Rolfing Technique with Athletes
March 11th, 2014 by Joachim Creten
Terra Massage has been part of the Carmichael Camp for 3 years, offering 30 to 60 min post-event massages depending on the needs of each camp. I became a Certified Rolfer® last year and was looking forward to a new camp this month, working on athletes after their bike rides. I invited this time, Siggi Schoen, also a Certifed Rolfer® , to work with me. We both graduated last year from The Rolf Institute in Boulder CO. We started our sessions using Rolfing SI to look at the whole body, then releasing specific muscle fatigue without overworking the athletes, making sure they were rested and ready for the next day’s bike ride. The first day the cyclists were asking about our techniques, as they had never experienced this type of bodywork before. Many of the them regularly receive massage and body work back home and but few had any Rolfing experience. Some had heard of it and thought that it was painful; another mentioned that his wife had been rolfed, but hadn’t tried it himself. One athlete, after his second session with me, mentioned that his legs were no longer painful going upstairs to his hotel room. He was amazed because he had never experienced such relief during previous camps. As the days went on, more and more athletes became curious about Rolfing Structural Integration, asking many great questions and finding unexpected relief through our unconventional approach. All of them had a great bike ride the next day. This was a great personal experience for us, as well as a wonderful validation of the intelligence and efficacy of Rolfing SI.