Sports massage: what is it and how to do it correctly.

To have a beautiful body and maintain a healthy body, it is not enough to just overload yourself with physical activity; it is important to adhere to proper nutrition and undergo healing and relaxing procedures. Carrying out a sports massage is an indispensable element in the system of complete and correct training. The procedure increases the performance of athletes and improves their physical capabilities.

Sports massage is understood as a massaging effect on the body in order to improve physical abilities and maintain the already achieved professional form. The procedure is performed after or before training to restore strength or as a warm-up before competitions. The technique can be performed by an experienced doctor or independently at home. Sometimes this type of massage is prescribed for medicinal purposes, then only a doctor should perform the procedure. Because medical sports massage requires medical education. The future result depends on experience, knowledge of human anatomy and the correct impact on the right areas of the body. The disadvantages of self-massage do not end there. When performing this type of massage on your own at home, it is impossible to perform many massage techniques, which negatively affects the result.

What is the peculiarity of this massage, its types

Sports massage refers to mechanical effects on the ligaments, muscles, and nerve centers of the athlete. Even the ancient Greeks used such manipulations to prepare participants in the Olympic Games. There are three types of sports massage:

Training

It is carried out before training. It helps strengthen muscles and improves the physical condition of the athlete. Helps to relax, lifts the mood, calms the human nervous system. The training technique may differ in the technique of execution, much depends on the general condition of the person. He may be too excited or too calm. The maximum duration is up to 1 hour. Here the weight of the athlete up to 100 kg is taken into account.

Preliminary

This type of sports massage is performed before the start of a performance. It can be divided into several subspecies:

Warm-up – it is done before the start.
Pre-start – aimed at improving the psycho-emotional state of the athlete.
Warming - if there is a threat of body hypothermia.

The main aspect is to increase physical endurance before competition or training . The massage is a series of exercises that will take about 20 minutes to complete. The effectiveness of the procedure is enhanced if you perform physical exercises after 5 minutes.

The warm-up also has an effect on the human nervous system, so thanks to it you can calm the athlete if you carry out stroking movements that soothe. but warming up will have the opposite effect.

Pre-massage techniques:

Squeezing is a kind of stroking, only deeper. There should be no pain during the procedure. Carry out movements along the blood and lymphatic vessels. After squeezing, be sure to knead.
Rubbing joints. The hand moves along the body, forming a fold of skin in front. In this case, special attention should be paid to those places where there may be stagnation. Rubbing improves blood circulation and speeds up blood movement.
Kneading (takes most of the time). This technique uses all the muscles of a person; it can be compared to passive gymnastics.
Shaking or vibration . Oscillatory movements are carried out on all parts of the body. They are performed with fingers (on the head, face), palms, fists or a vibrating massager. It is recommended to shake after each dose; these movements help relax the muscles and improve blood circulation.

Restorative

Sports rehabilitation massage of the back, legs and other parts of the body is done after performances. It accelerates muscle performance and eliminates the consequences of injuries. It is often combined with water procedures. It is considered more effective than just sitting still.

This massage is performed during breaks during training. Its purpose is to warm up tired muscles and increase muscle tone.

It begins 20 minutes after physical activity so that the athlete’s pulse and breathing return to normal. They start by stroking it, then rub the whole body, shake it, knead it. It lasts approximately 10 minutes.

Indications for use

This type of massage is not necessarily prescribed by a doctor. All practicing athletes should do it, even without a special doctor’s prescription. Men and women are required to contact a massage parlor in the following cases:

with constant and high-intensity physical activity and strength training;
to relieve muscle tension;
during preparation for competitions;
to prevent injury and damage;
to maintain fitness;
when combating the consequences of sprains, swelling, hematomas, as well as serious disorders of the musculoskeletal system.

Therapeutic massage is performed even in cases where the patient feels well. The specifics of the massage therapist’s actions depend on the goals and indications. Recovery of damaged areas of the body after injury will be much faster. The rehabilitation period will end painlessly.

Techniques and rules for performing sports massage

Trituration

The basis of sports massage is rubbing . Every muscle has a beginning and an end. The place where a muscle connects to bone or tissue is called the origin, and the place where it connects to joints or another muscle is called the end.

Rubbing always starts at the end of the muscle and ends at the beginning. During execution, you need to clench your fist, begin light movements with your fist, making slight pressure perpendicular to the muscle. The movements should be rhythmic, gradually increase the intensity of the pressure. During treatment there should be no pain, muscle tissue should be as relaxed as possible.

Massage for a longer time those muscles that were subject to greater stress. For example, football players should pay attention to their legs and buttocks. Boxers need to thoroughly condition their arm muscles. The final stage after training or performance will be water procedures (bath, contrast shower, etc.)

Stroking

Stroking is a gentle movement of the hands over the body that soothes the muscles and nervous system. They are:

Straightforward: gently glide over the body with a relaxed hand, palm forward, index finger and thumb.
Zigzag.
Spiral-shaped.
Alternating.

Combined.
Longitudinal.
Concentric – used for massaging large joints.
Circular - used for massaging small joints.

