Paula R. Lord - Perfect 10 Posture: Applying Pilates and Posture Training for Success in Gymnastics (and Other Sports)

Perfect 10 Posture
(PP)

Applying Pilates and Posture Training
for Success in Gymnastics
(and other sports)

Paula Lord, PMA-CPT

Copyright 2013 by Paula Lord, PMA-CPT.

ISBN: Softcover 978-1-4836-2869-1

Ebook 978-1-4836-2870-7

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This document in general refers to gymnasts as feminine and coaches as masculine. Level references are based on the new Womens 2013 Junior Olympic program guidelines. These choices were made simply for ease of writing. The reader should infer that male/female designations are fully interchangeable.

Rev. date: 07/27/2013

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris LLC

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

Orders@Xlibris.com

114716

CONTENTS

STEP 140 exercises
Establishing proper movement patterns

STEP 235 exercises
Establishing core awareness and strength

STEP 320 exercises
Building flexible strength and
strengthening flexibility

STEP 415 exercises
Maintaining the body, undoing and
supporting daily training stresses

AUTHORS NOTE

I decided to write Perfect 10 Posture in response to the many coaches and athletes I have worked with in clinic and camp setting through the years. This book is my answer to the questions, Is this written down anywhere? or Do you have a handout? My answer was historically no because I am a teacher who follows the lead of my students and what their bodies need in the moment. It is only now after many years of teaching and coaching that I have been able to identify some basic patterns and put them into a written format. Compiling the book has been a very difficult process as my teaching and cueing evolves daily with each different student and with my own expanding knowledge base. What I hope is that Perfect 10 Posture will help coaches develop a more well-rounded training program which has long-term athlete health at its foundation.

It is impossible to name all of the people and resources who have contributed to and inspired the existence of the Perfect 10 Posture program. Suffice it to say that every teacher, coach, colleague or client I have worked with over the last 45 years is represented here somewhere. Chronologically speaking

Carol Crandall and Crandalls Physical Arts Center, teachers in the Pendleton schools, the physics department at Jacksonville University, Marina Davidovich and United Gymnastics Academy, Nora Campbell and USA Rhythmic Gymnastics, sports science staff at the U. S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Raymond Kurshals and the Pilates Institute, Chrissy Ruby and PHI Pilates, Miriam Resnick and Mindful Movement Studio, Joan DeVeau and DeVeaus School of Gymnastics, Wendy Cooper and ProMotion Fitness, Rebecca Leone the Pilates Nun, Lynn Moskovitz, Cindy Bickman and Chattooga Gymnastics, the Pilates Method Alliance, the Integrative Learning Center, Mary Kim-Garrity and BioCored, and the clients of BODY by GymRoots

I thank you and my students thank you!

Testimonial Quotes:

Paula Lords newest book, Perfect 10 Posture, is an excellent program guide that would benefit gymnastics competitors at all levels

Gerald S. George, Ph.D.

If a young man has trained his muscles and physical endurance by gymnastics and walking, he will later be fitted for every physical work .... If a person masters the fundamentals of his subject and has learned to think and work independently, he will ... better be able to adapt himself to progress and changes than the person whose training principally consists in the acquiring of detailed knowledge. Albert Einstein

The most complicated skill is to be simple. Dejan Stojanovik

Perfect 10 Posture ( P P ) is a unique wholistic training program, designed to align and strengthen the body at its core, thereby enhancing gymnastics performance for athletes at all levels. When properly utilized it will unlock your gymnasts full potential, taking her far beyond what traditional gymnastics training can do. The program helps athletes to establish efficient postural movement patterns, which leads to increased strength and stability at a deep skeletal level. With greater strength and stability the athlete will progress more safely and learn gymnastics skills more easily. The faster and safer a gymnast acquires skills, the faster and safer she can achieve gymnastics success!

P P is a 4-step training program borrowing from a number of tried and true methods. These movement training methods have proven to work together in the gymnastics setting to greatly enhance the athletes gymnastics experience. When used as part of a well-rounded gymnastics training system, Perfect 10 Posture will maximize the athletes time in the gym and, therefore, contribute to her forward progress and competitive success.

In summary the steps of P P are as follows:

Step 1

40 exercises to help athletes develop healthy movement patterns

Step 2

35 exercises to establish core muscle awareness and strength, joint stabilization

Step 3

20 exercises to build flexible strength and strengthen flexibility

Step 4

15 exercises to balance repetitive movement patterns
and undo associated imbalances

The 100+ exercises of Perfect 10 Posture are offered as a supplement to a strong gymnastics training regimen. P P is not meant to replace traditional conditioning programs or skill learning, but rather to inform coaches and prepare athletes for quicker and more efficient learning. The exercises of P P will organize the body and enhance the athletes proprioception and kinesthetic awareness, thereby strengthening the mind-body connection. Athletes who are able to tap into the power of the mind-body connection are at a great advantage when it comes to performance. They also become much more connected to and appreciative of their sport in the process. One gymnast even described the work as being in heaven as she worked through the exercises!

Once a coach becomes familiar with the body and how it can work efficiently, he will find himself including the Perfect 10 Posture ( P P ) exercises and concepts throughout the workout and the results will be dramatic. Here is a basic outline of how and when a typical competitive team program can implement the Perfect 10 Posture ( P P ) program:

Note: Levels in the following outline are based on the 2013 USA Gymnastics Womens Junior Olympic Levels. P P is not exclusive to competitive womens programming and can be adapted for recreational classes, mens programming, adult training, cheer programs, and so on. Most important is that anyone starting the program, whether a beginning gymnast or an elite athlete, should begin with Step 1 and master the exercises before moving on to Step 2.

Levels 2-3 training 4 hours/week = P P 20 minutes/week

10 minutes of Step 1 exercises mixed with warm-up activities; 2X per week

Levels 4-5 training 10 hours/week = P P 1 hour/week

20 minutes of Step 1-2 exercises included with warm-up and conditioning activities; 3X per week

Levels 6-7 training 15 hours/week = P P 1.5 hours/week

20 minutes of Step 1-3 exercises included with warm-up and conditioning activities; 3X per week

10 minutes of Step 1-3 exercises included as cool down from specific events; 3X per week

Levels 8-10 training 20 hours/week = P P 2 hours/week

30 minutes of Step 1-4 exercises included as warm-up; 2X per week

10 minutes of Step 1-4 exercises included as cool down from events; 3X per week

5 minutes of Step 1-4 exercises after intense repetitions; 6X per week

Perfect 10 Posture ( P P ) is based on the educational concept of scaffolding. (Instructional scaffolding is a learning process that promotes a deeper level of understanding, with support tailored to each students individual needs.) First we create basic movement patterns; next we make refinements as those patterns become more familiar to the athlete; third we strengthen the body using the familiar patterns; and finally we introduce new and more intricate movement patterns as we simultaneously revisit the most basic exercises, executing them with ever-increasing body awareness and precision. In this way the program is appropriate and beneficial for beginner and elite athletes alike.