Skip to main content

Pilates key principles: Control

 In Pilates we aim to maintain a high level of control over the movements that we make.  As you will have completed some Pilates with me, you will be aware that a small angle change in leg positioning or increased stability through the pelvis can suddenly increase the intensity of an exercise.  When thinking about control it is very closely related to precision and you could say that these key principles come hand in hand. 

You will find that control is improved once you have made multiple attempts at an exercise.  Muscles will increase in strength and your muscles will remember the movement of an exercise.  Therefore when taking part in a class, stay at a level where you can maintain control.   If you work at too high a level you will find it harder to master the control of position and movement and then perfect the exercise. 

When we have control over a movement we are also able to make the movement using only the muscles connected with that motion.  An example of where things can go wrong is when your shoulders try to connect to your ears when working your legs.  You don't want or need you shoulders to be shrugging up.  Improving the control you have over your movement is controlling the relaxation of your shoulders.  As you grow stronger and your Pilates practice improves you will be able to deliver a higher level of control over your movement. 

Once you are on your way to delivering control over your movements you will find that you are using less effort in the movements you make, your stronger muscles don't dominate the movement and you make fewer errors. 

Remember to use control in every move you make in your Pilates class.



 Related articles:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pilates key principles: Precision

 Before I trained as a Pilates teacher I attended classes for years.  I was always trying to speed through exercises to get extra repetitions in and prove to myself that I was really strong.  However I was not really strong and I was not aware of the key Pilates principles.  Precision in movement is the exact manner that an action is executed.  When you are completing a Pilates exercise you are using your breath to power you movement, your concentration, your Centre, your control and finally your precision.   The greater the precision the more likely you are to find the muscles that should be exercised and then to achieve your goal.    When exercising I am thinking of the muscle that should be working, isolating it and being precises in my movement.  Precision can make the difference between accessing a muscle or not.  Next time you are in a class, slow down and connect with the muscle your working.  Use all the Pilates princip...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pilates key principles: Concentration

 In a world of attention grabbing, Pilates is a 55 minute window of calm.  As a teacher of small group and solo Pilates I can tell if my clients are having a busy mind day. When the mind is elsewhere, movements are not as exact and clients ability to complete a challenging move is compromised.  It is OK to have a busy mind, we are not robots, however letting go of your thoughts and concentrating on the movements your body is making will help your Pilate practice to develop.  These are my top tips for concentration: 1) Be present, use the repetitive nature of the warm up to connect with every part of your body.  Try to visualize each part of your body, be selfish and only focus on yourself.  2) Pay attention to the alignment of your body.  The beautiful line from your toe, through your ankle, knee and then into your hip.  Maintaining correct alignment will increase the difficulty of an exercise.  Why not challenge yourself to completing level ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tight hip flexors from sitting at my computer all day! How to release this feeling at home.

At home there are a number of ways to release tight hip flexors.  Think about the main hip flexor the Iliopsoas for a moment. It originates in the lumbar spine attaching to the vertebra at the bottom of your back, it then attaches to the inside of the pelvis (illiac crest the bony bit you feel at your waist) and then passes through the pelvis and connects to a nobly bit of the leg bone your can't feel at the top of your inner thigh (the lesser trochanter of the femur).  Its helped by some other muscles, but to keep it simple we are going to only think about the Iliopsoas.  Now think about being sat down,  The front of your body is scrunched up.  Your legs are brought closer to your lumbar spine (the bottom of your back) and the Iliopsoas is contracted or squashed in size.  Now think about being sat for 3 hours.  Upon standing up you might feel tightness along the front of your legs/pelvis.  This tightness is from you hip flexors.  Humans are ...
Post a Comment
Read more