Squeezing

Transverse - place the brush across the area that we will massage. The palm is at the bottom, the thumb is pressed to the index finger. The four fingers are joined together and slightly curved. The thumb works and the hand moves forward.

With the edge of the palm - we perform all movements with the edge of the palm, with the thumb on top pressed to the index finger, the rest are slightly curved, we move forward. Using the base of the palm, place the hand along the muscles, press the thumb to the index finger, and move the nail phalanx to the side. The main load is placed on the tubercle of the thumb and the base of the palm.

How to prepare for a massage

There are a couple of tips that clients use before visiting a massage therapist. Each rule will help you better prepare for the procedure. You can go to the salon immediately after training, but before that you need to abstain from food for an hour.

The athlete must take a shower with soap to prevent the body from sweating.

An empty bladder is another condition for a productive massage. It is not recommended to go to a medical center or salon with a full stomach, as the procedure lasts more than an hour.

Not all masters tolerate the smell of perfume, so it is better to use perfume or cologne after finishing the manipulations.

The client should be comfortable on the massage table; throughout the entire procedure, every muscle must be relaxed. Otherwise, the positive effect of treatment will be reduced to a minimum.

The patient should not be embarrassed to talk about his wishes; preventive massage must be performed in accordance with the patient’s requirements. Sharp pain will mean that adjustments to the massage are necessary; do not forget to carefully check the affected area of the body.

Benefit

Sports massage brings great benefits to the athlete:

Blood circulation and lymph flow improves.
Nerve endings are being worked on.
The pain threshold becomes lower.
The occurrence of sore throat is reduced.
Endurance becomes higher.

Muscles become more elastic, joints are mobile.
Metabolism is normalized, toxins are removed from the body.
The respiratory system improves.
The tissues cease to be stiff.
Further physical activity will bring better results.

Basic rules

Sports massage consists of several basic movements. Massage therapists perform active kneading, stroking, and vibration. At the same time, the pace of manipulation is constantly increasing. This procedure will help improve blood circulation so that each muscle is better enriched with oxygen. The body will get rid of toxins and lactic acid. Pressure force will vary depending on the individual requirements of each athlete. Even a small difference in movement will greatly affect the final result. Professionals additionally use ointments to warm up the muscles.

You can make an appointment with professional sports massage therapists in Moscow at most medical clinics. The cost of the procedure depends on the type of massage, and the price also varies according to the qualifications of the specialist. This type of massage is most often used by amateur athletes. It is suitable for all people leading an active lifestyle.

Possible contraindications

But there are a number of contraindications that need to be taken into account before starting any kind of sports and massage:

Frequent bleeding.
Skin diseases.
Body temperature is above normal 36.6.
Blood clots and varicose veins.
Skin damage.
Cold.
Increased fatigue.
Hernia.
Any tumors.
Exacerbation of chronic diseases, inflammation.

Women should not undergo these procedures if:

heavy periods;
during pregnancy;
suffer from gynecological diseases.

Execution method

The main difference between sports massage and classical massage is the concentration on a specific muscle group. At the same time, they are deeply studied with a gradual increase in pressure. In order to better warm up the muscles, ligaments and joints, special ointments and creams are used.

Rules

The sequence of massaged areas, exposure time, type of movements and results make up the rules of sports massage, the essence of which is as follows:

Massage begins with large muscle groups: back, neck (to the sides of the spinal column), arms (from the elbow to the armpit), lower limbs (from the sole of the feet to the knee).
The specialist’s movements are necessarily carried out in the direction of the lymph nodes, which serve as a guide, but do not themselves take part in the procedure, in order to avoid the spread of possible infection or toxins that initially accumulate in the lymph node and do not manifest themselves in any way.
Mechanical impact must be painless, with the exception of a hard massage after an unusually stressful workout. The body independently signals the discomfort that has arisen. You need to listen to him.
The massage position is chosen so that maximum relaxation of all muscles is achieved, especially those overloaded during training or competition.

Attention! Sports massage is aimed at key muscle groups that are overstressed. In each sport it is specific and requires emphasis in time. (For example, for cyclists, the calf muscles are a priority, while the chest muscles need minimal temporary tactile load.)

Techniques

The massage begins in the “lying on your back” position, ascending: from the calf muscles, interdigital cavities, knee joint of one and then the other side. In this case, stroking, rubbing, kneading, squeezing, and blows are used.

Stroking ensures that the surface of the skin is freed from dead scales. This stimulates the skin glands, normalizes the function of the cardiovascular and nervous systems. Technically, the technique is performed with light, slow movements of the flat palm to achieve a relaxing effect and quickly alternating, jerky movements for a tonic result.
A squeeze is the application of force to a local muscle group. The result depends on the depth of contact with the receptors of the skin, muscles, tendons, and blood vessels. The essence is multi-level irritation of nerve endings in order to achieve an optimal balance of metabolic processes, warming the muscles, and activating the nervous system. Both hands are involved in the massage, pressure is applied by their base.
Rubbing is a threefold increased pressure (compared to squeezing) on the massaged muscle area in order to eliminate abnormal (most often stagnant) manifestations.
Kneading is reminiscent of the movements when kneading dough, and is most often used as a stimulating technique. In this way, activation of muscle tone and blood circulation is achieved, blood supply to tissues and elasticity of ligaments is improved. A special case of this technique is shaking and felting.
Tapping, patting, chopping, vibration are percussive techniques performed with free and clenched palms, which in a certain rhythm, alternating each other, quickly and effectively relieve muscle tension, while simultaneously massaging the skin, setting the correct vector for the movement of blood, lymph, and interstitial fluid.

