During November we started the delivery of our last Sports Massage course of the year. Our tutor is highly experienced having studied Physical Therapy at University and worked in the NHS as part of rehabilitation teams, worked with professional athletes and even at the Rugby World Cup with professional sports teams. We asked Harry to summarise what he delivers on our Sports Massage course for all of you who maybe interested. As well as this, Harry discusses the potential benefits of Sports Massage as well as the possible outcomes for all students who complete the course.
The qualification is split over 3 weekends with an additional Saturday for the assessment. The course begins with how to assess clients both objectively and subjectively. The assessment protocol is crucial when working with injured clients or even clients during recovery. All the data which you collect as a Sports Massage Therapist during the assessment will dictate what type of massage or technique you will use in their rehabilitation. Once the students demonstrate the ability to assess their patients safely and thoroughly, including postural assessments, the students will learn about pre event massage, post event massage, relaxation techniques, rehabilitation techniques and how to correct mild posture impingements. In a nutshell our Sports Massage course which is recognised by the Complimentary and Natural Care Council (CNHC) and the General Council for Massage Therapies (GCMT) provides you with all the tools you need to become a Sports Massage Therapist or gain employment in an established injury clinic or physiotherapy clinic offering massage.
The benefits to Sports Massage:
Over the years there has been number of studies which highlight the multiple benefits associated with regular sports massage. Our tutor Harry has listed a few below with a brief example:
- Injury prevention: Often clients who train hard or have stressful lifestyles are really tense. When they’re tense or tight whether it be due to stress or lack of mobility work with their training, they become more susceptible to injury. A regular Sports Massage can help reduce the stress and tension as well as improve flexibility and range of movement which will reduce the likelihood of an injury.
- Improve performance: If a client can improve their flexibility, improve their range of movement and reduce tensions / stress, then their performance on the pitch, court or in the gym will improve. If you consider a squat for example, if the client has tight hip flexors, tight hamstrings and calves, then when they squat they won’t have a great range of movement and potentially won’t be able to squat as much due to poor technique as a result of the tight muscle outlined above.
- Increased circulation: Increased circulation or improved circulation will help flush out toxins and waste products from the muscles post training and help fill them with the right nutrients (if your diet is on point) to aid recovery. Thus resulting in fast recovery between training sessions.
- Decreased neurological excitability: During our Sports Massage course we also discuss the benefits of regular massage on the nervous system. A decrease in neurological excitability post training will help the client recover, sleep and recuperate before their next training session, resulting in an improved performance.
The list of benefits for regular sports massage is almost endless, but the few we have listed above really highlight the importance of regular massage for clients who are active and exercise. This is where the financial benefits of completing our Sports Massage course are highlighted. Many years ago, Personal Trainers, Gym Instructors, Group Exercise Instructors and even Sports Coaches used to refer clients and players to external Sports Massage Therapists for treatment. Now however, a we can offer this service to our clients ourselves which results in an extra revenue stream. As well as this, it can also attract potentially new clients for other services e.g. If a client approaches you for a Sports Massage, you could potentially convert that client into a Personal Training client at the same time.