[Practiced by Pro Soccer Players] Gainare Tottori's Masaya Nikaido Adopts Pilates! Performance Enhancement and Injury Prevention via Physical Therapist-Led Machine Pilates | Pilates Studio DEP Yonago

At 'Pilates Studio DEP Yonago,' a machine Pilates specialty studio in Yonago City, Tottori Prefecture, Masaya Nikaido of Gainare Tottori has introduced Pilates for conditioning and performance enhancement. By having physical therapists conduct physical assessments and provide tailor-made programs suited to his athletic characteristics, the studio supports his improvement in movement efficiency, injury prevention, and athletic performance. At Pilates Studio DEP Yonago, experts with national medical qualifications conduct physical assessments and create individual programs after analyzing posture, range of motion, muscle balance, and movement patterns. In soccer, it is considered important to improve hip and thoracic range of motion, core stability, body control, and injury prevention. By focusing on inner muscles, core stability improves, and joint alignment allows for efficient power output. This leads to improved movement reproducibility, balance, and injury prevention by reducing joint stress. Masaya Nikaido, who plays for Gainare Tottori, introduced Pilates in February 2026. He continues personal sessions once a week even during the season. Pilates is expected to improve body coordination and control, which positively impacts cutting, kicking, running, and stability during contact. The studio designs programs considering athletic characteristics and supports conditioning during the season. Nikaido commented that he feels stable in his condition without fatigue despite the busy match schedule. Pilates Studio DEP employs physical therapists and occupational therapists who conduct lessons based on anatomy, kinesiology, and neuroscience. They provide safe and highly reproducible programs based on physical assessments, posture analysis, and movement analysis. It is used by a wide range of people for shoulder stiffness, back pain, posture improvement, and prenatal/postnatal care. The owner of the Yonago branch, Kyohei Nakada, stated that they provide highly specialized support to local athletes and those needing exercise, ranging from teens to those in their 70s.