Sports Massage

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Permalink Reply by Jed Heneberry on October 23, 2012 at 8:43am

Here's an excerpt from ABMP's July/August 2012 Different Strokes member profile of Judy Stricker, who works with the Cleveland Browns and Indians:

“I notice with baseball players that they tend to have more chronic displays of muscle issues because they’re playing so much,” she says. “I try to do a lot more focused work and be more conservative, especially with the pitchers, because they have to play so frequently.

            “With the football players, their issues tend to be more acute because of all the hitting,” she continues. “Their bodies tend to be larger, their tissues more dense, so it’s different that way. I’m always trying to keep their muscles ready and keep them injury-free.”

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Stricker worked hard to create her perfect practice, seizing opportunities and acting on inspiration every chance she got. “I was more interested in the medical aspect of massage, so I called the Browns and the Indians and they had me in to talk to their therapist,” she says. “She liked my demeanor and my work and offered me a place on her team when I graduated.”

That confidence is what Stricker recommends other MTs cultivate to help expand their practice. “Be bold and aggressive, be confident, and don’t be afraid to approach people,” she says. “If you know of a facility that is being built, if a hospital is opening a massage program, if you are interested in working with athletes, you need to go and get the work—it doesn’t come to us.”

...

As a massage therapist working in training rooms and medical offices, sometimes things can get difficult for Stricker. “There are always doctors out there who just don’t think you know what you’re doing,” she says, “but my fit is working within my scope of practice.” Stricker cites the Indians’ training staff as a perfect example of how different medical professionals and massage therapists can coexist. “We have an excellent communicative relationship. We fill each other in on what we find, and we all work together for the health of the athlete.

            Stricker credits a firm understanding of her role as a massage therapist for her longevity with the teams. “Knowing that you’re a part of the team, and not the team, has been really important for me,” she says. “Also, being an ethical therapist has helped, too. If I don’t know something, I don’t pretend that I do. I reach out to the other health professionals on the team.”

            The other benefit of working with athletes is rarely having to convince them of the benefits of massage therapy. “I’ve found that for the rookies who might not have had massage in college, we try to school them, and the veterans also encourage them. The best testimony is to have it done.” Stricker says that once a player is on the table for the first time, there’s a good chance they’ll be back. “Usually it takes just one session and the athletes can perform better, feel better, move better. Once they feel that, they’re in.”

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Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on October 23, 2012 at 12:46pm

I use to want to work on professional football players and so on....but that at times can be very hard work... Im an experienced fit  strong therapist....But I only weigh 138lb.   Ive worked on nationally competitive body builders and power lifters.. A few times when asked to push harder...All I did was a push up.  Usually 138lb on one spot is enough...But in that field. Not all the time...I pride myself on quality work...I feel that I couldn't meet my standards as often working on big men like that.   The general public is where I feel comfortable, with the occasional pro athlete that passes through. Of course injury work may not require as much pressure. 

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Permalink Reply by Eric W. on January 1, 2013 at 4:51pm

I've heard it said, and it rings true to me, that when working on pro athletes, make sure to frame your rates in terms of $XX per hour, NOT $XX per "session".  If you are working on a true behemoth, he may need a tremendous amount of work at that time, so make sure it's clear that he can have all the work he wants with the understanding that the meter is running the entire time. 

Also, I believe most commonly available insurance policies available thru ABMP and AMTA and such do NOT cover injury claims coming from you "injuring" a pro athlete.  Makes sense when you think about it.

 

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Permalink Reply by Relax & Rejuvenate on January 3, 2013 at 7:24pm

Surprisingly, there is not very much money in the pro athlete services for a couple of reasons

 

1) many teams have their own staff, and pay them a salary or per-diem, whether they have folks to massage or not. Hard to charge $100 for an outcall to the training facility when they could hire an employee for $200 a day and get 4 - 5 sessions out of them

 

2) too many people think it is some sort of honor/prize/resume builder to work on famous people and find it hard to charge the going rate -- or more for a big slab of humanity -- when so many people are offering them free or discounted services. Baffles me why multim-millionairs are constantly being offered free stuff -- whether it is massages, clothing or meals

 

3) Those who are in to serious body work might get weekly-at home massages, and it is usually their assistant setting up such a service. The assistant is watching the bottom line, and will expect a hefty discount for handing you 40+ sessions a year.

 

4) Since the Brett Favre incident, many teams / agents/ assistants are pushing same-gender service providers.

 

Your best bet is to figure out which hotels the visiting teams (or local NFL team, they stay in a hotel before the game) use. Most leagues have a contract with a brand. Once upon a time the NHL only stayed at Marriott brands. Get to know the concierge or sales manager who handles the team bookings and have them offer your services

 

One of our NYC spas is the closest spa to Madison Square Garden, and we do a high volume of both in-spa and at MSG services, thanks to our contacts there

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