Pilates is particularly beneficial for amateur, professional and elite athletes looking to improve their performance, prevent or rehabilitate after injury and increase the longevity of their competitive careers. Coaching and medical staff are becoming increasingly aware of the profound benefits of Pilates as an integral part of the training programme.
A CAREER in professional sport relies on three main factors:
Desire
Talent
Technique
Desire is arguably inherited, both genetically and from those around us during our upbringing. If you want something enough, you will go out of your way to get it. Its your passion and drive to succeed that places you ahead of your competition.
Talent is quite simple. We are all born with a certain amount of ability and skill to perform. The true skill here is recognizing where the potential lies and nurturing it as soon as possible. By building on the skills within, we become better at the chosen activity.
Technique is the knowledge base. In order to perform, we need to know how. This can be improved with training and instruction but our ability to adapt and improve is often what separates the amateur from the elite.
Pilates and Sport were made for each other. Pilates is a form of mind and body exercise. Anyone gifted with the ability of physical movement can perform the exercises BUT performing the exercises correctly and effectively is the skill.
The most important principle of Pilates has to be CONCENTRATION because without this, you may as well not perform the exercise. By teaching the athlete to not only move and perform in a certain way but also to THINK about how they are doing it, increases that individual’s body awareness. And increasing the body awareness will inevitably lead to improved control and harnessing of power and strength, thereby enhancing the athlete’s performance.
Select one of the example sports to the left to read more about how Pilates can help.
