Athletes keep training and competing between hands-on sessions. Having a way to look after their own body as it changes during that time is also part of ongoing support.
Alongside hands-on work, Zeroka Seitai has taught athletes specific self-care methods developed in Zeroka Seitai, so that they can care for themselves.
And if stiffness or difficulty moving returns despite their own care, we review the condition and the reasons at the next hands-on session. This is how we provide support.
Treating self-care and hands-on work as connected support
What matters in self-care is not only carrying out the method taught, but also checking how easily the athlete moves afterwards and what changes during training.
The practitioner listens to how things have gone, and checks the quality and distribution of muscle stiffness and the actual movement. We compare the changes the athlete has felt with the condition we can check during the session, and use this to plan the next response.
Check the muscles and movement, provide hands-on work and teach self-care
The athlete carries out self-care and checks how easily they move afterwards
Share the changes after self-care and during training and competition
We do not stop at teaching self-care. We also check over time whether the method suits the athlete’s current condition.
What the athlete checks, and what we review in hands-on sessions
Scroll sideways to read the full table.
| The athlete’s own care and checks | What we review in a hands-on session |
|---|---|
| Carry out the self-care methods they have been taught | Whether the response so far still suits the current condition of the muscles |
| Check how easily they move before and after self-care | How the quality and distribution of stiffness relate to changes in movement |
| Notice the movements and situations that become difficult again | Whether stiffness remains, whether it has changed with later load, or whether there is a different issue |
| Tell us what has been hard to change on their own | Whether the hands-on work or self-care, or the area or sequence of the response, needs to change |
We do not ask athletes to identify the cause of their stiffness themselves.
The athlete’s own sense — “self-care makes it easier to move”, “it gets difficult again after training”, “I’m noticing a different area from before” — gives us cues for what to review in the session.
When problems return despite self-care, we review whether the method fits
If the desired condition does not last despite self-care, we do not leave it to the athlete to identify the cause, nor do we simply ask them to keep repeating the same care. We ask what changed and when it became difficult again, and check the muscles and movement directly at the next session.
We review the cause from the perspective described in B-1, and reorganise what the athlete does themselves and what the practitioner works on.
What we have done in supporting athletes so far
With several athletes we have supported, we have combined hands-on work with self-care.
We helped athletes care for themselves, and when stiffness or movement problems still returned, the practitioner checked at the next opportunity. From those changes we looked for the reasons, and built up our response towards a state in which the desired movement lasts.
Where the athlete has staff, the changes from the athlete’s own care and what we checked during hands-on work can be shared as information for day-to-day support.
The athlete’s own care, and a specialist check when it is needed. By connecting the two, we provide ongoing support that includes the time between sessions.