About Pilates
Introducing Pilates
Founder of Pilates
“Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness.”
“The most necessary thing for happiness is physical health.”
Joseph H. Pilates
Pilates is a method with a history of about 100 years.
Stretching and strengthening exercises were systematized by Joseph Pilates.
Back then it was called Contrology
The founder, Mr. Pilates, was a child.
Suffering from rheumatic fever, rickets, and asthma, he was said to have been very sickly.
It seems that he worked on all kinds of training such as gymnastics, boxing, Zen, yoga, skiing, etc.
As a result, by the age of 14, Mr. Pilates' body was fully developed.
It seems that it has also become a body model for anatomy books and artists.
20 years longer than the average life expectancy at the time
It seems that he was able to do various exercises until just before his death.
Origin of Pilates
The method was born during World War I.
For the purpose of rehabilitation of wounded soldiers, it was systematized as a study to control the fine muscles and mind of the whole body by stretching and exercising.
By the way, the mattress bed with springs on which the wounded soldiers slept, with rehabilitation equipment attached, is the origin of the Pilates machine “Cadillac” that is still in use today.
The basics of rehabilitation in those days were to rest and not to move.
Mr. Pilates rather advocated moving
"I'm 50 years ahead of my time," he said.
Also, during this period, the Spanish flu was a worldwide epidemic, but it is said that no one was infected in the detention facility where Mr. Pilates was, because controlology was practiced on a daily basis and physical functions were strengthened.
After the end of World War II, he was appointed as a military instructor by the German government.
Modern Pilates
After that, Mr. Pilates moved to the United States, where he was based in a studio in New York, and his clientele quickly increased from athletes and dancers to actresses and doctors, and he was affectionately known as Uncle Joe.
Students who were taught directly by Mr. Pilates
Known as the first generation (Pilates Elders), Pilates spread throughout the world even after Mr. Pilates passed away.
Today's Pilates has been passed down from the 1st generation to the 2nd and 3rd generations, and as a method interpreted by each school, not only rehabilitation treatment and adjustment of athletes and dancers, but also the body makeup needs of models and actresses. It is also recognized by doctors and physical therapists, etc., and is attracting attention again around the world.
