Principles of Pilates: Control

Control is one of my favourite of the six principles of Pilates, so let’s dive right in!

From Contrology to Pilates

Joseph Pilates never called his method of exercise “Pilates”. He called it Contrology. Control + ogy to sound scientific. But why would Joseph care if the name of his type of exercise sounded scientific? He was very passionate about his work and knew with confidence that Contrology helped to heal people. If they didn’t need healing, he knew that it would help them correct imbalances in the body. 

Joe was so sure that he wanted to get into the hospitals and universities to share his method with doctors, to show them how Contrology could in turn help their patients. When one of Joe’s long-time clients, Eve Gentry, had breast cancer and surgeries, she went back to Joe to help her regain mobility and strength. She’d lost most of her range of motion after her surgeries, but over time, Joe got her moving again. It was almost like she’d never had surgery at all. 

Eve’s results were so remarkable that her husband filmed Joe working with her, and they sent it off to doctors. Joe was finally invited to speak to a group of doctors, but Eve’s results were so amazing the doctors thought it was a scam. So, with her permission, Joe and Eve filmed her again, but this time with no top on in order to show the scars. Now they had proof, but Joe’s mission still came to a quick end. After all, he wasn’t an educated man and didn’t have those important letters after his name. 

So, that is how Pilates started – with control. The reason we call it Pilates now is because when people would head to Joe’s studio, they’d say they were going to Pilates’. As in, going to see Joseph Pilates for a Contrology workout. 

See Joseph Pilates in Action

Control in Your Pilates Practice

Control was definitely one of the principles of Pilates that Eve mastered in her healing journey. It’s one that you will no doubt want to conquer, too. It’s one of the harder principles, especially in the beginning. 

When you first start to do Pilates, finding control can be very difficult. You might clunk the springs or slam the carriage closed. You might feel the carriage moving back and forth as you do the hundred, or lifting and lowering as you do the stomach series exercises. You might roll like a ball but have difficulty stopping yourself at the top and bottom of the roll.  All of this comes together with time and practice. 

Another way to find control is to work on the foundations. Practicing these with more concentration, deeper connections, and awareness of your breath will help you continuously improve. I’m nearly 20 years into my Pilates practice and there are still exercises that I don’t have full control on. I love that there is always a way to go deeper, and just a little bit more control can completely change how the exercise feels (usually harder!).

You Are In Control

I remember once being told to never let the springs bully or control me; that I should be in control of them. As you work with the springs on the way in and out, you’ll soon find more control in the mat work, too. It’s the system of Pilates, working together to help you improve your strength, mobility, flexibility, and control. 

We’re almost done with this series on the principles of Pilates. Just two are left: flowing movement and precision.