Profile
I initially trained as a Level 3 Sports and Remedial Massage therapist at the Cotswold Academy in Cirencester. Following on from this qualification I gained a Level 5 Diploma in Soft Tissue Therapy, Advanced Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation with the Active Health Group Manchester. I am currently training to be a Strength & Conditioning Trainer. I am fully insured and I hold a Pitchside First Aid Qualifcation.
My interest in this field stems from a life of sports and exercise. Along with this comes personal experience of injury and persistent pain. For a long time my life has been dominated by various forms of rock climbing and training for rock climbing. My favourite times are days and weeks spent in the woods, on the mountain, bouldering or hanging off cliffs. My journey with the sport has lead to a serious back injury as well plenty of smaller strains and sprains. I have huge respect for strength & conditioning training as a modality because it is this that has allowed me to recover from injuries, remedy persistent pain and now continue to live a life free from discomfort. I practice what I preach because these are the things that have helped me.
As well as rock climbing, and as part of my training for rock climbing, I have practiced yoga and mobility training for years. I’m also a big fan of kettle bells and TRX as tools for developing strength and mobility for all ages and all types of people.
When it come to massage I have my own style, I usually work very slowly, deeply and with the sole intention of influencing a client’s nervous system in the most sympathetic way. This obviously depends entirely on the person I’m treating. All treatments are client led, meaning via clear and regular communication I find ways to take a client into a place where their nervous system begins to calm and muscle fibres relax, letting go of tension and pain.
A massage from myself is a very different experience to a standard ‘sports massage’. I prefer to do longer massage treatments because you can’t ‘force’ a nervous system to let go. A good massage takes time. My massages combine slow, deep pressure, trigger pointing and some assisted stretching. During treatment I guide clients into focused breathing and relaxation. In my opinion this is the most effective way to create a systemic change within the body.
Olly