Pilates
Pilates is a dynamic
set of exercises used to both strengthen and stretch the body's muscles.
It increases strength without bulk through the use of unique body power
exercises. It also increases flexibility and improves joint mobility. In
this article Don Warrener explores the Pilates approach to fitness and
its relevance to karate as a strength-building and stretching tool.
.The Fighting Spirit
Pilates!
BODY POWER & STRETCHING
FOR KARATE
By Don Warrener
Joseph Pilates was born
in 1880, in Germany. A sickly child, he dedicated his entire life
to physical fitness and by the age of 14 was fit enough to pose for
anatomical charts. In 1921, he moved to England, earning a living
as a boxer, circus performer and as a self-defense trainer to English
detectives. During World War I, the British interned him on the Island
of Man. There he served as a nurse and rehabilitated other
internees through exercise using hospital bedsprings. He was
highly praised when none of his patients got the influenza virus that
was sweeping Europe at the time, killing thousands of people.
In the 1920s he opened
a fitness studio in New York City on 57th Street. Athletes, dancers,
performers and people of all walks of life came to him to train.
George Ballanchine, the founder of the New York City Ballet, even sent
the remarkable Pilates injured dancers to keep their bodies conditioned
while recovering from an injury. Pilates methods were revolutionary and
to this day are used worldwide to help prevent and repair injury to
athletes, dancers, martial artists and circus performers. Pilates
methods are also used to condition students who want a stronger, more
flexible, healthier and more balanced body.
Joseph Pilates protege,
Romana Kryzanowska trained Suzi
Lonergan who was
interviewed for this article. Suzi has been a professional dancer for 25
years, a fitness
trainer since 1982 and
has been certified in the Pilates Method of Body Conditioning since
1994. She currently has a Pilates mat video on the market called
BodyPower Pilates!
Being a martial artist
I felt there may be some valuable information here for stretching that
we may benefit from. So I decided to sit down with Suzi and question her
to see how Pilates can help a martial artist develop
flexibility for
kicking.
DW - What exactly is
Pilates?
SL - Pilates is a
system of 500 dynamic exercises that are designed to strengthen the
entire body and dramatically increase its flexibility. There are
over 40 Mat exercises as well as 5 different pieces of apparatus, all
centered on strengthening what we call the Powerhouse, which are the
abdominals, buttocks and lower back. It is from this centering or
Powerhouse that all movement in Pilates is generated.
DW - How can Pilates
help a martial artist attain more flexibility for kicking?
SL - Well first off it
is important to realize that flexibility without strength carries little
or no power and extreme repetition without the proper technique can
cause injury. There must be strength in flexibility
and flexibility in
strength, especially in a physical disciple as rigorous as martial arts.
We could call it "flexible strength". In Pilates, using the resistance
of one's own body weight attains flexible strength
when executing the Mat
exercises and utilizing spring resistance when working on the apparatus.
Each exercise works the body's full range of motion and always works
from the Powerhouse. We also work within the 6 key
Principles of Pilates.
They are 1) Concentration- using the mind to train the body, 2)
Centering, which is the Powerhouse and the core of the Pilates
technique. 3) Precision- the structure or geometry of each exercise is
definitive. 4) Breath- the breath invigorates the body, and rids the
stale air that gets stuck in our lungs. The breath also works with 5)
Rhythm- the rhythm of the breath is the timing of the exercise, which is
performed with dynamic execution. Principle 6) is Control- each
exercise is performed
with smooth even movements. In my video, each of the 9 Basic as well as
23 Intermediate mat exercises are taught within these principles.
DW - What about
kicking?
SL - Well when you
execute a kick in karate you want it to hit the mark precisely and with
power. To attain this the body must perform like an instrument,
the mind being the master. The perfect kick requires perfect balance,
coordination and agility, and is achieved when the body works in harmony
with the mind and has the physical strength to support the mental
intention. The kick starts from the body's center, the Powerhouse,
and
radiates outward to its
target. Understanding how the body can perform this is what we teach in
Pilates. Although performing the Pilates exercises is done without the
competition factor of sports or the performing arts.
DW - What about
over-stretching and when do we know how much is too much when it comes
to pain?
SL - It is important to
listen to your body when stretching. To push into the pain is
counterproductive and can lead to the weakening of the tendons and
ligaments and therefore can cause injury. Not something you want to do!
I always go by using the 1-10 scale. 1 is no problem and 10 is screaming
pain, stop at 5. Go to what they call in yoga, the edge of the stretch
but not past. Basically, if you can't hold the stretch for 5
breaths, you've gone
too far. Ease up, it's better to hold longer than to stretch too deeply.
DW - How long should
you hold a stretch for?
SL - 5 deep breaths is
an excellent measure. Another important element to remember is
when stretching the hamstrings, pull the kneecap up towards the
quadricep (thigh) and contract the quadricep muscles. This will
protect the knee and is a good gauge to prevent over-stretching.
As soon as the quadricep lets go you're too far, ease up and hold that
quad strong. This will put strength in your stretch. You will also
increase your hamstring stretch much quicker this way. One thing I
tell all my students [and one of them is Shannon Lee, Bruce Lee's
daughter] is that you never want the discipline to overwhelm the body
and injure it but rather you want the technique to be an expression of
the discipline.
DW - How much
stretching should you do before working out?
SL - Starting with
stretching isn't always a good idea. The muscles aren't warmed up
properly, which they should be for stretching. My BodyPower
Pilates video gets the body ready for action and the demands of a
strenuous martial arts workout without fatiguing the body, or the mind.
It will energize you and prepare you for your training. I suggest you
start with the Basic series until you build a solid foundation for the
technique, then progress onto the Intermediate series where you will be
further challenged.
DW - Thanks Suzi for
some great tips.
SL - Anytime!
Don Warrener is a
freelance writer and can be contacted at email
donrw@earthlink.net or Phone
1-310-248-3633 or Fax at 1-310-278-1783 or 628 N. Doheny Dr., Los
Angeles, Ca., 90069. USA