In this issue, authors Brandon Twyford and Karrie Osborn worked to unveil both the history and future of sports massage. Twyford’s article “Razor’s Edge” reveals the progressive pre-NFL Scouting Combine program in Miami, Florida, where sports massage experts George Kousaleos, founder of the CORE Institute, has partnered with Tony Villani, founder and owner of XPE Sports Academy, to offer myofascial therapy to NFL pros and elite college athletes hoping to make it in the NFL.
Kousaleos and Villani’s goal with the bodywork program is to both assist in avoiding injury and make tiny adjustments to an athlete’s body that allow the athlete to train at a progressively higher intensity day after day.
“Most people know massage and bodywork can be extremely effective for recovery from athletic training, but what I saw at the XPE Sports Academy in Boca Raton, Florida, gave me a new appreciation for just how valuable manual therapy can be for athletes in intense training,” Twyford says.
Karrie Osborn’s article “The Evolution of U.S. Sports Massage” looks at a seminal meeting of the sports massage minds that occurred in the mid-1980s during which a sports massage credentialing exam and a national sports massage team were created. Osborn interviewed the “father of U.S. sports massage” Benny Vaughn, George Kousaleos, Aaron Mattes, Linda Lynch, Michael McGillicuddy, Jody Stork, and others for the article.
“It was fun traveling the historical path of U.S. sports massage through the personal stories told by these trailblazers,” Osborn says. “From opening the locker room doors to women to getting a seat at the table in the Olympic arena, these sports medicine experts helped the profession in ways that are still being realized. It was a real honor to have these icons share their journeys with us.”
Other articles in the May/June 2016 issue of Massage & Bodywork include:
Breath: Your Most Powerful Tool
By David M. Lobenstine
Learn how harnessing the power of breath can help you deliver more effective, satisfying bodywork.
By Mark Liskey
Ergonomics are crucial to your career success. Embrace these five strategies for a pain-free, sustainable massage therapy practice.
5 Steps to Getting Clients to Rebook
By Kristin Coverly
It’s much easier to retain clients than recruit new ones. Here are some tips for cultivating loyal clients and inspiring them to come back.
To read the May/June issue of Massage & Bodywork, click here.
