A growing number of Rugby players do Pilates & Yoga as a way of improving co-ordination, mobility and flexibility, as well as for both recovering from injuries (Sports Injury Therapy Technique) and preventing them in the first place. The Welsh Rugby Union is among the high-profile advocates of Pilates.
Rugby is an extremely high contact sport. Injuries occur not only during the play,but during scrums, where players on either side compete for his ball by locking heads, arms and shoulders with each of their team members and the opposing team. This poses considerable risk to the neck and shoulders as well as causing minor contusions and lacerations. The most common Rugby injuries are sprains to muscles and tendons. Many of the injuries in rugby are similar to those in football.
All Rugby players will be aware of the crucial importance of stretching, suppleness and flexibility – the very things that Pilates & Yoga does best as a Sports Injury Therapy Technique. Indeed, Pilates & Yoga exercises should be used more widely than they are in, for example, pre-match warm-up routines.
Recent years have brought a growing willingness to look outside the sport for ideas to improve player’s ability and overall success, in particular to address the injury toll associated with over-training of certain muscle groups and alternative sports injury therapy techniques.
With Rugby demanding rapid directional changes often at near-maximum pace, an inflexible physique is unhelpful. Rugby forwards must also possess the ability to deliver controlled power from the unbalanced body positions adopted in the scrum. A Pilates & Yoga programme (Sports Injury Therapy Technique) can greatly improve general mobility and enhance core strength while easing the stress placed on the neck and spine during intense scrummaging.
Hamstring tears are also common in both sports and a properly tailored programme of Pilates & Yoga, focusing on the stabiliser muscles of the pelvis (the buttocks and groin muscles), will help prevent them. This is just one example of the many ways in which Pilates & Yoga can compliment your sport as a sports injury therapy Technique.
“Stott Pilates is a great experience for people of all ages and abilities. It can help overcome weakness, and improvements from Pilates are incorporated into daily life. Nisha is a great instructor who helps me to focus my mind and feel strong and de-stressed.”
