BRIDGET PLEDGE
My Pilates For Sports journey
TWISTS AND TURNS
My name is Bridget & I have been playing hockey for nearly 16 years! I have been a part of the Camberwell Hockey Club Premier League squad for about 5 years and this year I introduced Pilates into my regular training commitments.
BALANCE
I decided this year that I needed something outside of hockey, that was lower impact but with strength and flexibility as a core focus, to even out all the twists and turns I constantly put my body through in playing hockey, as well as at work. Pilates has allowed me to feel a balance in my body that I haven’t felt in a long time - with better support through my pelvis and core, I haven’t had as many niggles in my back or glutes as I have in previous seasons. I have found that I feel stronger in my hamstrings and glutes, which have often been neglected in my very quad dominant body, as well as noticing an overall improvement in my posture outside of hockey too! Pilates has helped me stay on top of my strength based fitness while supporting my core control & overall flexibility. I really noticed a change coming to the end of the season when I would usually start to feel my body getting more easily fatigued or the niggles become more constant, I was feeling fresh in finals compared to some other years.
AGILITY
As a hockey player Pilates has helped me focus on the biomechanics of my running, in and out of games, and I noticed that when we did do agility based drills I didn’t feel like my body was having to focus on moving quickly, it was connected and ready to go. I felt more confident in my running capabilities and felt that my alignment through a strong core was more consistent than it has been before.
POSTURE
I have already started recommending Pilates to many of my hockey friends, as well as plenty of athletes and non-athletes outside of the hockey bubble. The ability to connect to your body and understand how it all syncs up as one when we move is an invaluable lesson which I think Pilates has the ability to teach many people. Whether it be posture at work or posture from sports, the ability of Pilates to strengthen the body as a whole, while also focusing on flexibility and stability is something I think lots of people can benefit from.
