I was never a good athlete; always the last one picked on the kickball team, an urban kid with no real exposure to sports. And unlike most other Pilates Instructors, I never had what it took to be a contender in Ballet. But when a friend asked me to accompany her to a free class teaching women Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling and Self Defense some years back, I discovered I had all the skills I needed to be a great fighter. Why? Pilates. A strong core, strong legs, a flexible spine, the ability to breathe through physical challenge, balance, did I mention a strong core? In Jiu-Jitsu this is referred to as “Hara,” in Kung Fu it is the Dian-tian. No matter what you call it, it is the center of all strength and power necessary for fighting. Pilates was a fighter. He was a boxer and he wrestled. In this you tube link you can see him pole fighting, head butting and practicing one of my favorite Martial Arts, “Push Hands.” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6z7FBufu3Y&feature=related)
He designed the ideal exercise program for a fighter. Once I became more serious about Martial Arts, and started training with Renzo Gracie in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, (http://www.renzogracie.com) I would tell the guys (they were mostly guys) that I sparred with to try Pilates. They would look at me like I suggested they eat brussel sprouts and say, “Yea, I know it would be good for all these injuries…I did do yoga for a while.” That is not what I meant! I meant it would be good for your game. It would make you a much better fighter! Have you ever seen Fedor Emelianenko slide himself out of a hold? His back is so supple it is like it is made of jell-o. I don’t know if he actually does Pilates but he sure moves like he does. I recently had this conversation with Chris Robinson, a two-time Muay Thai kickboxing champion, Jiu-Jitsu Player and an outstanding Pilates Instructor here in San Diego. (http://www.corecoach.net/) He said he is finally getting his Jiu-Jitsu teammates to try Pilates and it is changing their game entirely. I was also happy to find a couple of people marrying Pilates and fighting in their practice. Amelia Sheftall, for example founded Karate Pilates in New York. (http://www.karatepilates.com) This trend is exciting and I know it will continue as people get more exposure to what goes on in a real Pilates session. So while we continue to enjoy Pilates for its healing properties, let us not forget about the fight.
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I'm a taekwondo practitioner with lower back problems and reading things like this gives me alot of hope and excitement. I went to a sports physio and he suggested that i need to develop my pelvic floor muscles. While continuing to do his recommended exercises (the plank, cat-cow, and kegel exercises) i went to a chiro. After 4 weeks of treatment I feel i've come a long way! However, i don't want to just let my back fall out of alignment again. So, my question, can pilates help me? are any pilates good pilates for martial arts? and, would it be possible that i could get benefits from participating in my local gym's pilate class? Any tips and suggestions would be great thanks! Also, thanks for some great, enlightening info!
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