Sports Performance Massage

Sports Performance Massage instructs the student and practising therapist to use a combination of experience and scientific evidence to inform their sports massage practice, particularly when working with athletic populations. Strength and conditioning coaches, managers and athletes frequently ask questions about the best use of sports massage in order to recover quicker from injury and fatigue and improve performance. Sports Performance Massage empowers the therapist and gives them greater confidence by improving their scientific understanding when working with injured or competitive athletes. The exciting new volume covers all the aspects required to make a highly skilled, confident and employable sports massage therapist. Working with high-level athletes requires an additional skill level compared to working with the general public. Furthermore, advanced massage skills taught in this book, such as soft tissue release and trigger point therapy, are essential when working on muscular adhesions and injured areas. Pregnant athletes, those with disabilities, contraindications and athletes with special requirements have also been considered. Sports Performance Massage is a learning and research aid for those studying vocational sports massage courses as well as those studying other courses where massage forms part of the undergraduate and postgraduate degree, such as sports therapy, sports rehabilitation, osteopathy and physiotherapy. Unlike other sports massage books, Sports performance Massage has a strong academic focus, allowing the graduate therapist to stay up to date with the latest research in their respective field.

Train harder, recover quickly, and improve performance Today's top athletes rely on sport massage to stay healthy, at the top of their game, and a step ahead of the competition. With Massage for Sport Performance, you can too. In this special book and DVD package, renowned sport massage therapist Michael McGillicuddy demonstrates the same techniques he has used to train and prepare the world's elite track and field athletes for Olympic competition. Massagefor Sport Performance will show you how to - perform both self-massage and partner-assisted massage; - administer the most effective routines for pre- and postcompetition; - stretch, warm up, and activate primary muscles; - treat critical muscle groups for elevated performance; - speed recovery; and - minimize injury, pain, and fatigue. Throughout you'll also find advice, tips, and variations for specific sports as well as massage recommendations for basketball, running, track and field, soccer, and swimming. With step-by-step instruction, photo sequences, and video demonstrations of the primary techniques, Massage for SportPerformance is the definitive guide for players, coaches, and athletes alike.

This textbook on sports massage was created specifically for massage therapists, certified athletic trainers, and physical therapists who work with athletes. The author is an experienced massage therapy and athletic training educator and practitioner, and provides instruction on how to apply clinical massage techniques to athletes. The text is uniquely focused on the use and integration of basic sports massage, myofascial, neuromuscular, and lymphatic facilitation to enhance an athlete's performance potential and treat common athletic injuries and conditions. The book includes numerous diagrams and pictures of techniques to help readers visualize specific concepts and procedures. From the Field Boxes contain quotes from professionals who practice sports massage. Case Studies present common athletic injury scenarios and descriptions of treatment protocols.

Sports massage has come into its own as a vital tool for serious athletes. Recent advances in sports medicine have proven conclusively that preperformance massage can give athletes a competitive edge by improving endurance and flexibility, and that postperformance and maintenance massage can decrease muscle recovery time and help reduce injuries. Today, sports massage is a growing trend, with boutiques prospering in every major city and sports franchises making it an intrinsic part of their athletes' workout regimen. For those of us who need the knead but don't have masseurs at our beck and call, there's Sports Massage for Peak Performance. Based on the latest advances in sports medicine, it teaches athletes basic techniques that they can do on themselves or with a partner. It also provides sport-specific massages and discusses the latest advances in massage therapy. Featuring a section on how to massage for peak performance and spot, prevent and care for injury, this is indispensable equipment for weekend warriors, professional athletes and everyone in between. MASSAGE YOUR WAY TO PEAK PERFORMANCE! Like visualization, meditation and stretching, massageis a tool that helps athletes find their winning edge. Sports massage can optimize the body's performance in a particular sport and reduce the risk of injury. With a range of exercises for all athletes that can be done alone or with a partner, Sports Massage for Peak Performance can be used by professionals, amateurs and everyone inbetween. Reap the amazing benefits of sports massgage: Get in touch with your body -- learn and feel how it works. Improve muscle efficiency, circulation and movement in your sport. Aid rehabilitation and even prevent injury.Relieve stress and reduce soreness caused by intense exercise. Simply feel better -- experience a sense of calm and relaxation in and out of your sport.

Updated and invigorated, Understanding Sports Massage, Second Edition,provides readers with an understanding of the fundamental theory and practical basis for using sports massage to keep athletes in top shape, recover from injuries, and improve performance. Like the successful first edition, Understanding Sports Massageis ideal for sport professionals and students in sports massage training programs. The book illustrates and explains massage techniques in detail and describes the procedures involved in conducting effective sports massage sessions, including determining goals, organizing the session, and choosing and applying techniques. In addition to serving sport professionals, the new edition of Understanding Sports Massagewill be useful to coaches, athletes, and teachers. They will be introduced to massage techniques that they can learn and apply in nonmedical situations such as in warm-ups, preparing for and recovering from competition, reducing the potential for injuries, and aiding in injury rehabilitation. Understanding Sports Massage, Second Edition,also features many updates and improvements from the first edition: -Nearly 100 photographs demonstrate proper technique. -New two-color presentation highlights specific elements of the photos and text for a clearer understanding of the techniques presented. -Updated and expanded material throughout the book includes new sections on medications and massage, specialized massage techniques, and joint movements and stretching; an updated trouble spots form; more examples of remedial and rehabilitation applications; and a description of the increasing use of sports massage in integrative sports medicine settings. This text helps readers put theory into practice, first explaining the scientific underpinnings of sports massage and then describing in detail how to apply those concepts in a massage session. This “how-to” approach extends to its planning and programming sections, in which the authors lay out the finer points of giving sports massage and then guide readers in implementing sports massage programs in various settings. The program-development portion of this book provides practitioners with detailed advice from the authors, who are well respected for their expertise and program-development skills. They address how to implement sports massage programs in various settings and how sports massage specialists cooperate with other sport and health professionals to provide the best possible care for athletes. The result is a comprehensive and richly detailed guide to providing the best sports massage in a variety of settings and to developing a top-notch sports massage program in a school or university, a health club or organization, or a clinic or private practice.

Self-Massage for Athletes puts the power of massage into the hands of those who need it most. Well illustrated with more than one-hundred black and white photos; this handy book presents a user friendly guide to self-massage. It lays out seven simple massage strokes that form an easily learned effective massage therapy. Rub your troubles away with this excellent book.

The Complete Guide to Sports Massage, 3rd edition is a comprehensive, practical handbook. Now with additional photography and the latest techniques, this is a must-have guide for students of sports therapy and anyone wanting a performance advantage. Sports massage is the skilled manipulation of soft tissue for: the relief and treatment of muscle soreness and pain; the maintenance of muscle balance and improved flexibility; and enhanced rehabilitation from injury. Packed with jargon-free information, this fully updated guide includes step-by-step photography and detailed text explaining the principles and techniques of massage; injury management and post-massage care; as well as practical guidance on working at a sports event.

Still recognized as the bible of sports massage, this book's simple principles can improve athletic condition and prevent injury to muscles. Four easily taught strokes locate and treat strained muscles used in many popular sports.