Aretia's Tribe

Pilates And Ballet
I can’t decide if to take Gymnasticas along with Ballet and maybe in the future Yoga and Pilates?

I don’t know which one to start now and which will be the benefit of choosing either two of the two?

I personally like ballet but which ever you take it would be good to do yoga and/or pilates now. both help with being able to keep up and flexibility

Preparing Baby Boomers for Athletic Competition – 3 Things you Must Know©

A few years ago I decided it would be fun to take part in Masters level track competition. I was a Discus thrower in high school and college but haven’t thrown in any competition since 1966!

So I started training to get ready for competition once again. Boy did I have a rude awakening.

A 60 year old body with an 18 year old mind is a dangerous combination. Yes, I thought I would simply do what I did before. Lift weights, spin, and throw.

Well nature and time have changed all the body parts that go into Discus throwing and I am sure all the other sports activities that some folks our age want to do.

We all hear about the weekend warriors spending time in the ER and then in rehab. Now I know why.

Fortunately we have a son who is a Sports Medicine doctor and Osteopath who can treat and prescribe for me – not medications, but my conduct.

His first prescription was to slow down. Most of the injuries I experience are due to overuse. We try to do too much, too soon, and too often.

Secondly, he said our tendons and ligaments are much tighter and less flexible that when they were 18, so he prescribed a stretching routine that requires a lot of time – but really prepares me for training.

And third, we simply don’t heal as quickly as we did years ago. So take it easy. His 3rd prescription, train for quality, not quantity.

These were hard to get used to, since my memory bank was set at 1966 when stretching took 20 seconds and injuries healed over night.

But, training for Sports competition has advanced so much in the past 40 years that preparation today is entirely different. What we did back in the old days would never get us any where today;

I recommend that you find a couple of nice young trainers. One for flexibility like yoga, pilates, or ballet – I have a ballet instructor ( in 1966 I would never have even considered that!). And then find an expert in your chosen field of competition.

So take it easy and enjoy the competition.

Let me know how you are doing.

Bill Truax

© Copyright 2007 WJ Truax

About the Author

Bill is a sales consultant in Cleveland, OH. He has a website, www.BlitzCall.com where you can view his offerings and contact him. He plans to begin Masters Track this Spring.

Both young and adult ballet beginners usually have seen pictures of ballet dancers or famous ballerinas. This triggers a yearning to dance ballet. The tutus, the pink satin pointe shoes, the elongated elegant lines of the ballet positions, all speak to the heart of the watcher. It’s like a siren call you cannot ignore.

Not everyone can do classic ballet professionally. But anyone can learn ballet, if she/he wants, at almost any time. If no medical condition or extreme physical incapacity exists, ballet is a great form of exercise.

Learning the basics of ballet technique is very important. Having a teacher advance you because you are extremely flexible, older, have a background in gymnastics, take Pilates training, or have scheduling problems, is not beneficial. This happens, but is to be avoided.

Ballet stretches are elegant and stylized, and are usually integrated into the barre exercises. However, it is good to learn about dynamic resistance stretching exercises, so that you can benefit more from the stretching you do in ballet class.

Every ballet exercise that you do is an exercise to prepare you to dance in pointe shoes. The way you learn to pointe your feet (battements tendus, which you do many of every class) determines how strong the sole of your foot gets. There are also non-ballet exercises that strengthen the specific sole of foot muscles, which you can practice.

Posture and turnout also contribute to the development of technique and strength you will need to do even basic movements in pointe shoes.

If you are an older teen or adult, there is nothing wrong with getting ballet tips on dancing in pointe shoes as soon as you start ballet classes.

If you truly want to do enough ballet to dance in pointe shoes, start now, with the best teacher you can find. Study right away to learn dynamic resistance stretches and get a home study course that will prepare you to learn pointe shoe exercises.