The key to peak athletic performance is keeping in balance. Athletes know better than anyone how important it is for the body to be in peak condition, and that means cooperation among the various parts and systems of the body.
Consider just your muscles. They are distributed in groups throughout the body. Each set of muscles is balanced by another set. When one contracts, the other relaxes. Serious athletes work consistently on all muscle groups so that no one set dominates. For top performance, muscle groups must be uniformly developed and must function in harmony with one another.
Exercise and practice have a rhythm. you can’t exert yourself to the limit day after day. After pushing the body hard in exercise and workouts, timeout is needed to rest and let the tissues recover, because training is stressful.
Competition involves balance, pitting your own talents and strengths against an opponent in the give-and-take of play, maintaining the balance until you find the advantage and overpower the other to score. Balance is important in team sports, also. As a member of a team, you know that throughout the game there are ever-shifting patterns of balance between fellow players. Some see this as cooperation, but when you analyze the dynamics, it’s a question of balance.
Balance in sports is physical, mental, emotional, and interpersonal. Your body needs a balance of energies; emotions need to be kept in control so they work for you instead of against you; a cool head is required to keep advantages and disadvantages in perspective.
Reflexology is a method for achieving balance while activating the healing powers of the body. Though first discovered in ancient China and Egypt, Reflexology is a modern scientific method, based on the long–established principle that there are energy zones that run throughout the body and reflex areas in the feet, hands, face and ears that correspond to all the major organs, glands, and body parts.
What can Reflexology do for you?
Reflexology reduces stress and profoundly relaxes the nervous system. It also improves circulation, cleanses the body of toxins and impurities, balances the whole system–technically known as homeostasis–and revitalizes energy. Reflexology is also known to boost the immune system, and promote increased focus and creativity.
By making Reflexology part of your regular training regimen, you will be playing from a position of both strength and balance. Many of my clients who are athletes find they play better, their times are improved, their concentration is sharper, they suffer fewer injuries and, when they are injured, they recover in a much shorter time. Reflexology is a powerful addition to other toning and stretching therapies and activities for general conditioning as well as for recovery from sore and injured muscles.
Should you have a Reflexology session immediately before competition?
It depends. Serious and professional athletes shouldn’t be to loose and relaxed before a race or game. Staying psyched up requires a certain amount of tension and flow of adrenaline. Sports trainers suggest that, for competitive athletes, Reflexology should be given about two days before, not on the day of the big event. Runners in the New York City Marathon who received Reflexology prefer it one or two days before the race.
For those who compete for fun, rather than for living, a little Reflexology earlier in the day could be just the thing to help them unwind from their normal living activities and get ready for their event.
Keeping your eye on the ball
“Keep your eye on the ball” has become the watchword for staying focused, concentrating on what’s in front of you. Reflexology helps people keep their eyes “on the ball” at work and play so that they perform more effectively. Not only is their attention more finely tuned, but their intention is stronger also.
One powerful technique that is used extensively in sports training today involves keeping your eye on the ball even before the game, even when you’re not practicing. Visualization is used by sports psychologists, coaches and trainers around the country to improve their players’ performances in every field. Football players mentally rehearse every possible play, runners race the entire course step-by-step in their mind, tennis players spar with their opponents in their heads before they get out on the court. Numerous studies have demonstrated that you will measurably improve your game and performance by creatively visualizing what you desire before hand.
Incorporating visualization into your Reflexology session by seeing yourself in competition, going through the physical and emotional movements of the game, is a powerful technique for embodying your intentions. You can also use the time immediately after the session for serious visualization. The residual effects of Reflexology will allow you to make better use of visualization training whenever you engage in it, whether immediately afterward or later on.
More and more athletes are discovering that creating a “competitive edge” means using the best training techniques, whether they come from sports medicine, nutritional programs, bodywork, or methods like Reflexology. Your body depends on the flow of oxygen, minerals, and other nutrients for vigorous athletic activity. Your mind requires focus and intention to compete effectively. Reflexology is an easy and enjoyable way to keep your juices flowing, to maintain proper balance within your mind and body, and to provide the energy and focus you need for optimal strength and balance.
