Pilates for Kids

With more exposure to Pilates as a form of exercise amongst the adult population, I find that there is also an increasing awareness for kids too, if they're typically involved in sports at school. 

In recent years, I have had the opportunity to train kids as young as 10 yo; and to my surprise, synchronized swimming has become such a popular sport with teenage girls, other than netball and volleyball. The boys are more into racket sports like badminton and tennis, or soccer. I mean, WHY NOT? At this age, kids should be out playing sport instead of facing the computer/ IPad.

Below illustrates briefly a child's motor skill development process:

But really, this post came about because today my client asked me for help about training her teenage girl who enjoys synch swimming so much, she wants to improve in her sport (O what tender age 💖) but has been really upset that whenever her coach tries to stretch her (like a reverse pancake), she cries in pain (poor girl). 

This is probably the 4th kid (whom I've encountered for water sports) and I honestly think kids these days have a mix sense of adult instincts to thrive and compete- well I didn't when I was that age HAHA. I think the beauty of synch swimming especially- it's a mix of the fun of gym, the aesthetics of dance, and the athletics of diving and playing in the water. 

I personally feel that while flexibility is a plus at that age, there's a need for purposefully guiding them to know and understand their bodies better. This would mean they can enjoy their sport(s) and stay off the injury zone. While I prefer to teach young adults past 16yo, I am equally glad to empower kids who start from zero to be inspired to participate in a sport and eventually get stronger. 🙂

Furthermore, as Celeste and Howard mentioned in this video (PLEASE WATCH!), 9yo is the peak of a kid's neurological state, and from experience, they really pick up movements fast. "Fun and interactive" is probably the most important element when structuring for a program for teenagers. 

In time to come, I think it will be pretty exciting to see how Pilates will eventually unveil a myriad of benefits and opportunities for kids and sports, and sports for kids, and more. Truly.