Pilates guide
Football's injuries cluster in the hamstrings, the groin and the knees, and the proven answers are already known: FIFA's 11+ warm-up before every training session, the Nordic hamstring exercise and the adductor programme. Pilates doesn't replace them. The trials of Pilates in football and soccer players are small, and none measured injuries: they found better agility, hops and leg strength after 5 to 8 weeks.
So use Pilates for trunk control, the inner and outer hips, hamstrings working in control, and balance, on the days between training and matches.
This guide covers where footballers get hurt, how Pilates fits next to the 11+ and the Nordic and Copenhagen exercises, the hamstrings and groin, what the trials of mat and reformer Pilates found, how to fit it into a week, and a 25-minute recovery-day class.
In 30 amateur men, 8 weeks of mat or reformer Pilates improved agility, hop and passing tests, and 5 weeks raised young players' leg strength. A 2025 review calls the research limited and mixed, and no trial has measured injuries.
The 11+ already includes planks, side planks, Nordics, balance, squats and jumps, and cut injuries by 39% across 4 trials. FIFA's earlier warm-up, built around core stability, didn't cut injuries at all.
Hamstrings were 37% and the inner thigh (adductor) muscles 23% of muscle injuries in elite men, and hamstring injuries have doubled as a share of all injuries over 21 seasons.
Programmes that include the Nordic hamstring exercise halve hamstring injuries. Trunk stabilisation is part of hamstring rehab, but it hasn't been shown to prevent strains.
The adductor programme that cut groin problems by 41% begins with side-lying hip adduction, the inner thigh lift's position. Long-standing groin pain responded to strength training around the pelvis, and Pilates added to physiotherapy helped function in men with a sports hernia.
Across 25 trials, strength training cut sports injuries and stretching didn't. Core training helped footballers' jumps and agility a little but not their sprint speed. Use Pilates for control and mobility, not as stretch-based prevention.
Repeated sprints, sudden stops and turns, jumps and landings, kicking, tackling and shielding over 90 minutes. The NHS lists football among vigorous activities. Our football page covers the training for all of it.
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In 23 elite European men's teams, there were 8 injuries per 1,000 hours of football, far more in matches than training, about 2 per player per season. Muscle injuries were 31% of all injuries, mostly hamstrings, adductors, quadriceps and calves. Hamstring injuries rose from 12% to 24% of all injuries between 2001 and 2022. Per match or session played, women tear an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) about twice as often as men.
In 60 amateur players, hamstrings that switched on after the lower back muscles in a hip extension test went with 8 times the risk of a hamstring injury. Across athletes, weaker core measures went with later leg injuries. These are associations, not proof that core training prevents injuries.
Trunk endurance and control, the inner and outer hips, the back of the body working in control, hip flexor length and single-leg balance, on a mat or a reformer. It doesn't offer the heavy lowering loads of the Nordic and Copenhagen exercises, sprinting or jump training, which prevent injuries and build speed.
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In 30 amateur men, three 50 to 60-minute Pilates sessions a week for 8 weeks, in place of half their team sessions, improved agility, hops, balance, short sprints and ball skills within both Pilates groups, while the team-training-only group didn't change. In 15 youth players, 15 mat Pilates sessions over 5 weeks raised leg strength. In 51 college players with unstable ankles, 6 weeks of Pilates or balance training both helped. A 2025 review found the research limited, mixed, mat-based and mostly in amateurs, with no injury counts.
In the one comparison, the reformer group improved a little more than the mat group on an agility test, a passing test and a one-leg triple hop. It was one trial of 10 players per group, with mostly within-group results.
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Across 37 studies of 1,174 players aged 9 to 30, core stability training raised jump height by about 1.7 cm and improved two agility tests by about half a second, but didn't change 20 or 30 metre sprint times. An earlier review of 26 lower-quality studies suggests 15 minutes twice a week for at least 4 weeks.
In 88 men with a sports hernia (pain where the groin meets the lower tummy, without a true hernia), adding 6 weeks of Pilates to laser and ultrasound treatment eased pain only a little, less than people notice, but clearly improved leg function and hip scores. In 68 athletes with long-standing groin pain, 8 to 12 weeks of strength training around the pelvis got 23 back to sport without pain, against 4 with physiotherapy without active training.
