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Pilates exercise has been proven effective to enhance sports performance in many different sports.
Benefits of Pilates include muscle balance, core strengthening and stability, improved focus and concentration, injury prevention, reduced stress and relief from back pain. Pilates aids in restoring muscle imbalances created by one-sided sports such as golf, baseball and tennis and can be utilized to build strength, power, endurance and precision for most, if not all sports.
Pilates for Golf
Golf swing requires full range of motion of the spine, shoulder and hips. Golfers need also strong leg and shoulder muscles as well as trunk stability and strength. Muscle assymetry is very common for golfers and may cause problems to spine and joints. Pilates helps to create symmetry and coordination, improve muscular endurance, increase range of motion and decrease risk of injury.
Pilates for Tennis/ Racket Ball Other rotational sports such as tennis and racquetball have similar requirements as golf - they need strong core and legs muscles as well as shoulder stability for maximum power and energy transfer. Additionally, both sports require good balance skills for quick directional changes. Pilates helps players increase core and leg muscle power and balance while helping to decrease a chance of injury.
Pilates for Running & Cycling It is easy for runners and cyclists to develop imbalances in their musculature due to the nature of their sport. Both sports are lower body dominant, with cyclists adding to their woes by being in constant forward flexion, overstretching the muscles in the upper back while the shoulders roll forward and the pectorals get tight. Adding Pilates to their repertoire can help runners and cyclists restore muscular imbalances in the legs by increasing the flexibility of tight hip flexors, quadriceps and hamstrings, strengthen the adductors and abductors to helping keep knee and hip joints more stable.
Pilates for Swimming
Swimming is a dynamic activity which requires all parts of the body to work together to achieve the best possible result. However, many swimmers have shoulder problem by overusing their shoulder joints, muscles and tendons. The nature of swimming also changes swimmer’s posture and easily leads muscle imbalances. Pilates helps prevent shoulder problems by improving posture, strengthening shoulders, shoulder blade stabilizer muscles and core muscles, as well as stretching tight muscles. Good posture and balanced body muscles not only prevent injuries, but they also improve swimmers' performance in the water.
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