Pilates and Soccer an example for all

         This week I was honored to be asked to teach a Pilates Workshop/Mat class to approximately 45 New York Redbulls Soccer Academy Coaches.  It was an amazing experience and incredibly rewarding.  Pulling from not just my experience and knowledge of Pilates having started in 1982 and my experience as a Personal Trainer and understanding of body conditioning, it was awesome to use my experience and background from my first career as a Ballet Dancer as a stepping stone to the similarities between dancers and soccer players. 
          This week on the same day as the workshop David Beckham announced his retirement and is one of the two greats in the sport who are advocates of Pilates, the other being the renowned Ryan Giggs who credits the extension of his career to Pilates and claims his ability to play at the age of 39 is due to Pilates. 
          Cross training in any sport is so important! But more so is complete body conditioning. Just because someone plays a specific sport and has a responsibility to focus on primary muscles and movements doesn't mean they should neglect the rest of the body.  Specifically this refers to one's core and support of the spine.  Joseph Pilates used to say "you are only as old as your spine is young" and this holds true for professional athletes as much or in fact perhaps even more than the average person because of the stress their bodies go through.  
           I told the coaches as we went through the intense workout that like a tree trunk the branches are only as strong as the trunk is or the branches will be brittle and break off in the wind.  Like a dancer, soccer players need to jump and kick and have quick precise footwork and non of these techniques can be supported to the highest level unless initiated from a strong healthy core. 
          Although most of you are not soccer players this still relates to you! Take time to forget "yes I said forget" the large obvious muscles groups and make some of your workouts core based and that doesn't mean do an hour of situps. Initiate movements from your core, try a Pilates mat class, work on the smaller MORE IMPORTANT muscles of the spine and transverse muscles groups.  Think of pulling your belly button back towards your spine causing the deep core muscles to hug inward toward the spine giving it support not pushing the abs away from the center "poofing" outward. 
            Be efficient and if your not sure ASK a "trained" professional, look at the body-look at the sport, one influences the other, look at the person your asking and see their posture and their body conditioning and ask yourself do they look correct to you? Do they look healthy and supported by their spine?
             Here's a proud moment for me, although only about 1/3 of the group, it was a blast working with all those who attended!