Training for MMA and Sports jiu jitsu is some of the most grueling in the world, and participating in an MMA fights and long tournament weekends for jiu jitsu can tax even the toughest of bodies. The ankle locks, arm bars, axe kicks, elbow strikes, guillotines, neck cranks, and more, can all subject the body to incredible amounts of torque, stress, and muscle mayhem.
Massage is not just beneficial for those fighting or wrestling. It also helps athletes training for races, cross fit competitions, and many other sports where the body pushes its physical limitations. When we push the body to those limitations we need to reward the hard work with some much needed therapeutic muscle relief. Our bodies have their own way of healing and that build up in the tissues needs help to remove the toxins so healing can occur.
Therapeutic massage is one of the best methods for counteracting the destructive effects of these moves and restoring the body to health. As with any sports massage, using the proper massage techniques will ensure the best results; not all massages are for every application.
The intense training that an MMA fighter undergoes can injure tissues, due to hypoxia and micro-trauma, which causes scars to form. Intense training can also trigger headaches, knee problems, shoulder pain, sciatica, and more. Several forms of massage can help with these issues.
Traditional massage techniques are appropriate for athletes and can improve focus and mental clarity as well as promote proper body function. Before a workout, a sports massage will use various techniques, such as cupping, tapping, slapping, and rocking, to warm up the tissues, in addition to a dry myofascial massage, which will loosen the fascia. The fascia is a flexible, web-like substance just under the skin and it covers the entire body. When it becomes stiff due to damage or misuse, a fighter can lose flexibility; myofascial massage will restore flexibility to the muscles and tissues surrounding.
Sports massage will also use compression, range of motion, and stretching techniques to keep muscles limber before a training session. Receiving regular massage during your heavy training season can minimize the stress placed on muscles and may cause scar tissue to form. Therapeutic massage will help lessen the scar tissue and encourage blood flow to the area, which will encourage healing. Massage also promotes activity of the lymphatic system, which will help the body eliminate the metabolic toxins that occur when the healing process takes place.
It’s important to avoid getting a therapeutic massage for at least a couple of days before a fight, match, tournament, race or any other event your competing in for your sport. The Swedish massage process uses long, sweeping strokes that encourage production of serotonin, which is a hormone that causes the body to relax. The effects of a massage can last for 24 to 72 hours, depending on the individual, and there can be some soreness, so a Swedish massage will be counterproductive before a big event.
Relaxing massages are most beneficial after an a tough training or after a big event. The serotonin produced will help you relax both physically and mentally. MMA, sports jiu jitsu, and marathon training is some of the most intense training on the planet and the muscles build up a considerable amount of lactic acid. Massage facilitates the removal of the lactic acid and keeps the muscles, and the fascia that covers them, loose and flexible.
Many professional and amateur athletes have regular massages during training, but avoid them for one to two days before the event, and only resume them after the event is over. Trigger point massage, compression, stretching, range of motion, and so forth, can promote healing on muscles that have been effected by the stress of the event. Massages can cause discomfort but you shouldn't feel the pain is unbearable, if at any point you feel the pressure is too much its best you have the therapist back off.
Remember: Drink water, and when you think you have had enough water drink some more. This is important to help flush any toxins out of the body and to keep you hydrated during your training season.
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