Pilates for Athletic Performance Enhancement
Athletes are known and admired for their power, speed, precision, control and high level mental focus to achieve success at whatever level they are competing. To develop these characteristics training, conditioning, and lots of practice are involved. It is extremely common for even young athletes to have trainers for off season training, and professional athletes jobs are literally to be in the best shape they can be to perform at their best. How can pilates elevate the performance level and physical conditioning of high level athletes?
Power and strength are two important components of physical performance. Underlying shear strength of an athlete is a biomechanics platform that this strength is derived from. This platform is built from the orientation and relationship of joints, the ability for energy to be generated and propagated through the body efficiently, and the organization of the muscle, joints, connective tissue and nervous tissue to work in concert. This platform is exactly what pilates develops. Pilates improves joint surface alignment and preparedness to take and transfer load. Pilates organizes the body to work with fluid organization. Pilates develops the mind to sense where the body is in space and how to make small adjustments to maximize output. Pilates creates strength and control at end ranges of joints on unstable surfaces.
Pilates is like all the detailed maintenance, tweaking of tires, body design etc on a Formula 1 car. Yes, the powerful engine makes it go fast, but all the details make the difference so the car can win the race. Pilates maximizes the strength and power an athlete has and pulls it together into an organized, efficient machine to create more output.