PILATES INSTRUCTOR DARIEN GOLD NAMED
UCLA ‘DYNAMIC BALANCE COACH’
COACH GOLD HITS HOME RUN WITH UCLA SOFTBALL TEAM
With the Introduction of Pilates to UCLA Training
Program
(Los Angeles CA)- Pilates instructor, Darien Gold, has
begun training the UCLA Softball team, winner of 10 national championships,
as the first team she is coaching in her new position as Dynamic Balance
Coach. Gold brings to UCLA’s world renowned athletes her extensive
experience in working with professional athletes who have sought her help
to improve their agility, balance and control through Pilates training.
Gold calls Pilates the ‘secret weapon’ for
a successful, injury-free sports’ experience. “Not only does
Pilates help prevent sports-related injuries, but the repertoire also
maximizes balance. Because this method rests entirely on trunk stabilization,
the prevention of injury to the spine is decreased substantially,”
states Gold. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to teach Pilates
to these athletes whom I consider to be the best in the country.”
With the introduction of Pilates as an adjunct to the
school’s athletic training program with the naming of Gold as the
Dynamic Balance Coach, the UCLA Strength and Conditioning
Department recognizes the benefits that Pilates’ training can provide
young athletes. Head coach for the UCLA softball team, Sue Enquist, says,
“Today’s athlete is stronger and faster than ever before,
yet, their greatest challenge is to compete at the highest level without
injury. In addition to being involved with collegiate athletics for 27
years, I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology. It became apparent
to me that Coach Gold’s philosophy is in alignment with many of
the concepts learned in biomechanics and physics; specifically that proper
balance of the body helps to minimize stress on the major joints throughout
the training and exercise of our student athletes. Darien’s program
emphasizes balance in motion.”
Says Gold, “The exercises are designed to give
both maximum stabilization as well as mobility to the joints of the body.”
Designing a program specifically to fit the needs of the championship
team, Coach Gold has developed a comprehensive Pilates work out that compliments
the team’s skill work on the field with the speed and weight training
program currently being utilized at UCLA.
Pilates has become popular with professional athletes in recent years
receiving endorsements by super-star athletes for its success in developing
superior strength and flexibility. Pilates is not usually associated with
a team work out.
Teaching Pilates to an entire team requires a unique
set of skills in order to attain the maximum benefits from working with
a group. Gold’s varied and unique experience imbues her with outstanding
qualifications to work with a team: A disciple of Romana Kyrzanowska,
the student designated to carry on the work of Joseph Pilates, Gold, has
more than three decades of experience in teaching and training athletes.
A competitive gymnast beginning at the age of 12 and also a New York-trained,
professional dancer, Gold has acquired an exceptional understanding of
functional anatomy and an intuitive ability to understand the body from
the inside out.
“There is quite an apparent difference in working
with a team or training an individual,” says Gold. “There
is more of a focus on the team blending and moving as one unit, literally
with one breath. I’ve designed a work out for athletes which encompasses
core stabilization (Pilates), standing balances (ballet technique) and
movement across the floor (choreography).”
Says Coach Enquist, “Despite the fact that my players
were training five days a week on the field, three days a week in the
weight room (which included core exercises) and two days a week on speed
drills, they were amazed at their physical weakness in Coach Gold’s
class.” By comparison, Gold works with the team only once a week
and the results are already apparent. “ In the short time our players
have been working with Coach Gold, they have not only strengthened the
small and critically important muscles that aid in joint stability and
core strength, but also they are able to execute their skill fundamentals
with greater understanding of their balance as they are executing their
skills on the field,” observes Coach Enquist.
Pleased with the softball team’s positive response
to her Pilates training, Coach Gold states, “In the time I’ve
been working with the UCLA Women’s softball team, I’ve seen
exciting changes with these talented athletes. Their improvements range
from greater body awareness, better coordination and balance and their
core strength continues to deepen. Some have commented that they are experiencing
a greater range of motion.”
With her passion for Pilates, Gold’s dream is
to expand the universe of young athletes who she can help through teaching
the Pilates Method. The opportunity the UCLA Strength and Conditioning
Department has offered Gold as the Dynamic Balance Coach
makes her dream a reality.
It is evident that Pilates instructor, Darien Gold, has
hit a home run with Head Softball Coach, Sue Enquist: “Coach Gold’s
total body exercises are easy to understand and master. Her program has
had an immediate affect on my student athletes. I would highly recommend
this program for any athlete who trains and/or competes year around. It’s
not a fad, it’s not a gimmick. You will feel the difference in your
skill execution! This is a great addition by our strength and conditioning
department,” says Enquist.
For more information regarding Darien Gold
or Studio Darien, call 323-874-2615 or visit www.studiodarien.com.
Studio Darien is located at 7507 Sunset Blvd., Suite
#14, Los Angeles, CA 90046.
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