Important! The moment at which the sports massage ends is of great importance: it is necessary to wrap the already massaged parts of the body in warm clothes, preferably made from natural materials.

Reviews

Mikhail, 29 years old

I have been involved in athletics since childhood, so I strictly adhere to all the coach’s recommendations during training. It is necessary to massage the legs and back, because it not only prepares the muscles for physical activity, but also soothes. Especially when competitions begin, it is very important to feel confident. I believe that for every athlete, rubbing before starting training should be routine. We must not forget about them in order to make our future work easier and avoid stretch marks. And after physical activity, a relaxing massage should be mandatory to calm the muscles.

Ekaterina, 32 years old

I have been running landmarks for many years. In my youth, I sometimes ignored preliminary warm-ups before the start. The consequences were not very pleasant: sometimes my legs simply refused to run, and my muscles often strained. But then I realized the true reason for such situations and I always find 10-15 minutes before and 15 minutes after training or competitions to do self-massage and do a light warm-up. I often massage my own head to get myself in the mood for victory.

Valery, 36 years old

Now I work as a junior martial arts coach. It is at this age that children need to be taught the rules of behavior before, during and after training. Children absorb all the information and will massage themselves automatically in the future. Fortunately, at this age, stretching is a rarity, because I often notice that some of my young athletes warm up irresponsibly. I also recommend that all my athletes massage the neck-collar area before starting the fight.

For what

Good muscle condition means their harmonious development. And without imbalance. Training helps develop muscles, keep the body in good shape, increase endurance - yes, this is a well-known fact.

But during exercise it is very rarely possible to correctly distribute the load on the body.

So it turns out that some muscles will still work more than others. The result is hypertonicity of the “favorites”. And no, this is not good - muscles in this state do not relax after the end of the load, but are always tense. Next, muscle imbalance is formed. Therefore, during physical activity, it is recommended to massage at least once a week - everyone should participate in the show. Sports massage helps to evenly distribute the load on each muscle. And in cooperation with training it gives very cool results.

Video

In addition to self-massage, athletes often seek help from professional massage therapists. If you want to know what techniques they use, we suggest you watch a video of a master class on sports massage. Surely the information received will be useful to you.

Dear readers, we hope the above information will be useful to you. Write in the comments if you do sports massage and what effect it has on your body. If you have any additions or notes, please share with us.

Massage for injuries

Sports massage will also be effective for injuries. The athlete’s rehabilitation will be faster if the damaged area of the body is regularly massaged. The most common injuries will be sprains and dislocations. In such cases, massage therapists begin work immediately. Their actions must be gentle and careful.

In case of serious injuries (in cases where an athlete cannot play sports for several months), massage should not be started immediately. At first, the duration of the sessions should not exceed a couple of minutes. If the development of the disease was prevented, and the pain began to disappear, then the massage therapist can again perform more intense movements. As a result, the athlete will avoid muscle atrophy, pain will decrease, and the overall blood flow will increase.

It must be taken into account that massage courses for injuries can only be prescribed or authorized by the attending physician.

SELF-MASSAGE

Athletes often resort to self-massage. Its advantages are that it can be used under any conditions and in any position. It has a number of advantages, including simplicity and accessibility of techniques.

For athletes, self-massage allows them to conduct more intense workouts, briefly relieve tension, and reduce fatigue.

But this type of massage has disadvantages and contraindications. Self-massage should not be used for:

diseases of the heart and stomach
feverish conditions
it is undesirable to conduct it in places where there are a lot of moles
presence of ulcers
skin diseases.

Self-massage involves a significant expenditure of muscle energy, which affects the functioning of the heart. It cannot be done independently in some areas of the body, for example, the interscapularis, which reduces its effectiveness.

It is recommended to do self-massage at least 60 minutes before meals and no earlier than 2 hours after meals. Remember that the massage should be strong, but not painful.

SELF-MASSAGE COMPLEX TO INCREASE TONE

Rub your palms together until a thermal cushion forms between them. Then use your fingers to tap the inside of your arm. Move from palm to elbow. Alternate your hands.
Do the same action from the elbow towards the collarbone.
Raise and lower your shoulders 2-3 times. Using massaging movements, move along the collar area towards the back of the head.
Then, in the same area, use tapping movements, slowly turning into rubbing movements.
Cover your ears with your palms and release quickly. Pinching vigorously, move from the earlobes upward.
Relax, take a lying position.
Massage your stomach in a circular motion for 2-3 minutes.