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Massage at Sporting Events – An Introduction

Welcome to our short introduction on the role and benefits of Massage Therapy at Sporting Events.

Sports Massage at athletic and many other sporting venues has grown rapidly in recent years, you now see Therapists at most events ranging from the Olympic games to professional or amateur events and also fun runs. It has been well documented over the years and found to have many benefits in the performance and welfare of the Athletes and those that participate, which is why it is becoming a priority to have massage teams present even at amateur and fun events.

For sports such as darts, poker or snooker it has been found to relax the tensions that build up, giving clearer focus and concentration levels along with relaxed shoulders arms and neck. For these sports, massage is usually performed for a longer period so although they are technically sporting events the treatments given are not always related to the information in this blog and as such deserve their own blog which we will cover in the future.

Having a massage team present at events, allows for the use of the therapists hands as a thankyou gift for your volunteers who have worked so hard, or the organisers who might feel the need to take a short break and relax tense muscles, basically they are on standby for anybody needing healing hands. Therapists will always be seen to be busy, working throughout the day, competition or tournament!

Another important role of having Therapists at an event is the commercial benefits that can be found if they wear your clothing brand or your sponsor’s logo advertising your cause or sponsors name. It is always easier to find sponsors when they know their costs will bring them advertising returns.

It is essential to have the right therapists and expertise for your needs, all our therapists are highly qualified, professional and immaculately presented, your therapists will be hand picked for their experience. We strive to put together the perfect team for your individual requirements ensuring all round satisfaction, they are always approachable, friendly and sensitive to the heightened nervous tensions and emotions of the athletes pre and post-event.

Planning Ahead

As sporting events can take place all year round many of you may be busy organising or participating in an upcoming competition, tournament or event. Whether you are indoors or outdoors we can work with a specific club, team, or, for the individual sports person who may need treatment provided by the event organisers.

Competitions and tournaments are planned long ahead of the dates scheduled as they need careful planning to ensure everything goes smoothly. So now is always a good time to start considering your personal requirements and having an insight into the benefits of how massage can help all those taking part. It will leave you with plenty of time to put together the perfect team of Therapists for those requirements, remember Sports therapists are always busy and often pre booked well in advance.

As sporting events and massage is such a large subject to cover we will break it down into sections over the coming blogs to give you a better insight into what skills or how many therapists you may need for your optimum perfect team.

Massage Benefits

Massage provides immediate, significant and positive results with optimum performance being seen, it also shows improvement in range of movement which can prevent injuries.

The massage itself is tailored to the individuals sporting needs and may involve the application of stretching, relaxing and toning to assist with the athlete’s performance or recovery from activity. We use specific applications of Myofascial, Swedish massage, Compressions, Deep Tissue, Cross-Fiber Friction, and Stretching techniques tailored to the timing of the massage within the event.

Our massages are not only a tool for post-injury but also for injury prevention and as a maintenance well being tool. Here are just a few ways Sports massage can help athletes on the day:

• Helps relax and alleviate physical and psychological stresses
• Helps with warm up pre-event
• Maintains and Restores range of movement
• Improves athletic performance
• Can lessen the risk of injury or reoccurrence of injury
• Improves recovery from training and competition
• Help stretch and cool down post-event

With all the documented benefits on how massage can help with physical well being, it is worth noting that it can also dramatically help with stress, nerves and tensions some athletes feel pre-event. It helps both mentally and emotionally leaving the participants with a feeling of being cared for and knowing you have their best interests at heart.

Summary

Many athletes regularly take a massage as a preventative and maintenance measure keeping them flexible and strengthening the immune system to promote well being. They also turn to massage to soothe and relax those hard worked muscles after heavy training, this keeps them in tip top condition releasing any tensions therefore helping to prevent injuries. So when there are Sports Therapists at a tournament or competition it can be seen as an extension of the care and support they value.

Whatever you are planning or participating in we wish you every success and hope it is a positive experience felt by the contestants and spectators alike, remember to have fun too as planning can be just as stressful as participating. Massage can help in all situations.

You can contact us for more information and we can discuss your specific requirements to enable us to tailor to your needs, creating the perfect team and the best quote. We look forward to bringing you the next blog in this little mini series where we will cover in more depth the benefits of Massage at Sporting Events which are many!