Wii the People

Alycea Ungaro (Real Pilates, NYC) made some great points about the new Wii pilates with Daisy Fuentes. http://realpilates.net/blog/2009/07/23/daisy-fuentes-teaches-pilates/

Our response: Is it far-fetched to imply that individuals could injure themselves attempting to practice Pilates at home with the guidance of a celebrity who has no training as a Pilates instructor? Not really.

Have you read the warning labels that are printed on most products these days? Some of them sound absolutely ridiculous (case in point, Hand Sanitizer - do not use in or near eyes), and yet, almost all exist as a result of some individual having done exactly what is being warned against and then suing the product maker for the resulting injury.

More importantly, however, Pilates is a system of intricate movements that require precision and attention to detail to be performed correctly. At best, individuals may get the wrong impression of Pilates when they don't receive the intended benefits of the exercises. At worst, someone could in fact injure themselves by performing a move incorrectly. I haven't viewed the Wii Pilates, but if it includes the pelvic curl, a basic Pilates move, there is the potential for significant cervical damage without proper guidance. Even a seasoned instructor wouldn't actually be in the living rooms of those millions of Americans doing Pilates on their Wii, but with years of experience teaching and observing common mistakes and misalignments, they could instruct the moves in a way that would minimize the risk of avoidable injuries.

I am excited that millions of American are being exposed to Pilates, yet disappointed that they are also being exposed to the potential risk of injury by the choice of the game maker to have an untrained celebrity "teach" the classes rather than a certified and experienced instructor.