Join ABMP’s Manager of Professional Development and massage therapist Kristin Coverly as she demonstrates her favorite massage techniques.
My Favorite Massage Techniques with ABMP's Kristin Coverly
Download ABMP’s “Demonstration Graphic Organizer” forms and start a technique binder. During massage practice sessions, use the binder to refresh your mind about all of the different methods you might incorporate into a session.
Demonstration Graphic Organizer Forms
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Get More Out of Teacher Demonstrations
A big part of your massage and bodywork education is hands-on skill practice. Usually, an instructor demonstrates between 1–5 different methods. Then, you and a classmate exchange massage and practice the methods taught in the demonstration. Simple, right? It’s not as easy as it sounds. It can be difficult to remember each of the different methods the instructor demonstrated, and harder still to remember all of the criteria that defines proper application. By the time you put your hands on your client to begin the practice session, you may have no idea what it is you should practice! Let’s look at some tips to get more out of teacher demonstrations.
- Download ABMP’s Demonstration Graphic Organizer forms and samples (found in the Picked Fresh section of this newsletter) and use them to keep notes while watching demonstrations. The tips here are based on the sections of the two organizers. It may be helpful to view the completed samples.
- Choose a form. Both forms capture the same information, so it’s really about your preferences. Some people want to keep techniques together and don’t want too many forms. In this case, choose Demonstration Graphic Organizer 1. If you want more room to gather information about each particular technique, use Demonstration Graphic Organizer 2, which only captures one technique at a time.
- Note the name of the technique. Ask your instructor to make a list of demonstrated techniques on the whiteboard so you get the correct spelling, and capture a complete list of the techniques you are learning.
- Application notes. Make notes about the correct ways to apply a technique. For example, tapotement should be applied rhythmically with relaxed wrists and fingers at the appropriate depth for each particular body area where it is used. It can be applied more forcefully in “fleshy” areas, but less forcefully on delicate areas like the face.
- Cautions. Make notes about cautions or contraindications. Tapotement is not applied directly over the kidneys because they are superficial when the client is prone and might be bruised by forceful strokes.
- Variations. List the variations of the stroke. Tapotement has six common variations based on the way in which the hands are held when the stroke is applied. On Organizer 2, you have space to describe application notes for each of the variations.
- Other notes. Capture any other important comments the instructor makes about a stroke or technique. With tapotement, you might note that it is a technique that simulates drumming on the body.
Keep your technique graphic organizers in a neat binder and bring it to classes in which you perform massage practice sessions. Pull it out regularly to refresh your mind about different strokes and techniques you want to practice.