Reformer Pilates is an excellent addition to your fitness regime to help improve your performance, whatever your sport or fitness goals. In this series of blog posts, we’ll look at the benefits of Reformer Pilates for specific sports and lifestyles. We’ve already looked at General Fitness, Running and Golf. Up next up is the benefits for Gaelic football, soccer, rugby – basically any ball sport.

Reformer Pilates for Gaelic and Soccer

We’ve written in previous blogs about how the performance enhancing and injury prevention benefits of reformer Pilates are seriously under utilised in the sporting population. This is especially true amongst footballers. Whether its Gaelic football or soccer, even rugby, reformer Pilates is a great weapon to have in your arsenal as it promotes flexibility through strengthening and lengthening muscles, improves stability, increases muscle strength and activation, improves co-ordination and reduces injury risk.

We have a number of reformer Pilates clients in the studio who are footballers. We cater to team sessions as well as 1-1 sessions for footballers wanting to give themselves an edge and remain in peak condition in the off season. Tyrone’s Conor Meyler is a regular at ProPhysioNI, and it is well documented that athletes including that Cristiano Ronaldo and rugby teams Leinster, London Irish, Ireland and the All Blacks are huge fans of reformer Pilates.

Conor Meyler 1-1 reformer session

 

If that doesn’t convince you, let us give you some facts. Here are our top 5 benefits of reformer Pilates for ball sports.

1.Rebalancing the body 

In general, with sports-specific programs, footballers will tend to over use their dominant side and the same muscle groups during their training routine. The full body workout that reformer Pilates provides, allows an equilibrium to be re-established in the body which can increase muscle activity and power you forward.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cristiano Ronaldo on the reformer

2. Keeping power, even when off balance 

All aspects of football requires you to have a great centre of balance, exceptional core strength and stability through your hips. If you’re kicking, shooting or passing under pressure, the extra stability and strength you gain from reformer Pilates allows you to generate power, even if pushed off balance. A strong core helps you stay on the ball and ride tackles while fending off your opposition. Core strength is key.

Conor Meyler 1-1 reformer session

 

3. Flexibility 

It’s no secret that footballers and flexibility are not two words that are normally put together. Generally every footballer needs to work on and improve their flexibility, particularly in their hips and hamstrings. With decreased flexibility comes limited power, effectiveness and increased injury rates. By utilising reformer Pilates you can work on strengthening while lengthening your muscles and improve your flexibility, improving your performance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cristiano Ronaldo on the reformer

 

4. Keeping you on the field 

No footballer wants to spend time on the side line. Ultimately, you can’t play if you’re injured! Reformer Pilates is renowned as one of the great prehab workouts as it addresses all aspects of your body. It is a great way to stay injury-free during a long season. Reformer Pilates can also aid in improving the speed and quality of your recovery. It is especially useful in the off season, when you have more time available to dedicate to building and improving your flexibility and conditioning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

London Irish reformers session

5. It’s all about the unpredictability 

Football isn’t a static sport, and in order to be successful you need to be strong, balanced, mobile, agile and unpredictable. Reformer Pilates allows you to build strength on your non-dominant side, even out your imbalances, generate more power through your weaker foot and keep your opponents guessing. Reformer Pilates also incorporates movements through all planes and axes of movement, the benefits are functionally transferable into your on-field movement.

Conor Meyler 1-1 reformer review

 

So there you have it. Will you be incorporating reformer Pilates into you football training like the big guns? Contact us for information on our classes, options for team reformer sessions, club sessions, 1-1 sessions and more.

Move Better, Feel Better, Live Better. ProPhysioNI