“KNOT” being the Best Athlete that You can be?

Here are a couple of things to help you improve and enhance your athletic performance…

Did you know that by receiving Sports Massage Therapy and stretching can prevent sports injuries and enhance your performance no matter what sport you participate in? Let’s first begin by explaining what Sports Massage Therapy is and then why stretching is so important.

What is Sports Massage Therapy?

Sports Massage Therapy (SMT) is a type of massage that uses specific massage techniques that enhance or relax the muscles for your specific sport or event. Sports massage therapy is essential for optimum treatment of certain injuries and becomes part of an athlete’s conditioning. This applies to Olympic athletes, professional athletes, and college athletes. They incorporate this into their athletic regimens; so why shouldn’t you do the same?

What are the benefits of SMT?

Several benefits to receiving Sports Massage Therapy

1. Improves flexibility and elasticity of muscles
2. Reduces the tightness and/or soreness
3. Boosts power and performance
4. Decreases the chance of injury
5. Speeds up recovery time
6. Improves range of motion (ROM)
7. Restores mobility to injured muscle tissue
8. Increases the flow of blood and nutrients
9. Helps eliminate muscle cramps and/or muscle spasms

How can SMT specifically help you as an athlete?

Between practicing, working out, training and then playing a sport, your body is put under a lot of strain as you push your muscles to their limit. When muscles become overwhelmed they can cramp up or spasm and if left untreated you could end up with a sport injury. Then something even worse may happen, you get injured and you’re on the bench or worse yet, out for the season. Massage therapy helps break up the “knots” and/or scar tissue as well as releases the toxins within the muscles. Once the muscle releases and become loose, there is an improved range of motion (ROM), flexibility and the chance of injury has decreased. The best part of receiving a sports massage, as you begin to run, cycle, play football, basketball, soccer, baseball, tennis, swimming, hockey etc. is your improved and enhanced performance, which allows you to be the best athlete you can be. When receiving a sports massage it can even lengthen your gait. Because your muscles now have the capability to extend further you are able to have a bigger gait allowing you to run faster. Examples: if you are a football receiver, you can run down the field faster; if you are a baseball player you can run to home plate faster; if you are a soccer player you can out run your opponent to score a goal; if you are a basketball player you can run faster to make that layup shot; if you are a runner, you can decrease your finish time. I think you get the picture. The benefits for each sport and muscle group just go on and on…

Why is stretching so important?

Now that you know the importance of receiving a sports massage, it is also and just as important to stretch. Stretching is something that is easy that you can do on your own once the correct stretches are shown for each muscle groups. Keeping your muscles flexible and mobile is the key in reducing the chance of injury. Stretching should be a part of your athletic regimen every day just as you are on a specific nutritional diet, exercise, strength training, receiving sports massage therapy treatments and meet with a trainer or coach. You do all of these things to help you achieve your athletic goal. Why not add stretching as another tool to help you? Olympians, professional athletes, and collegiate athletes all stretch every time they practice, hit the field, court, pavement etc. and most of them receive a sports massage therapy. Why? Because it helps to improve and enhance their performance and helps prevent sports injuries.

Sports Massage Therapy and stretching can improve and enhance your performance, decrease recovery time and keep you at your peak allowing you to achieve maximum results time and time again. So get the “knots” out and be the best athlete you can be! Receive a Sports Massage today and feel the benefits and let us help you become a better athlete.

You can learn more about Sports Massage Therapy and about the massage therapist by checking out this website www.thesportsmassage.com or by calling 704-277-4169.

Jessica L. Marriott, NCTMB, LMBT



Jessica L. Marriott, NCTMB, LMBT is a nationally certified and licensed by North Carolina. She has been a therapist for over 12 years. She loves to watch and play sports. She has always been an athlete and has played some type of sport most of her life. She love helping people especially athletes. She has worked on professional athletes such as the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Cobras as well as the "every day athlete". She helped athletes in a variety of sports ranging from hockey, football, soccer, basketball, baseball, golf and tennis as well as dancers, gymnast, runners, cyclist, and tri-athletes. As your sports massage therapist she strives to help you become a better athlete by helping you achieve your goals and help improve and enhance your performance.


Charlotte Licensed Sports Massage Therapist

Charlotte Leading Strength/ Speed Coach Expert and Personal Trainer

Stretching Can Hurt Speed Training

Here are some of the dynamic exercises in the video (lunge walk, high knee, Frankenstein, lateral lunge walk, leg swings forward and side to side, butt kicks, and curtsy walk).

