PRE-SEASON TRAINING MASSAGE

PRE-SEASON TRAINING

FROM THE SPORTS MASSAGE PRACTITIONER PERSPECTIVE

BY DAVID BROWN P

re-season training for sports at any level is an essential part of preparation for a successful season. It provides

players, strength and conditioning specialists and club coaches with the opportunity to work in a focused manner on many of the aspects of fitness, building a solid foundation from which to move forward into the long playing season. It can also be a time when injuries occur, delaying the

availability of individuals for selection and thereby potentially weakening a squad from day one. The combination of the high physical workload, the high standards expected plus any specific remedial training requirement that may have been identified by their pre- season prehab screening means that soft tissues, particularly the contractile elements, are placed under great stress. This may result in micro trauma that requires careful management and regular intervention amongst and between training sessions to minimise effectively the risk of injury occurring. This is one of the times where the employment of a well- trained sports/remedial massage practitioner can provide an invaluable service as part of the multi-disciplinary medical teams that work with the coaches and players. As with many things connected with sport several factors must be taken into consideration to get the most out

Pre-season training puts a huge demand on the body’s soft tissue. A well-trained sports/remedial massage practitioner can provide an invaluable service as part of the multi-disciplinary medical teams that work with the coaches and players. A good knowledge of both the sport-specific and fitness training demands placed upon the athlete is vital to provide a sound understanding of what is happening to the body so that the therapist can use a reasoned application of specific techniques.

THE PHYSIOTHERAPIST www.sportEX.net

POTENTIAL AREAS OF CONCERN SHOULD BE REPORTED TO

of given opportunities on a daily basis, amidst what is often a busy and demanding schedule. Firstly and perhaps most obviously, the type of sport itself and the types of demands it places on the athlete will determine such things as the number of training sessions during the day, what type of training is being undertaken, what they will be expected to do in the next session and what time is available between the sessions or at the end of the day for treatments to be applied. All of this will also determine the ‘shape’ of the massage element of the recovery phase of training and in what format this element is delivered.

It is important for the practitioner to regularly liaise with the coaches to become aware of the training schedules and of any alterations that may take place, often at short notice,

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