BENEFITS FOR SPORT

Golf

Golfers have taken to Pilates the fastest and in greatest numbers. Devotees include Annika Sorenstam, David Duval, Kelli Kuehne, Andrew McGee, Grace Park, Tiger Woods and Carin Koch, among many others.

This is no surprise, because golf and Pilates share principles of focus, stability and 'getting in the groove'.

Top golfers are focused on refining key body movements – particularly when driving or chipping – that relies on excellent rotation around the spine while maintaining stability through the transverse abdominal muscles. Golfers also require their shoulders and arms to be stable in order to control a shot, yet sufficiently strong and elastic to deliver power and propel the ball over 150 metres down the fairway.

Pilates will improve core strength to help golfers to:
>  Move from the centre of the body
>  Enhance flexibility, precise movements and tiny margins
>  Hold a position long enough to play through a shot without the body buckling or twisting
>  Repeat similar movements efficiently, effectively and precisely no matter the distractions of weather,
    terrain or opponent.

For example, a small improvement in a golfer's shoulder flexibility can be the difference between a drive from the tee veering into the rough or going straight onto the green.

Spaniard Seve Ballesteros knows Pilates can ease his perennial back pain: "I believe it is making a difference. It needs patience, but if it will help me on the golf course I will do it."