Flexibility training is perhaps the most undervalued component of speed training. While recent and ongoing debates question its role in injury prevention, athletes can still gain much from a stretching regime. Flexibility is defined as the range of motion about joint surrounding muscles during a passive movement. Passive movement refers to gravity or partner assisting the movement instead of actual muscle contraction to activate the stretch. This article is dedicated to explaining why flexibility is important in developing speed. In addition, we will look at the difference types of stretching and when to use them, when they are beneficial, and when they are detrimental in an athlete’s speed workout. We also will discuss how to stretch and develop a stretching program for a speed workout.

Flexibility may reduce injury and increase range of motion ROM. There are factors that also affect flexibility:

Age: flexibility particularly extensibility decreases with age
Gender: Females exhibit greater ROM
Activity: those that are active are more flexible
Internal tissue temperature: temperature influences ROM which is why it is important to warm up before stretching. Athletes should take 10-15 minutes after their workout for static stretching and should concentrate at least 30 seconds per muscle group.
Injury: scar tissue from previous injury affects ROM in a joint

A more flexible athlete equals a more mobile athlete. A good flexibility regiment enhances movement on the court and field and causes athletes to have a greater ease of movement as well as increases the body’s awareness and promote relaxation. For instance, take the hip flexor muscles which are one of the most important muscle groups for running. The hip flexor is located above the thigh and affects the stride length and stride frequency (which is the most important) of athletes. Increasing flexibility in the hip flexor results in an increase in stride length. Athletes in different sports have varying flexibility needs in order to avoid injuries. For example, sprinter type athletes (soccer players, football players, rugby players, basketball players, and baseball players) have a much larger movement and ROM requirement for their sport in comparison to an endurance/ distance runner. As a result, the sprinters would need more of a flexibility regiment than the distance runners. In addition, even though flexibility is important, it can vary between individuals.


Static stretching is the most common form of stretching and is a more traditional way to improve flexibility. Static stretching just prior to an event may be detrimental to actual performance due to the nature of the stretch and hold component. It is performed with no bouncing during the stretch and there is no emphasis on speed. The athlete holds the stretch for at least 30 seconds. It should be incorporated into the cool-down phase of a training session. Static stretches are often simple to learn and perform and require little effort.

However, dynamic stretching is more beneficial because it mimics the actual movements that will be engaged in the events and activities. It should be done after a proper warm up prior to training. Dynamic flexibility is performing stretches or movements that would simulate the actual movement required of the activity. These movements are performed at similar speed to the movement and differ from ballistic stretches in that they do not involve any bouncing or jerky movements.

Sample stretching workout

Dynamic stretching
Lunge walk
Butt kicks
Frankenstein
Lateral Lunge walk
One sided carioca
Curtsy walk
High knees
Skipping
Figure 4
Spiderman
Backward runs
Leg Swing (Forward/ Lateral)

Static Stretches
Hamstring Stretch
Sit on the ground with both legs straight out in front of you.
Bend the left leg and place the sole of the left foot alongside the knee of the right leg.
Allow the left leg to lie relaxed on the ground.
Bend forward keeping the back straight.
You will feel the stretch in the hamstring of the right leg.
Repeat with the other leg.

Calf Stretch
Stand tall with one leg in front of the other, hands flat and at shoulder height against a wall.
Ease your back leg further away from the wall, keeping it straight and press the heel firmly into the floor.
Keep your hips facing the wall and the rear leg and spine in a straight line.
You will feel the stretch in the calf of the rear leg.
Repeat with the other leg.

Hip and Thigh Stretch
Stand tall with you feet approximately two shoulder widths apart.
Turn the feet and face to the right.
Bend the right leg so that the right thigh is parallel with the ground and the right lower leg is vertical.
Gradually lower the body.
Keep you back straight and use the arms to balance.
You will feel the stretch along the front of the left thigh and along the hamstrings of the right leg.
Repeat by turning and facing to the left.

Adductor Stretch
Stand tall with you feet approximately two shoulder widths apart.
Bend the right leg and lower the body.
Keep you back straight and use the arms to balance.
You will feel the stretch in the left leg adductor.
Repeat with the left leg.

Groin Stretch
Sit with tall posture.
Ease both of your feet up towards your body and place the soles of your feet together, allowing your knees to come up and out to the side.


Charlotte Leading Speed and Strength Coach