing teaching.
Frequently asked questions
How do I start teaching?
Requirements vary by country and by employer. In the UK, some studios and insurers ask for a regulated qualification from an Ofqual-recognised awarding organisation; in many other countries there is no such requirement at all. EFWA is an independent provider, so we would encourage you to check what applies where you intend to teach.
What this course gives you is the part no regulator can issue: the repertoire, the safety knowledge, and the applied anatomy behind every exercise you will teach.
Will studios recognise this certificate?
Your EFWA certificate is issued by EFWA and can be verified by QR code. It evidences the knowledge and competence you have demonstrated. Recognition itself varies by country and employer, so requirements are worth checking locally.
In practice, what studios respond to in an interview is whether you can explain why an exercise works. That is what this programme trains.
Is an online Pilates course worthwhile?
The online format lets you study movements in high definition and return to a biomechanical explanation as many times as you need — something rarely possible in a live class. What it does not offer is real-time correction of your own practice. Both formats have their place; this one is built to make full use of depth and repetition.
Join learners in more than 60 countries studying Pilates with EFWA.
ENROL NOW. Start Your Level III Pilates Journey Today.
Learning Objectives
Material Includes
- Video lectures with anatomical overlay panels · Written learning materials · Knowledge assessments · Tutor Q&A access · EFWA certificate on completion written yok, unlimited access var
Requirements
- No prior qualification is required. A mat and space to practise are recommended.
Target Audience
- Committed Pilates practitioners preparing to move from practice into teaching.
- Gym instructors, personal trainers and fitness coaches extending their teaching into Pilates.
- Massage therapists, sports therapists and physiotherapists with an interest in movement education.
- Practising Pilates instructors who want to strengthen their anatomical knowledge.
Curriculum
Locomotor System Anatomy
Skeletal System36:15
Muscular System35:53
Locomotor System Anatomy Quiz
Exercise Physiology
Anatomy and Physiology
Mat Pilates Course
Your Instructors
Dr. Mert Eray Onen
PhD · Founder & Academic Director, EFWA
Dr Mert Eray Onen is the founder of the European Fitness and Wellness Academy and the author of Anatomy of the Locomotor System, 2022.
He has taught human anatomy and kinesiology at university level since 2004, delivering these subjects across all departments of the Faculty of Sport Sciences at Kocaeli University, where he remains a member of the teaching staff. He holds a PhD in Sport Health Sciences from Marmara University and an MSc in Coaching Education from Celal Bayar University, where he graduated first in his cohort.
Published work
Alongside Anatomy of the Locomotor System, his books include Doping in Sport, second edition 2014. He is editor and contributing author of Training Physiology, 2026, for which he wrote the chapters on muscle physiology, neuromuscular control, and the peripheral and central mechanisms of exercise-induced fatigue. He has contributed chapters on muscle physiology and fatigue mechanisms to Exercise and Sport Physiology. His research has appeared in peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, most recently on the effects of massage practice on low back pain and physical fitness.
Teaching in Pilates and movement
In 2011–2012 he delivered the anatomy, kinesiology and exercise physiology curriculum across all International Pilates Federation instructor programmes — Matwork I–II and Reformer I–II — and served as the Federation’s Vice President for Education and Chair of its Education and Science Board. He has taught sports anatomy on Turkish Gymnastics Federation Pilates instructor courses in 2010, 2011, 2015 and 2016.
Beyond Pilates, he has delivered anatomy, physiology and nutrition modules on national coaching certification courses across more than fifteen sports, including swimming, athletics, tennis, judo, boxing, handball and bodybuilding. Since 2004 he has been programme coordinator and anatomy lecturer on the massage therapist training courses run jointly by the Turkish Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the Ministry of National Education.
In 2025 he received the Best Educator award at the 9th International Achievement and Career Award.
At EFWA
Dr Onen writes and delivers the theoretical modules of EFWA’s programmes, and prepares the anatomical analysis that accompanies every practical demonstration: the joints involved, the movement occurring at each, the muscles producing it, the muscles stabilising isometrically, and the muscles being lengthened.
Student Feedback
Reviews (5)
Content well explained and easy to understand.
It was ok
The information was quite good, but the language could be better
Тhank you for the amazing course! I really enjoyed how it was structured and delivered – I learned new skills and had fun during every session.
Very informative - many in depth subjects covered and easy to follow
£149.00
Material Includes
- Video lectures with anatomical overlay panels · Written learning materials · Knowledge assessments · Tutor Q&A access · EFWA certificate on completion written yok, unlimited access var
