BENEFITS FOR SPORT

Soccer and Rugby

Pilates has helped many top soccer and rugby players achieve the winning edge by improving coordination, mobility and flexibility, and recover quickly from and prevent injuries.

Both codes of rugby have incorporated Pilates exercises to prepare for matches and rehabilitate injuries, with the Welsh Rugby Union a high-profile advocate of Pilates - and Susan's pick to win the next world cup.

Soccer managers, like Arsene Wenger of Arsenal, have long preached the crucial importance of stretching, suppleness and flexibility. These are the very things that Pilates does best, particularly for pre-match warm-up routines.

All codes of football can be physically grueling, can over-train certain muscle groups and drain bodies that may already be fatigued.

While weight training is essential for players, a body that has been bulked up in the gym – such as using a pec-deck machine - can become rigid and restricted in its range of movement both on the sports field and everyday life.

A Pilates program can greatly improve:
>  General mobility
>  Core strength while easing the stress placed on the neck and spine during intense activities,
    such as scrimmaging
>  Flexibility to achieve rapid directional changes often at near-maximum pace
>  Controlled power from unbalanced body positions, particularly in the scrum
>  Strength of stabiliser muscles of the pelvis (the buttocks and groin muscles) to prevent hamstring tears.