Student athletes face unique challenges every day. They're dealing with growing bodies, demanding training schedules, and the pressure to do well in both sports and school. Our targeted stretching sessions are designed to help these young athletes reach their full potential.
The Student Athlete Challenge
Student athletes are growing rapidly, both mentally and physically, while balancing demanding schedules that often include practices, competitions, schoolwork, social lives, and part-time jobs. Coaches and trainers do excellent work teaching sports skills, but they often lack the time to provide individualized attention for muscle and joint health to every athlete.
Coaches focus on the skills required for their respective sports. But even professional athletes aren't training 24/7. What student-athletes do during the rest of their time, including in the off-season of their sport, matters significantly for their physical health.
Why Athletes Need Extra Help
Even with good coaching, student athletes often fail to perform their stretches properly or follow correct body mechanics. This isn't because they don't care. These young people are juggling a lot, and sometimes they require additional support to maintain their health.
More Than Just Physical Benefits
Massage therapy and stretching do more than help muscles; they also promote overall well-being. Research shows that regular massage therapy reduces stress, anxiety, and depression while improving mood and overall well-being. For student athletes navigating the pressures of sports and school, these mental health benefits are invaluable.
Better Sleep and Recovery
Many student-athletes struggle with sleep due to the stress of training, academic pressure, and pre-game nerves. Massage therapy helps them sleep better by lowering blood pressure and creating a sense of calm. Better sleep means better athletic performance, faster recovery between practices, and improved focus in school. Just as muscle recovery happens while we sleep, memory retention and consolidation also occur during sleep. Information is stored in long-term memory while we sleep.
Academic Performance
The stress-reduction benefits of massage therapy also extend to the classroom. Athletes who receive regular massages often report improved concentration, better memory, and reduced challenges with focusing on schoolwork.
Pre-Game Preparation
Massage therapy helps manage pre-game anxiety. By incorporating massage into their pre-game routine, student athletes can calm their nerves while enhancing blood flow and mental preparation for optimal performance.
What Our Sessions Include
Session Setup
All sessions with athletes under 18 require a parent or guardian to be present for the entire time. This ensures safety and comfort while giving families a chance to learn about their athlete's care.
Athletes should wear active clothing, such as shorts, track pants, or tank tops. Sometimes, upper body work requires access to the back and sides, which we address with proper coverage while keeping athletes comfortable.
Assessment and Treatment
Each session begins with a discussion about the athlete's training schedule, daily activities, areas of concern, performance goals, and their willingness to engage in at-home care. This comprehensive approach addresses both sport-specific needs and the impact of daily activities on overall health and well-being.
We conduct targeted visual assessments to evaluate specific areas that need attention and which muscle groups would benefit most from focused work. This individual approach ensures each session addresses the athlete's unique needs.
Hands-On Work and Education
The primary component of each session involves assisted stretching, designed to target areas of tension and tightness. Throughout treatment, athletes learn about their body mechanics, self-care techniques, and strategies for maintaining their health.
Parents and guardians can take notes during sessions, creating a helpful resource for supporting their athlete's ongoing care between appointments.
Complete Support
Based on the athlete's goals and needs, we provide suggestions on adjustments to daily routines and body mechanics that support long-term health and well-being. This complete approach ensures that the benefits of each session go far beyond the treatment room.
Sessions also provide families with an opportunity to learn how to recognize the early signs of overtraining, stress, or fatigue. This team approach helps the entire support system help the young athlete succeed.
Building Healthy Habits
By introducing student-athletes to professional massage therapy and targeted stretching early in their careers, we help them develop healthy self-care practices that they'll use throughout their lives. These habits become especially valuable as they move to higher levels of competition or into adult fitness routines.
Investing in Complete Athletic Development
Our targeted stretching sessions provide student athletes with the individual attention they need to maintain physical health while pursuing their athletic goals. By addressing both sport-specific needs and daily movement patterns, while also supporting mental wellness and academic performance, we help young athletes develop habits that support both immediate performance and long-term health.
For student athletes ready to take their physical health, mental well-being, and overall performance to the next level, our specialized sessions offer the focused, professional care they deserve.
Rebecca Rajswasser has been a licensed massage therapist for six years, trained at the Onondaga School for Massage Therapy in Rochester, NY. Her unique background includes a Master's degree in Elementary Education from the University of Florida and 15 years of teaching experience, which has developed her exceptional patience and communication skills that enhance the therapeutic experience. With a lifetime of dance and movement training, Rebecca brings an intuitive understanding of body mechanics and alignment to her practice. This combination of educational expertise, movement knowledge, and therapeutic training allows her to provide thoughtful, comprehensive care tailored to each client's needs.
PLEASE NOTE: In New York State, minor children (under the age of 18) receiving a professional massage require written consent from a parent or legal guardian, who must also complete a health history form for the minor. In this practice, the parent/guardian is required to remain on the premises for the duration of the minor child's session.