I was jumping today! After not jumping for two years, it was exhilarating, but also a bit terrifying on the landing. Would I come down wrong and shatter an ankle? I didn't trust my MS-ravaged body anymore. But I trusted my Pilates teacher, Kim, to know what she was doing. It was a leap or faith, followed by another leap, and another. My ankles are still fine. Thank you Kim!
Technically, this was assisted jumping on a Pilates jump board machine. It's simulated jumping on a horizontal plane, not real jumping through space like in a pickup basketball game or tae kwon do class. This isn't about being like Michael Jordon. It's about getting back to being able to do small jumps, like hopping over a puddle or doing a silly dance; stuff that most able-bodied people take for granted.
A Pilates jump board is a sliding contraption attached to springs that provide varying levels of resistance. If you've never been in a Pilates studio, perhaps the closest thing to a jump board you've seen is the Chuck Norris Total Gym advertised on late-night infomercials. The difference is that a jump board uses springs for resistance rather than pulleys and gravity. And a jump board is used exclusively for development of the legs and core, areas where I am in great need of rehabilitation after my wheelchair-bound MS attack in 2013.
Not everyone at New Movement Pilates is doing rehab. Most are doing it for a workout that improves posture and body function. Ballet dancers and Pilates instructors like Kim are jump board masters, able to make using the thing look like a graceful performance event. Though I'll never wear a leotard and a dance belt, if this helps me walk better, that's beautiful enough for me.
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