By the title you might think I was referring to some sort of movement or posture drills. Actually I’m talking about upkeep on your body.
To keep a car running smoothly you take it to the garage and have it serviced by mechanics. To keep a body running smoothly, you put it on the massage table so that a trained masseuse can go to work on it.
Professional athletes of all kinds are asking a lot of their bodies every week. Fighters will endure at least ten highly physical training sessions per week, which mounts up and has an effect. Full-contact martial arts demand even more because of all the hits which must be absorbed and the stress which is placed on the joints.
A good massage helps the body revitalize itself quickly. This has been known and practiced for a long time - there is archaeological evidence of massage in many ancient civilizations including China, India, Japan, Korea, Egypt, Rome, Greece, and Mesopotamia.
Massage has developed continuously in China for over 5000 years. It is widely practiced and taught in hospital and medical schools and is an essential part of health maintenance and primary healthcare over there.
In both Ancient China and Ancient Greece, massage developed alongside athletics. Taoist priests developed massage in concert with their Kung Fu gymnastic movements, while Ancient Greek Olympians had a specific type of trainer who would rub their muscles with oil.
The good massage has beneficial effects on most of the complex systems in our body.
The skeletal system: Bone is affected indirectly by massage. Improved circulation of blood brings oxygen and nutrients to the bones. Joint stiffness and pain can be reduced. As the muscles become more flexible, joint movement increases.
The muscular system: Some massage movements relax and stretch muscles, reducing muscular tension and cramp. Massage also makes muscles more flexible by reducing muscle tone. Muscles tired by exercise are more quickly restored by massage than by rest.
The nervous system: Soothing massage can provide relief from nervous irritability and stress-related conditions such as insomnia and tension headaches. When used energetically to stimulate, massage may relieve lethargy and fatigue.
Circulation system: massage can improve the flow of blood, which can help poor circulation. This is especially useful for anyone who is immobile.
Lymphatic system: Gentle massage stimulates the lymphatic system, which helps clear the body of a build-up of waste products. The relaxing effect of the massage can relieve stress, which in turn can boost the immune system.
Respiratory system: As you become more relaxed during a massage, respiration may become slower and deeper as you are using your diaphragm for breathing and expending less energy.
Digestive system: Massage aids relaxation and therefore can help to increase the movement of food and waste products through the digestive system. This relaxation can have a balancing effect on the digestive system.
Urinary system: Waste products that have been released during massage find their way via the blood to the kidneys where they may be filtered out and eliminated. Drink a lot of water after your massage to stimulate it.
I advise all my athletes to take at least one hour of full-body massage a week. This massage is purely for maintenance of the body and to de-stress after all those killer work outs. In case of injury, use purpose-specific massages to speed up the healing process.
Massage can be literally as important as any other training session, so don't skip it - a massage a week keeps your performance at peak!
Martijn De Jong
