31 August
2004
Dear
Colleagues and Friends:
We would
like to congratulate the members of the U.S. Olympic
Team for their fine performances during the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.
During the
Sydney 2000 Games, I stayed at the home of an NBC
technical
consultant for gymnastics, when the Russian and Romanian teams (both
economically disadvantaged national team programs) dominated the
field. It was evident, that the U.S. athletes lacked the
technical
fundamentals gained from years of intensive choreography training
(classical
ballet based). Shortly thereafter, I wrote the article
"Why
Eastern Bloc Countries Dominated the Gymnastics Field in Sydney,"
published by the
International
Society of Biomechanics in Sports.
As I watched the competitions in Athens, It was great to see technical
improvement in both the women's and men's
gymnastics teams.
During the last four years, my objective has been introduce the science
of
classical ballet training into all Olympic development programs.
Across United States, coaches are coming to the
realization that
there is no substitute (yoga, pilates, etc.) for a thorough
understanding of this science and
integration of correct postural alignment into all aspects of sports
specific training (Redefing
Orthopedics: Recognizing the
Importance of
a Mechanical Ideal)
.
In dance, there is a universal principle, a well
trained ballet dancer can technically execute any form of dance (tap,
modern,
jazz), while a
dancer
trained only in tap,
modern or jazz cannot technically
execute classical ballet.
The reason is simply that classical ballet training
encompasses the development of fundamental movement mechanics,
flexibility, postural
alignment and precision control of the human frame in space.
As we
continue the objective to optimize the potential of every athlete,
from beginner through advanced levels, we look forward to continued
discussions regarding this most important work.
In the
pursuit of excellence,
S.M.Apatow
Stephen M. Apatow
President,
Director of Research and Development
Biomechanics
Specialist & Technical Consultant
Sports
Medicine & Science Institute
Eastern
United States:
167 Cherry
Street #260 Milford, Connecticut 06460
Telephone:
(203) 668-0282 Fax: (203) 878-0736
Western
United States:
P.O. Box
21372, Carson City, Nevada 89721
Telephone:
(775) 884-4680
Internet: http://www.esportsmedicine.org
Email: s.m.apatow@esportsmedicine.org
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