Pilates Corps Blog

What do sports such as golf, swimming, hockey, basketball, gymnastics, baseball, tennis, soccer, football, figure skating and dressage have in common? Performance in all these sports can be enhanced by Pilates. Instruction is not limited to adults. Children and teenagers will also benefit in the following ways.

Mental concentration is one of the most important aspects of any sport. If an athlete lacks concentration, their athletic abilities cannot be effectively or efficiently applied to the task. Pilates provides increased focus. The ability to center the breath, hold various positions for a certain amount of time, and concentrate on mind-body fitness are necessary for young athletes to challenge their energies into one activity. Pilates does exactly this and more.

Coordination and balance are an integral part of every sport. Pilates strengthens the core muscles; abdominal, back and pelvic. If the core muscles are weak, the result may be poor body posture, back pain and other injuries. Good alignment of the spine helps keep the head, ribcage and pelvis in balance, and takes away tension and stress.

Body awareness increases self esteem and confidence. Many young people feel self conscious about their bodies. Pilates teaches control over the body which results in improved posture. The tendency to stand and sit up straight are extremely important in all facets of everyday life.

Strength and flexibility are necessary to successfully compete. Everyone knows that those with stronger muscles can lift more, push more and jump higher. Flexibility is important since it allows for increased range of motion. Flexible muscles are more elastic and, therefore, can restore themselves, particularly when the stretch is sudden. Strength can be developed without losing flexibility.

Weight management is important to athletes of any age. Pilates strengthens and lengthens core muscles without adding bulk.

Injuries are, unfortunately, an aspect of every sport. When Romana Kryzanowska, a renowned ballerina, was sent to Joseph Pilates with an injured ankle, she was amazed that he asked her to move her own body rather than just work on her injury. She only kept returning to his studio because he promised her a refund if she did not get better in five lessons. The positive impact these sessions had on her body and career brought her back to the studio again and again. She eventually studied with Pilates for 28 years and was ultimately entrusted to carry on his work as a Master Teacher of the Pilates method.

Tags: Child athletes

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 4th, 2009 at 10:51 am and is filed under Benefits. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.