Sports massage
The two main types of methods used widely today, i.e., classical and reflex zone massage originate from massage techniques used in antiquity. Today's sports massage is fundamentally composed of five basic techniques, namely: vibration, stroking, kneading, rubbing and percussion, the combination of which form the massage programme.
Sports masssage useful in every training phase
- During trainings: massage for a short time in between two training exercises when the sports person needs every bit of his/her strength and pay maximum attention.
- Introductory, warm-up massage: 15-20 minutes before the race to warm up the muscles. It may also be relaxing or stimulating (invigorating). It may also touch the area of the injured muscle to speed up the warm-up effect. Naturally, this does not substitute warming up.
- Restoration massage: in between two races for loosening tired muscles and preparing the muscles for the next race.
- Regenerating massage: Every sports person needs at least 2 full body massages during the training and racing period to loosen every muscle and relax the tired body. The duration and frequency of massages always depends on the demands of the given sports person. However, it is important for it to last at least 40 minutes and for the force of the movements and the technique applied to adjust to the build, sensitivity and personal requests of the sports person.
- Massage aimed at preventing injuries: this is largely the same as the restoration and regenerating massage, since once the state of the muscles is restored, contractions, muscle knots are distributed, the entire body is in a state of relaxation, as a result of which the body balance is restored and the risk of sustaining injuries is presumably also significantly reduced. Extremely hard trainings lead to widespread damages to the muscle fibre, augmented sensitivity, which is why massages must by no means be applied in such cases. It's best if the sports person receives a stretching, loosening, regenerating massage two days later.