Zeroka SeitaiSupporting athletes and their teams
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Supporting athletes and their teams

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You do not need to read everything in order. Start with the situation closest to yours and go to the topic you need.

Illustration of an athlete changing direction
Illustration of a movement (AI-generated). It does not depict an actual case of support.

Start with the issue closest to yours

Back in training, but not moving as before

We compare remaining stiffness, in the injured area and in areas that have been compensating, with the movement itself.

Movement after returning

Practising, but still unable to produce the movement you want

With the athlete’s coaches, we consider what may change through hands-on work and what needs to be learned through practice.

Working with movement learning

Stiffness keeps returning despite care

We review factors not yet addressed, subsequent loads, and the demands on compensating areas.

Stiffness that returns

Repeated non-contact injuries

We review training and competition loads and the demands on compensating areas.

Repeated injuries

Support through the return to full training and beyond

We repeatedly check responses after load and connect self-care, hands-on work and support within the team.

Return and ongoing support

Is the current load and care right for this athlete?

We share changes in muscles and movement after training as input for decisions on load, recovery and care.

Checking load and care

Adding muscle-focused support to the current team

Discuss a way of working together that fits existing roles.

Working with the current team

Learning techniques for your own care work

Ask about hands-on training for people who care for athletes.

Practitioner training

How to use this site

Start from an issue, then go deeper where it matters.

  1. Read the topic closest to your situation. Each page explains how we interpret, respond and check the result.
  2. Use the contents list to go to the part you need. Please read figures and tables together with the text and captions.
  3. Follow “Next to read” to widen your understanding. If you would like to discuss working together, please go to the contact page.
How to read the different kinds of information →
Illustration of an athlete and a staff member talking
Illustration of a conversation (AI-generated). It does not depict an actual case of support.

REFERENCE INDEX

All 19 topics

Topic numbers correspond to the original Japanese document.

A / When the movement you want is not possible

A-1Why can an athlete be back in training but not move as before?A-2What do we read from muscle stiffness, and how does it change our response?A-3What is needed when an athlete cannot yet perform a movement?A-4Why do we check the areas that were compensating, not just the injured area?

B / Recurrence, return and repeated injury

B-1When stiffness remains or returns despite care, what do we review?B-2How do we support the return to full training and the movement that follows?B-4What athletes do for themselves, and what we review in hands-on sessionsB-5When injuries keep recurring after return, what do we check and how do we respond?

C / Training and physical development

C-1What information do we gain from the muscles after training?C-2When to use Zeroka Seitai, and when other care comes firstC-3How have we worked with athletes to build a body that can cope with a load they find difficult?

D / Introducing support and working together

D-1What support can we offer athletes, coaching staff and care practitioners?D-2How do we begin support from a specific athlete’s issue?D-3Hands-on training for practitioners who care for athletesD-4How do we keep support going when direct hands-on work is not possible?

R / Mechanisms, existing approaches and research

R-1How does muscle lock arise?R-2What do we share with existing methods such as Counterstrain, and how do we differ?R-3What issues have studies in professional football reported?R-4Why do muscles not fully soften despite care?