Moving more easily after a session does not necessarily mean the athlete can immediately handle the load of full training.
In Zeroka Seitai, we have repeatedly checked, during the return to training, whether stiffness and difficulty moving have come back, and whether the athlete is coping with the load at that stage.
After the return to full training, we also check whether the desired movement is being maintained and review our response as needed. We have provided ongoing support to athletes that covers all of this.
Continuing to check during the return to training
We do not check only the change immediately after a session. We check whether the athlete can still move well after training as well.
| What we check | Changes we look for |
|---|---|
| Whether stiffness has returned | Whether muscles we worked on last time have become stiff again. How the quality and distribution of stiffness have changed. |
| Whether the athlete is coping with the load at that stage | Whether the necessary movement is possible in training. Whether difficulty moving appears after load. |
| Whether strain has appeared elsewhere | Whether new stiffness or difficulty moving has developed in compensating muscles or elsewhere. |
We compare the athlete’s own perception, the movement observed by the athlete’s staff and the muscle condition we check in sessions, and consider how to proceed.
From the return to full training to ongoing support
and whether the necessary movement is possible under that load
Increasing the load is not the only aim. Both a condition being maintained and a difficulty appearing are treated as information for deciding the next response.
What we have shared at each stage of the return
In our support so far, we have given our views on how training might progress, based on the condition of the muscles and movement and on the response to subsequent load.
| Stage of support | What we check | What we share with the athlete and their staff |
|---|---|---|
| Checking movement with lighter training | How much stiffness or difficulty moving remains. Whether the condition returns after training. | What is possible now and what is still difficult. Points to keep checking under lighter load. |
| Considering joining full training | Whether the condition of the muscles and movement is maintained under the training load so far. | Changes relevant to deciding on joining, and points to keep checking. |
| Checking the response to higher load | Whether the necessary movement is possible as load increases. Whether stiffness or difficulty moving appears afterwards. | The response to higher load, and cues for reviewing hands-on work, care and training. |
| Checking condition after return | Whether movements that used to be difficult are possible as training continues. Whether new problems have appeared. | Changes that are being maintained, and the issues that need a response next. |
This is not a fixed return protocol. The stages and the movements we check are matched to the athlete’s condition and to the return plan led by the athlete’s staff. Information from Zeroka Seitai supports that judgement from the perspective of muscles and movement. We do not judge tolerance to load by palpation alone; decisions on return and participation are left to the assessment and judgement of medical and coaching staff, together with the athlete.
Rebuilding the response when movement becomes difficult again
If a movement that had become possible becomes difficult again, we check how the muscles and movement have changed since the last session. We review remaining factors, subsequent load, strain elsewhere and so on from the perspective of B-1, and update our hands-on work, self-care and advice on load.
The movements we compare are matched to the athlete’s issue. Where conditions are comparable, such as the same change of direction, we check before and after with the same movement; where training load has changed, we also share that difference in conditions.
What we have experienced in ongoing support for several athletes
This work is not limited to one athlete.
With several athletes we have supported, we have kept responding while reviewing why their condition returned. Along the way, we have seen athletes become able to perform the desired movement and continue without the same difficulty reappearing, as far as we could check in later support.
Between sessions, we also teach specific self-care methods from Zeroka Seitai so that athletes can look after themselves. If stiffness or difficulty moving still returns, we check the reasons at the next opportunity and update our response.
We place importance not on continuing a method once chosen, but on choosing the next response according to the changes that actually occur.
Pooling information with the athlete and their staff
| Role | Information shared |
|---|---|
| Athlete | Ease of movement, ease of producing force, situations in which difficulty appears, and changes after self-care |
| Athlete’s staff | Training content and load, and the movements and responses seen in training |
| Zeroka Seitai | Muscle condition, changes before and after sessions, and points to keep checking |
During the return to training and after it, we repeatedly check whether stiffness has returned and whether the athlete is coping with the load required. By sharing this information with the athlete and their staff, we support a state in which the desired movement continues.