Elite Australian Football League players did a Pilates programme alongside an ultrasound-guided trunk training programme; the trunk programme, not Pilates, was the tested part, and players who had it early in the season missed fewer games. It's another code of football.
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The 11+ warm-up has running drills, then strength, balance and jumping exercises at three levels, including the plank, side plank and Nordic hamstring lower, then faster running. In 1,892 girls aged 13 to 17 it cut injuries by about a third, and across 4 trials by 39%. FIFA's earlier "11", built around core stability, balance and hamstring work, made no difference. Our football page sets it out exercise by exercise.
Programmes that include the Nordic halve hamstring injuries, across 15 studies of 8,459 athletes. The adductor programme cut groin problems by 41% in 652 semi-professional men; its first level is side-lying hip adduction, and teams that changed it often used ball squeezes or side planks instead. Do them as our football page sets out.
Pilates adds trunk, hip and groin control on recovery days (our reading). The inner thigh lift is the adductor programme's first rung, not a replacement for the Copenhagen, and more strength work, not less, went with fewer injuries in the trials.
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In 24 athletes with a hamstring strain, a programme of agility and trunk stabilisation exercises led to far fewer re-injuries in the following year (1 of 13) than stretching and isolated hamstring strengthening (7 of 10). Against running and eccentric strengthening, the same programme did about as well. Both trials were small.
The Nordic, not stretching, is the hamstring exercise with trials behind it. Across 25 trials, stretching didn't prevent sports injuries. After a strain, follow our hamstring strain guide's stages.
Side-lying hip adduction was the adductor programme's first level, and the long-standing groin pain trial began with squeezing a ball between the knees. Both are early steps on the way to harder adductor work, as our groin strain guide sets out.
Our groin strain, sports hernia and inner thigh pain guides cover the causes and the rehab. Pilates as an add-on helped function in one sports hernia trial.
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Our editorial plan:
The hundred's 50 beats building to 100 are the move page's dose; 6 dead bugs each side and two 20-second knee side planks each side are our editorial starting point, 2 sets of 6 bird dogs each side with 5-second holds are from our mobility routine for cyclists, and 3 side planks with a leg lift of 20 to 30 seconds each side are from the 11+.
10 to 12 inner thigh lifts, 8 to 10 side kicks and 8 side-lying circles each way are the move pages' doses; 5 to 10 ball squeezes of 5 to 10 seconds are from our groin strain guide, 10 clams each side our editorial starting point, and two 30-second hip flexor stretches each side from our mobility routine for cyclists.
3D demoSide-lying inner thigh lift (Pilates side kick series)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoLying adductor ball squeezeBeginner · Other / check instructions
3D demoSide kick (Pilates side kick series)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSide-lying leg circles (Pilates side kick series)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoClamshellBeginner · No equipment
3D demoHalf-kneeling hip flexor stretchBeginner · No equipment3 to 5 shoulder bridge kicks, 6 to 8 single-leg kicks each leg, 2 to 3 sets of 20 to 30 seconds of swimming and 5 to 6 swans are the move pages' doses; 2 single-leg stands of 30 seconds each leg are from the 11+.
Leave out the saw, spine stretch forward and the single and double straight-leg stretches until your rehab allows, and stop if you feel a sudden sharp pain or a pop at the back of your thigh (the move pages' cautions). Bridges and trunk control come first.
Keep inner thigh lifts small and ball squeezes gentle, leave out wide frog or split stretches, and avoid the Copenhagen while it's acute (the move pages' cautions).
With knee problems, leave out the kneeling side kick and do the side kick lying down.
The 11+ and the hamstring and groin programme come first, as our football page sets out. Add the 25-minute Pilates class once or twice a week on recovery days; the glute and hip classes add more hip work.
A 25-minute Pilates class for footballers: trunk control, the groin and outer hips, hamstrings with the hip extended, and balance, for recovery days.
25 minBeginner17 movesOther / check instructions, A wallFIFA's 11+ injury prevention warm-up as its manual sets it out: running drills, strength, balance and jumping at three levels, then faster running.
