Balance Pro Junior
Cat is delighted to launch a new offering to Balance Pro which is Balance Pro Junior. She will be offering training for elite youngsters to complement their event specific training (ballet, gymnastics, football, rowing, rugby etc.) If you wish to give your child the best start in their sport, then read on.
Why Children's Pilates?
Firstly a few interesting statistics:
- For children 1-5 years old, you are supposed to aim for 180mins (that’s 3hours) of play/movement a day
- Children and young people (aged 5 to 18) should engage in moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity for at least 60 minutes and up to several hours every day. (Source: Government activity guidelines)
- Only 18% of children and young people are meeting the current Chief Medical Officer guidelines of taking part in sport and physical activity for at least 60 minutes every day.
- In Reception years approximately 10% of children are classified as obese.
- By year 6 approximately 20 % of children are classified as obese.
So now is the time to get your children moving and interested in physical activity. See below for all the benefits of Pilates.
Here are some benefits for ALL children of all ages and all abilities:
1.
Pilates aids development of correct biomechanical foundations, functional movement, and neural muscle recruitment development.
2.
Pilates improves flexibility and joint mobility, improves their range of movement, and lessens incidences of back pain.
3.
Pilates improves posture particularly through puberty in both boys and girls and helps with body awareness through this period.
4.
The postural changes that can be taught through Pilates can relax stress and improve muscular tension in the neck and help reduce headaches.
5.
Pilates improves gross and fine motor skill and balance by adding motor skill development challenges to exercises and balance challenges to exercises. This can not only aid physical development but also writing and any left/right brain discrimination.
6.
Different age group markers are associated with gross motor skill development - Age 5-6 skip, walk on heels, hop, Age 6-7 walk backwards, stand on 1 leg, Age 7-8 crouch on tip toes with eyes closed, hop twice in place, stand with eyes closed, Age 9-10 Sidestep, catch with 1 hand, throw at target, Age 10-12 Balance on tip toes (15 secs) Pilates helps work with all of these markers.
7.
Pilates can aid cognitive brain training in young children, developing their focus, concentration, memory, auditory and visual processing, by gradually introducing and building from simple instruction exercises to sequencing of exercises, multi-tasking in exercises, adding visual imagery and sounds to exercises.
8.
Pilates can help with dyspraxia and dyslexia by a multi-sensory approach to using Pilates as therapy through movement activity using the above tactics in number 7 and tactile stimuli.
9.
Pilates is a great form of exercise for teenage girls and has been shown through research to aid body composition and to aid self-esteem.
10.
Keeping Pilates fun and relevant to the age group Pilates is fun and has a huge impact on development from 3-year-olds to young adulthood.
All the benefits above apply to ALL children, but here are some further benefits for children already involved in some kind of elite sport:
1 - In some disciplines, not enough time is allocated to stretching, and flexibility in most sports is incredibly important. Between the age of 4 and 11 is the best age to begin stretching. Research has shown that the range then stays with you into adulthood if that person is still stretching on a daily basis.
2 - some children are naturally flexible and are snapped up into disciplines like gymnastics and ballet. If then not enough strength work is done to compliment this flexibility, there is a greater chance for injury now and further down the line. Pilates safely stretches and strengthens.
-some disciplines require a lot of jumping and directional changes. If children are not learning how to do plyometrics correctly or are doing too much impact without strength and technique, it can be damaging to bone and joint development. Pilates, specifically reformer Pilates can aid with plyometric strength and technique minimizing impact through those young joints.
-some children are physically strong and flexible and show all the elements required for certain disciplines, but coordination may be the limiting factor. As mentioned above Pilates can improve gross and fine motor skills, and can aid cognitive brain training. All of this helps with coordination and skills required at the highest level, be it hitting a tennis ball, kicking a football, learning complicated dance sequences.
I was an elite child in numerous disciplines and can safely say that I did not do enough of the foundation work. This was due to multiple reasons but one of the main reasons being lack of knowledge by certain coaches. I therefore did not reach my full potential and have had to deal with injuries into adulthood. I am not blaming anyone; however; we do have more knowledge available to us now, and what a gift it is.
If your child is showing talent in a sport, or your child is already at the top of their game, but you would like some assistance in a specific area, or you would simply like to give them the edge over their competitors; then please contact Balance Pro Junior. All sessions are tailor made for the child and sport. Give your child the best start possible.
Find out more
To find out more, and to see if Balance Pro can help you, drop us a quick message and we will get back to you straight way.
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