Self-massage techniques

I've enjoyed probably half a dozen massages over the years. With more moola in the bank that number would be 100 times more. Sometimes I'm so shocked over the $1.00 or more a minute cost of massage, I carry that stress right into the massage room. Luckily, when the heavenly deep tissue kneading starts, I melt away from budget worries.

I've also recently started self-massaging a troublesome calf muscle out of balance from surgery to repair my achilles last spring. Nearly a year has passed since surgery and my calf still knots up. In the past I've laid on racquetballs to relieve softball-induced shoulder adhesions underneath my scapula and begged my husband for hamstring massages. Yet while I'd rather have a professional work out the kinks, it's simply cost-prohibitive.

If you're an athlete or just an active person, self-massage is a good skill to develop. Here are a few self-massage tips and techniques from Rich Poley, triathlete and author of Self-Massage for Athletes, published in 2006:

• Take a hot shower first, relax, close your eyes and listen to your instincts as you apply the Seven Strokes.
• Seven Strokes include the Glide, Squeeze, Squeeze and roll, Press, Press and roll, Drum and Rock 'n Roll.
• Apply more pressure when stroking toward your heart and less when moving away.

If you want the whole enchilada, read this comprehensive article and don't miss Poley's website.