Pilates method, originally named contrology, is an intelligent system of exercises which makes part of many recreational and rehabilitative programs and of conditioning preparation of athletes. Pilates integrates elements of yoga, zen-meditation, Martian arts and gymnastics, being a unique concept of training.

Pilates belongs to the methods of functional fitness, the basic principle of which is the engagement of locomotoric system with the aim to prepare body for the optimal functioning in everyday activities. With its integrated approach to body, Pilates activates all layers of muscles in such a way that it primarily activates deep stabilization muscles and then all superficial groups increasingly. As an integral bone-muscle program, beside strengthening musculature by correcting muscular imbalance and posture, it contributes to a greater stability and mobility of joints. Altering different kinds of muscle contractions, multi-join and multi-plane (multi-planar) movements, Pilates increases strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, balance, coordination, proprioception and kinesthetics, being a valuable corrective of the body biomechanics.

Pilates method has undergone many changes in the last twenty years, changing its traditional principles in accordance with new bits of knowledge on body and movement.

The updating of the method has influenced its spreading and application so that it has become a part of conditioning preparation for many athletes with the aim to prevent sports injuries and improve their sports performance. In such a way Pilates methods have taken the leading place in kinesitherapy and conditioning preparation, becoming an inevitable part of training for many teams and individuals (NBA, MLB, NHL, sister Williams, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, AC Milan…).

The modern Pilates is an inevitable contribution to the supreme sport, and it is being continuously confirmed by numerous research studies in the USA and Canada, because of:

  • the influence to the stability of torso, and consequently to the more efficient distribution of that energy and more correct and more precise movements,
  • the attention that this method gives to the eccentric phases of muscle contraction,
  • the contribution to the increment of the range of movements of all joints in a safe and controlled manner,
  • the participation of asymmetric and three-dimensional moving, plyometric exercises as well as the exercises which contribute to neuro-muscular coordination.

 

Designing the Program for Each Sport in Particular

Choosing Pilates exercises in conditioning preparation is performed in accordance with the nature of a particular sport and with the level of the muscular imbalance of the athlete. Nevertheless, in majority of the cases, the first phase in the programming of the training sessions is to be the strengthening of the core (the center of the body), because its stability secures a solid base for fast, strong and safe actions of the arms, legs and torso (trunk), hindering the injuries all along. In the second phase the students perform exercises which develop full stability and mobility of the spine (backbone), thus enhancing the development of its rotational potential, which represents an important segment in different sports. The controlled peripheral mobility which comes in the third phase, based on specific sports requests, will ensure the quality of movements for athletes, even with the additional speed. After the initial strengthening of the core and immobilization of the joints, the program continues with the additional strengthening of the center and the periphery, altogether with more dynamic and more complex exercises which will, beside the muscular endurance, aim at additional coordination, balance and dynamic stability.

The most important segment of Pilates exercises and program is the correct positioning of all segments of the body in the movement and the control of the body after the performance of the exercises, which increases efficiency of the locomotoric system.

 

The Benefits of the Influence of Pilates in Conditioning Preparation

There is an increasing number of sports trainers who regard core-training as an indispensable part of the training for velocity, agility, explosiveness and the strengthening of the core (the muscles of the abdomen, back and pelvis). The presence of Pilates in conditioning preparation contributes to the quality of the athlete and their correct biomechanics, which means that the wanted muscles get “switched on” correctly and on time. Pilates program, based on specificity of a particular sport, will prevent sports injuries and directly influence the quality of the athlete’s performance, the usage of Pilates devices being necessary and highly recommendable.

Stott Pilates® in conditioning preparation

  • improves the mechanics of breathing and expands the breath
  • enhances the adequate switching-on of the muscles and corrects biomechanics of the body
  • optimizes mobility and stability of all joints in accordance with their structure and function
  • prevents injuries
  • optimizes the function of the internal and external unit of the core
  • increases the strength, the muscle endurance, flexibility, coordination, balance and proprioception
  • increases the precision of moving and the binding of the breath and the move
  • regenerates

 

The Importance of the Education of Trainers and of the Openness of the System

Due to the importance of the positioning of each particular segment of our body within the Pilates program, as well as to their precision and meticulousness, the necessary condition in the conditioning preparation is the education of trainers. Actually, Pilates is a specific and complex system which will not have its purpose if it is performed superficially. Therefore, in many foreign sports clubs the Pilates trainers work together with conditioning trainers, who are in charge of that segment of the athlete’s preparation. Only the profound knowledge of the method, the specialization of Pilates in the supreme sport and the application of all devices give adequate tools in work with the athletes. Knowledge, experience and skills of each Pilates trainer who has passed a complete Pilates educational training is proved by the certificate. Many years of specialized educational training programs and continuous practice for the trainers are only the first important segment in the contribution of Pilates to the supreme sport. The other indispensable condition which influences the performance of the trainer’s knowledge and consequently the skill of the athlete is the complete state of equippedness of the Pilates studio with devices and requisites. Also, the pre-condition for the application of Pilates in conditioning preparation is the openness of sports systems to new ways of training which directly influence playing abilities of the athlete. The international practice confirms that the application of Pilates in the supreme sport has paid off highly.

 

This is what conditioning trainer of the Croatian handball representation team and the handball club “PPD Zagreb” thinks about Pilates in the conditioning preparation:

“Through my long years lasting training of both myself and the others I have met many training designs and systems but not one has fascinated me as much as Stott Pilates®. I had thought as many men do that it was training designed for women until I met the Reformer for the first time. In a nutshell – perfection itself. It is the training which stretches and strengthens me at the same time. I had thought that something like that did not exist and I had always imagined such a kind of training. But I encountered Stott Pilates® finally. After each training session I feel more compact, more stable, more mobile, firmer and stronger. It helped me a lot in the boxing sport, I perform all my movements in a much simpler way without pains in the back which accompanied me all my life. I simply hadn’t even believed that such a system of exercises existed. This is a very profound system of exercises which misses out absolutely nothing. I would recommend it to literally everybody regardless of gender and level of trainedness because it is an investment into their health for the entire life. The love that happened between me and Pilates in the very first movement has been

lasting ever since and will last forever because Pilates enriched every aspect of my both private and professional life.”