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Planning for a preevent massage

This is an excerpt from Massage for Sport Performance by Michael McGillicuddy.

A preevent massage is usually not more than 10 or 15 minutes in duration and frequently is administered through clothing. While providing the massage, the trainer should be talking to the athlete in an encouraging way. Telling athletes that they look great, that their muscles feel good, and that they seem well prepared for competition can be as encouraging as the massage. If athletes seem nervous, the trainer can encourage them to talk to help dissipate the nervousness but should try to discourage them from talking negatively about themselves or the competition. Understanding the athletes is important. Athletes prepare for their events in different ways. Some like to sit quietly to prepare for competition; others have a lot of nervous energy and are talkative and active right before competing. The trainer should observe what each athlete's needs are and not interfere in the process of getting ready.

The trainer wants the athlete to leave the massage table feeling good and prepared to compete, not lethargic or about to fall asleep. The pace of the massage should be stimulating and brisk. The trainer wants to bring warmth to the superficial tissue of the body and increase blood flow to the deeper muscles. A good approach is to run the joints through their ranges of motion to increase lubrication and then to stretch the muscles gently.

The general rule of preevent massage is that the closer the massage is to the time of competition, the less invasive it should be. The trainer never wants to take the chance of injuring or pulling a muscle on an athlete right before the competition. Applying deep tissue massage or vigorously stretching an athlete right before the competition is often too much of a change for the body to handle. In most preevent massages no oil or lubricant is applied to the body because it can clog the pores in the skin, making it difficult for the athlete to sweat. In sports such as wrestling, an oily body would give the athlete an unfair advantage.

The trainer should have a preevent routine for the upper body and the lower body. Preevent massage is not intended to be applied to the entire body. The trainer wants to target the muscles used in the athlete's sport. An upper-body preevent massage should include these techniques:

• Friction to create heat to warm up the superficial tissue of the back
• Compression to increase blood flow to the muscles of the back and arms
• Shaking or rocking of the arms and shoulders to decrease excess tension
• Tapotement to stimulate the muscles of the arm and shoulder
• Range of motion of the arm and shoulder joints to increase or decrease stiffness
• Gentle stretching to prepare muscles for the warm-up

A lower-body preevent massage should include these techniques:

• Friction to create heat to warm up the superficial tissue of the legs
• Compression to increase blood flow to the muscles of the legs and hips
• Shaking or rocking of the legs and hips to decrease excess tension
• Tapotement to stimulate the muscles of the legs and hip
• Range of motion of the legs and hips to decrease stiffness
• Gentle stretching to prepare muscles for the warm-up

While administering the preevent massage, the trainer should always be watching how the athlete is reacting to the preevent massage technique. The goal is always to have the athlete leave the table feeling prepared for athletic competition. Preevent massage is for stimulation and inspiration for the athlete. If the athlete is moving with ease and smiling, the trainer has done a great job.

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