Pilates for Sport

​Pilates is becoming increasingly recognised in the world of sport with top athletes such as Andy Murray, Christiano Ronaldo, Maria Sharapanova, Chris Robshaw and Lebron James all providing testimonies to the discipline.
Pilates can impact an athlete in many ways, 5 key areas are :

• FLEXABILITY – examples of poor flexibility in the lower limb such as the hamstrings, can have a detrimental effect on performance inhibiting power, speed and agility. Therse are often seen in football, jump events and sprinting. Restrictions to flexibility in the upper body and trunk such as the thoracic spine in rotation can impact performance of the golf swing reducing power and precision. These examples may also predispose the athlete to increased risk of injury through alternate movement patterns and over activity in other muscles and joints.
• REBALANCE THE BODY – many sports require the body to perform repeated movement patterns at high force and speed frequently. This can create imbalances to the body. Pilates can work the body in multiple planes of movement which also includes many unilateral movements (exercises that work each side of the body separately) to ensure that muscles are strengthened evenly. This makes it a helpful practice for creating equilibrium in the body.
• POWER - Pilates creates strength and stability in the Shoulders, hips and trunk and targets the deep stabiliser muscles. This stability creates a strong supportive foundation for increased energy transfer and power. The deep local muscle stabilisers are conditioned to support the trunk and allow the larger global muscles to focus on powerful movements.
• EFFICENCY OF MOVMENT - Pilates is designed to teach the body to move in an optimal way. This benefit is advantageous in most sports. The controlled dynamic stability that Pilates promotes provides the athlete with a strong and reliable base of support. Muscles can be activated optimally and minimise the effort in unproductive accessory movements.
• INJURY PREVENTION AND RECOVERY – injury in sport is an annoying prevalence. Some traumatic injuries are unavoidable. Often, however, an injury can be caused by poor control, posture or muscle imbalance. Pilates can be an effective tool as an addition to sport specific training programmes to ensure the body is balanced and controlled with the ability to demonstrate dynamic stability.

Following injury Pilates has a key role in ensuring the body is strengthened and supported. It plays a part in retraining the neuromuscular pathways that can become damaged through injury and prevent recurring episodes.