20 minBeginner20 movesCardio machine, A wallThe Nordic hamstring and Copenhagen adduction programmes from the football trials: a 10-week build, three adductor levels, then once a week in season.
15 minIntermediate6 movesA wall, An anchor pointA 20-minute warm-up that trains your knees to track over your toes: side-hip strength, squats and lunges with alignment practice, balance and quiet landings.
20 minBeginner10 movesA wall, A bandA 25-minute Pilates class for your glutes: bridges, the side kick series, face-down kicks and standing work at a wall, with a band to make it harder.
25 minBeginner16 movesA wall, A bandA 20-minute Pilates class for hip pain: bridges, outer-hip holds, standing leg work and balance, without deep bends, crossed legs or lying on the sore side.
20 minBeginner14 movesA band, A wallTwo strength sessions a week fit around training in pre-season; add the Pilates class on a recovery day.
Two full-body strength sessions a week: the minimum that meets health guidelines, with every set, rep and rest, and an 8-week progression.
2 training days45 minBeginner3 days a weekA 12-week beginner barbell program: squat every session, alternate bench and row with press and deadlift, and add weight each time until it stalls.
3 training days50 minBeginnerSame day: a pop near the sitting bone, a large bruise high on the back of the thigh, or you cannot put weight on the leg. The tendon may have pulled away from the bone, which needs assessing before you start these exercises.
Get help from NHS 111 if you think you've injured your hamstring and it's very painful, or the pain is getting worse; there's a large amount of swelling or bruising, or the swelling or bruising is getting worse; it hurts to walk or stand using the injured leg; your leg feels very stiff or is difficult to move; it's not feeling any better after treating it yourself; or you have a very high temperature or you feel very hot, but also cold and shivery, which could be signs of an infection.
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A pop high on the inner thigh, then a large bruise, a dent or a gap you can feel, and weakness squeezing the legs together, can be a complete tear of the adductor longus tendon: get it checked within days, as our inner thigh pain guide says.
A lump in the groin, upper thigh or tummy, especially one that appears when you cough or strain and goes when you lie down: see a GP, as it may be a true hernia. A femoral hernia (a small lump at the top of the thigh, mainly in women over 50, though it can happen to anyone) needs treating in hospital.
Get help from NHS 111 if you have a hernia (a lump in the groin or tummy) and pain in or around it, a bloated tummy, you feel sick or are being sick, you're vomiting blood or your vomit looks like coffee grounds, you're constipated, you have a high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery, or you've suddenly become confused.
Call 999 or go to A&E now if you have a femoral hernia (a small lump at the top of the thigh, in the groin) and very bad tummy pain, you feel sick or are being sick, you cannot fart or poo, you have a high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery, or you've suddenly become confused. It may be strangulated, which is an emergency. Don't drive yourself.
Go to A&E (accident and emergency) if you've injured your knee and it has changed shape, it becomes very swollen very quickly, you felt a pop or snap, you can see bone sticking out, or it's bleeding heavily. Don't drive yourself: ask someone to take you, or call 999 if the pain means you can't move your leg to get there.
Get advice from NHS 111 now: you cannot move the knee or put any weight on it, or it is very painful, badly swollen or has changed shape, or it locks, gives way or clicks painfully. A pop, quick swelling and a knee that gives way point to an ACL injury: our ACL injury guide says what to do.
Call 999 or go to A&E if you heard a crack, the joint has changed shape or points at an odd angle, it's numb or tingling, or the skin has turned blue or grey or is cold. Get help from NHS 111 or an urgent treatment centre if you can't put any weight on it or walk more than a few steps.
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Call 999 if someone has hit their head and has been knocked out and hasn't woken up, can't stay awake or keep their eyes open, has a fit, has fallen from a height of more than 1 metre or 5 stairs, has problems with their vision or hearing, has clear fluid coming from their ears or nose, has new numbness or weakness, has problems with walking, balance, understanding, speaking or writing, hit their head at high speed, or their behaviour has changed. Get help from NHS 111 if they're being sick, feel dizzy or take medicine that thins the blood. If you're told to go to A&E (accident and emergency), don't drive yourself there if you have hit your head.
