Calvin Johnson was a perfect pupil, said 5-4, 100-pound Pilates Trainer Sarah Picott, who admitted she didn’t know who the #2 NFL draft pick was before she started working with him. That puts Picot on an increasingly short list, as Johnson has been at or near the top of NFL teams’ draft boards all winter. This peaked when he ran the sub-4.4 40 at the combine, a time unheard of for a 6-foot-5, 239-pound. While renowned NFL trainer Tom Shaw doesn’t credit Pilates solely for helping Johnson reach his goal, he says it’s an essential part of the mix.
Tom Shaw specializes in helping NFL draft hopefuls prepare for their combine and pro day workouts. Shaw’s client list has included Patriots Tom Brady, Colts Peyton Manning or Saints Reggie Bush. He has worked with 85 first-round draft picks, including four overall No. 1s, and some draft experts contend Calvin Johnson 6-foot-5, 239-pound is the best prospect in the draft.
Shaw, a progressive thinker, has only a short time to prepare the athletes for the combine and pro day workouts where they showcased his skills for NFL scouts. “We don’t give guys time to rest. We have two months to get guys better,” Shaw said. “We run into an opportunity where kids can get injured quickly.” So I give them every advantage that we can.”
To help prevent injury and bring his athletes to the next level Shaw brought in Sarah Picot, a former professional dancer, certified Pilates instructor, author of a book and several DVDs on the subject. Picot focused her time with the athletes on improving flexibility and strengthening their core. She found the guys were in phenomenal shape, yet still had a way to go in terms of muscle efficiency, core strength and balance.
“We were open to everything that was going on down there,” Johnson said. “We are aware that people know more about what we do in certain areas. She knew more about flexibility than we did and we learned the more flexible you are, the faster you’re gonna be.”
“People look at Pilates as sort of a girls exercise,” Picot continued. “You can ask any one of those men I worked with including players from Steelers and the Redskins how much we kicked their butts. They were shaking, they were sweating, they were uncomfortable. And then afterwards they felt calm, relaxed, loose. It’s a very empowering program and has so much potential for the NFL.”
