Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/665755
THE MASSAGE THERAPISTS For bodyworkers interested in practicing sports massage therapy, getting the opportunity to work on the elite athletes at the XPE Sports Academy is the chance of a lifetime. The therapists who were selected for the certification course come from a wide range of backgrounds, modalities, and experience levels. Wil Daddio, from Dallas, Texas, SI and has worked on many athletes in his career. But he was looking for a gentler approach to use on his clients who are in active training. He says, "Structural integration changes so much in the body that if an athlete is in active training or in season, their movement, pitching, throwing, or running is going to be different. Structural integration can actually destabilize them, rather than help them." Pegan finds the techniques he is learning to be extremely effective, especially when considering the intensity of the athletes' training. "We're not changing the posture like we do in SI. We're giving more freedom of movement and more range of motion to the athlete, and they can then increase their training. This is now week six, and they're at the top of their training and still getting structural bodywork, which is awesome." The precise, targeted nature of the work gives therapists a deeper understanding of the reasons behind the techniques; they're not simply repeating the same routine over and over—they're learning why certain techniques affect certain muscles, and they're able to view measurable benefits in how those muscles perform. Tina Hopkins, a massage therapist from Pilot Mountain, North Carolina, who has been practicing for just over two years, says, "I recently started a referral relationship with a personal ACHIE VING PE AK PERFORMANCE THROUGH SPORTS MASSAGE has been practicing massage therapy for 21 years, while Kim Jackson, from Elmont, New York, has only been practicing for one. Describing the criteria he used to decide which therapists to accept into the program, Kousaleos says, "We were looking for a diversity of experience, a willingness to work in a team atmosphere, and a passion for helping athletes fulfill their optimal performance skills and abilities." Daddio was looking for something that would help him take his practice in a new direction; specifically, working with professional athletes. "When I found out about this course, I knew it was an amazing opportunity," he says. "This training will open up many different doors for me to work with athletic trainers, chiropractors, and medical practitioners." Jackson is a member of a runners' group in her town, and she says the other members of her group are already requesting bodywork sessions from her: "They can't wait for me to come back so I can use it on them." She adds, "I don't have many private clients yet, and I'm hoping to use this experience and certification to build my practice." Other therapists in the program already have experience in myofascial bodywork or structural integration (SI), but see the certification in CORE Myofascial Therapy as a natural extension of their current practice. Atilla Pegan, originally from Budapest, Hungary, now practicing in Savage, Minnesota, is certified in "WE WERE LOOKING FOR A DIVERSITY OF EXPERIENCE, A WILLINGNESS TO WORK IN A TEAM ATMOSPHERE, AND A PASSION FOR HELPING ATHLETES FULFILL THEIR OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE SKILLS AND ABILITIES." GEORGE KOUSALEOS, ON THE INTERNS CHOSEN FOR THE PROGRAM The CORE approach gives more freedom of movement to athletes, allowing them to train at increasingly intense levels. Photo by Patty Kousaleos.