3 Go-To - BEGINNER Small Ball Pilates Moves Your Class Will Love

May 31

3 min read

Why Add small Ball Pilates Moves To Your Class

The Pilates mini ball is a small but powerful prop that adds support, challenge, and variety to your workout. It’s lightweight, easy to use, and helps target deep stabilising muscles, especially in the core, hips, and inner thighs. Whether you're looking to intensify a movement or provide gentle support, the mini ball makes classic exercises feel fresh, fun, and effective.

1. Bridge with Ball Between Knees

Setup:

Lie on your back with knees bent, feet hip-width apart.
Place the small ball between your inner thighs, just above the knees.
Arms are long by your sides, palms facing down.
Ensure your spine is in a neutral position.

How to Do It:

Inhale to prepare.
Exhale, gently squeeze the ball and lift your hips off the mat, articulating through the spine vertebra by vertebra.
Keep a light, consistent pressure on the ball to activate the inner thighs.
Inhale at the top to hold and stabilise.
Exhale to roll the spine back down with control, returning to neutral.

Targets: Glutes, inner thighs, core

Common Errors:

Over-squeezing the ball: Can cause tension in the inner thighs and disrupt pelvic stability. Cue “gentle connection.”
Pushing through the feet or overusing the lower back: Encourage rolling up with glute and core control rather than thrusting hips upward.
Knees splaying out: Emphasise consistent, light pressure on the ball to keep knees aligned.
Lifting too high: Watch for overarching in the lower back. Cue ribs to hips and pelvis in neutral or slight posterior tilt at the top.
Dropping the ball: If it falls, it's a sign of inconsistent engagement—remind clients to stay connected throughout the movement.

Optional Add-On:

Pulse at the Top: Hold the bridge position and perform 10 small squeezes of the ball, pulsing with control.

Thread the Needle with Mini Ball

Setup:

Begin in an all-fours position (hands under shoulders, knees under hips).
Place the small ball beside your left hand, just outside the left side of your mat.
Spine is long and neutral, abdominals gently engaged.

How to Do It:

Inhale to prepare.
Exhale, slide your right arm (palm up) underneath your body and across to the left, using the back of your hand to gently roll the ball as far as is comfortable.
Allow the torso to follow the rotation, reaching through the ribcage, keeping hips square.
Inhale at the end of the reach, feeling the stretch through the upper back and shoulder.
Exhale to return slowly to the starting position, resisting the movement and maintaining core control.

Targets: Thoracic spine, obliques, shoulders

Common Errors:

Letting the hips twist: Keep the hips square and still—rotation comes from the thoracic spine, not the pelvis.
Dropping into the supporting shoulder: Maintain scapular stability and press away from the mat through the supporting arm.
Forcing the range: Encourage clients to move within a comfortable, controlled range to avoid strain.
Losing connection to the core: Remind clients to keep the abdominals lightly engaged throughout the movement.

Single Leg Stretch with Mini Ball

Setup:

Lie on your back with your spine in neutral, head and shoulders relaxed.
Place the mini ball under the arch of your left foot, leg bent.
Your right leg is bent. Knee at 90 degrees.
Arms are relaxed.
Engage your core (draw your belly button towards the spine).

How to Do It:

Inhale to prepare.
Exhale, slowly extend the right leg (the one on the ball) away from you, rolling the ball forward underfoot with control.
Keep the left leg on the floor maintaining abdominal connection and shoulder stability.
Inhale to hold and lengthen, reaching energy through both legs.
Exhale to return the ball-leg slowly to the start position with control.
Repeat for desired reps before switching legs.

Targets: Core, hip flexors, quads, hamstrings

Common Errors:

Arching the lower back: Emphasise abdominal engagement and suggest a small range of motion if the back begins to lift.
Pushing too hard into the ball: This can cause tension in the hip and disrupt alignment—cue a smooth, gliding motion.
Loss of breath control: Remind clients to pair breath with movement, maintaining fluidity and ease.