With a suspected concussion, if in doubt, sit them out. The UK's grassroots guidelines say no sport for at least 24 hours, get checked by a healthcare professional or NHS 111 within 24 hours, follow a staged return, and no competition before day 21; if symptoms last beyond 28 days, stay out of sport and see a doctor. Pilates waits too: gentle breathing and mobility fit the early, light-activity stages, and trunk and strength work come later (our reading). Our concussion guide has the stages.
Call 999 if:
Call 999 or go to A&E (accident and emergency) straight away for severe difficulty breathing (gasping, choking or not able to get words out), a chest that feels tight or heavy, pain that spreads to your arms, back, neck and jaw, lips or skin turning very pale, blue or grey, or sudden confusion. If you're more short of breath than usual, or your heart is racing, fluttering or skipping beats, contact NHS 111.
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The NHS advises getting advice from a healthcare professional first if you have a health problem, an injury or symptoms, or have recently had a heart attack or an operation.
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The 11+ is the tested programme, cutting injuries by 39% across 4 trials, and it already includes core work. Pilates can add to it on other days.
FIFA's earlier warm-up focused on core stability, balance and hamstring strength and didn't cut injuries. What's in a programme, and how often you do it, matters.
Across 25 trials, stretching didn't prevent sports injuries and strength training did; the Nordic halves hamstring injuries.
In small trials, Pilates raised young players' leg strength and improved agility, hop and passing tests, and trunk stabilisation is part of hamstring rehab. None of these trials measured injuries.
In one trial of 10 players per group, both mat and reformer Pilates improved test scores, with the reformer a little ahead on three tests. The mat is free and does the same jobs.
It's a good complement for trunk control, the hips and groin, hamstrings in control and balance. Small trials in football and soccer players found better agility, hops and leg strength after 5 to 8 weeks, but none measured injuries, so keep the FIFA 11+ and the Nordic and adductor programmes.
Some do: in one study, elite Australian football players did a Pilates programme alongside other trunk training. In association football, the trials so far are small and in amateur and young players, and none measured injuries.
No. The 11+ is the tested programme, cutting injuries by 39% across 4 trials, and it already includes planks, side planks, Nordics and balance work. Do Pilates on other days.
It hasn't been shown to. The Nordic hamstring exercise is the one with the evidence: programmes that include it halve hamstring injuries. Trunk stabilisation is part of hamstring rehab, and after a strain our hamstring guide has the stages.
It can help as part of rehab: long-standing groin pain responded to strength training around the pelvis, and Pilates added to physiotherapy improved function in men with a sports hernia. Start with gentle ball squeezes and inner thigh lifts, see our groin strain guide, and see a GP for a lump in the groin.
The hundred, dead bug, bird dog and side planks for the trunk; inner thigh lifts, ball squeezes, side kicks, leg circles and clams for the groin and hips; and shoulder bridges, single-leg kicks, swimming and the swan for the back of the body, with single-leg balance. Our 25-minute class puts them together.
In the one comparison, amateur players improved with both mat and reformer Pilates, and the reformer group was a little ahead on agility, passing and hop tests. It was one trial of 10 players per group, so the mat, which is free, is a fine choice.
Core training helped footballers' jumps by about 1.7 cm and their agility a little, but not their sprint speed. Speed comes from sprinting and strength training, as our football page explains.
It's the first level of the adductor programme that cut groin problems by 41%: side-lying hip adduction. The Copenhagen is the harder level; build up to it as our football page sets out, and avoid it while groin pain is acute.
Neither has been tested for injuries in footballers. Pilates suits trunk and hip control, and yoga suits mobility and winding down. Stretching on its own hasn't been shown to prevent injuries.
Once or twice a week on recovery days is a good start (our suggestion); the trials used 2 or 3 sessions a week for 5 to 8 weeks. Keep the 11+ before every training session.
Get same-day help for a pop near the sitting bone, a big bruise high on the back of the thigh, or a leg you can't put weight on. See a GP for a lump in the groin, and NHS 111 if it's painful with sickness; a femoral hernia with very bad tummy pain is the one groin lump that needs 999. Call 999 for a head injury with any warning sign too.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. If you are pregnant, have a health condition or have had recent surgery, check with a doctor, midwife or physiotherapist before starting, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
