In golf this is referred to as the address position. It makes common sense to say that if your start position is incorrect then what follows will also be incorrect. This week Roger has written about placing the ball correctly and Jan has discussed the position of the feet and how this relates to your golf swing. In the address phase of the golf swing your posture is of utmost importance but before we start discussing this lets go to the basics – where you place the ball, the direction your feet are facing and in pilates what your start position will say about the exercise.
One of the basics I remember being taught when studying pilates and something I find myself repeating often is check your start position, which can loosely be translated to your alignment or posture. Even when doing a simple abdominal exercise (sit-up), how your body is placed will have an affect on the effectiveness of the exercise. It also then begins a pattern of movement which you repeatedly do and this then becomes your norm. And if your start position is incorrect then the exercise is also incorrect.
Let’s look at a squat or a lunge or even if you simply wanted to do a bicep curl – your start position is important. One would need to consider, for the squat or lunge – where your feet would be placed, what distance apart they would need to be and what your posture is before you start the exercise. This need not take much time and over time it becomes a habit and takes only seconds for you to mentally tick all the start position boxes.
Having read Rogers article and then (hopefully) gone out and tried this you will see that it only takes a quick glance or correction to check that you have placed the ball correctly. Then having read about the impact your foot position has on the hips and your ability to perform the swing, it also takes a second or two to check your feet.
During a pilates class a good part of my time is spent checking or describing the start position of an exercise. Once I am happy that this is correct the exercise can follow and I know that this movement pattern will be imprinted in the brain and this can be tapped into when performing other movements outside of the class.
You Are what you repeatedly Do!
Brigitte Aubery
083 303 7732