Inside My Madness That Is Sports Massage
5:30AM: Wake up and win the battle to not hitting snooze. “90 seconds, if I make it the 90 seconds it takes me to go in the kitchen and drink a glass of water and take my fish oils, I’m up.”
5:31AM: Battle won.
5:40AM: Meditation. Meditate to clear my mind, bring clarity and truth to scenarios I’m struggling with, ponder on what will make the day ahead great, and always end on gratitude.
6:14AM: Writing this damn article!
6:45AM: Read. Right now I’m reading How To Win Friends And Influence People. I’ve been putting it off even though it’s been recommended to me many times because the title seemed desperate but it was written in the 1930’s. Main take away for the day. If you don’t truly care about people then life will always be a little harder.
8:00AM: Get the kids ready for the day and off to the Lab.
9AM-1PM: Getting athletes tuned up, tightening screws, and chipping away at pain! If I had to define what I did I would simply say I get paid for patience and sometimes I’m a magician and sometimes I’m a mechanic. What I mean by that is a lot of the times I’m just facilitating pressure and waiting for the body to react. Magician: If no change is happening I may ask you to contract the muscle I’m working on and then relax to stimulate a post relaxation in the muscle allowing me to go deeper. Mechanic: Other times it’s purely physical, prying the tissue apart with my fingers and frictioning against the scar tissue and adhesions. Being pliable and adjusting along the way during a session is an art within itself. The hardest part is not to abandon what I’m working on too early. I’ve been guilty of this many times, something doesn’t immediately work so I move to the last interesting thing I learned. Then I’m reminded of a quote my friend Drew Hanlen, a high level basketball skills coach repeated once, he said “the best never get bored with the basics.” You can really get into a rabbit hole with evaluation, gait analysis, and muscle testing but at the end of the day it comes down to what is happening underneath your hands.
1:00PM: Movement. I’ve been asked “what are you training for?” As I try and find a goal and there are a few movements I’d like to master, right now at the top of my list is to train my body and mind to be the best sports therapist. I’ve found that when I get physical movement I’m able to concentrate on what is happening on my table.
STUDY BREAK: Try this. Using your thumb press into your other forearm. What do you notice? You may say how soft or hard it is but close your eyes and wait. Take a few breathes and take notice. Can you feel the supple changes happening underneath your thumb? The slight movements of the tissue or the pulse of your blood flow.
2-PM-6:45PM: Back to the Lab and getting athletes better. The one thing I wish my mentors would have told me was that you will never be satisfied with your work, you will take it personal when someone doesn’t progress to your expectations but that is an important ingredient mastery. PS that’s my tip if you’re doing any type of creative or craft work.
6:55PM: Grab laundry for the day and lights out!
7:50PM: Steak, asparagus with garlic, a glass of red wine.
8:45PM: Article worthy conversation with my friend and strength coach to the pros Jay Sutaria. You are the average of the people you surround yourself with.
Rinse & Repeat
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