Written By Rich Poley for Two Hands Press LLC, Boulder Colorado, 2006.

Before I had the good fortune to read this book, I thought the only type of therapeutic massage possible was that provided by a professional massage therapist. As an avid runner, swimmer and cyclist, I frequently experience muscle stiffness, tension knots, cramps and kinks. With professional massage therapy sessions being so costly, I just lived with the aches and pains between massage appointments. After reading “Self-Massage for Athletes” my eyes have been opened to a new possibility. I can massage myself…for free!

This book explains why self massage is so powerful and how it can improve your athletic performance, overall health and mood. The book is arranged in such a way to allow you to focus on specific body areas. The best part is that it explains seven simple massage strokes that can be combined to create a total body massage. As each type of stroke is learnt, helpful tips are given to help you get the best benefit from each type of stroke. This simple, step-by-step approach is what makes this book such a pleasure to read and re-read.

Once you have mastered the basic strokes, Rich explains taking your massage further by using acupressure and trigger points. I had no idea what these were, much less how to use the techniques. I’m so glad that now I do.

I highly recommend this book to every single athlete who is interested in improving their athletic performance, experiencing faster recovery and feeling happier in the process!