Anyone for Sports Shiatsu?
Sports Shiatsu is a word I coined a few years ago, and I’ve kept the term fairly underground ever since as I have been developing it.
Around 2013 I moved to South Yorkshire and began my clinic from scratch. In Dewsbury I had worked on a few fighters but had stuck to the type of Zen Shiatsu taught at my school. Now in dinnington I sought out the local boxing club and after working on the coaching and managing team it became clear that as much as they enjoyed it and valued my knowledge it needed to be adapted to their needs.
So first I need to connect at their level, so the futon was replaced by a table. My clothes became more sports clothing and my language changed too, I spoke on their level and stopped talking too much about what is seen by some as fluffy like chi.
I then began combining my knowledge of sports massage I learned at university and continued to study the fascia system and advanced techniques which I still continue to learn and implement. Working in the little room above the gym while you could hear the slam of metal, the pounding on punch bags and the roar of the occasional lifter above the hardhouse constantly being pumped out, I developed my trade interweaving eastern and western techniques. I even sometimes felt like a blacksmith creating something in my forge.
However even though I found my techniques effective and began working on professional boxers I kept my techniques secret for the shiatsu world as it can become very judgemental and I feared some of the “elder” shiatsu therapists would declare that what I do is no longer shiatsu….
But then it occurred to me that shiatsu is an ever evolving art that evolves according to the needs of it clients, and what I have done is evolve and create sports shiatsu and by finally stepping out of the shadows of Zen shiatsu i can grow it further and continue to integrate all that I learn into sports shiatsu as there is much more to learn… this is only the beginning for sports shiatsu.