Jack Meagher is the original developer and “Father” of Sportsmassage for people. In 1978, Jack wrote the book Sportsmassage, A Complete Program for Increasing Performance and Endurance in Fifteen Popular Sports.
Jack emphasized using Sportsmassage as a protective, performance-boosting process that should be received on a regular basis, as part of the training program, to help the athlete perform better in competition.
Prior to Jack’s book, massage was only used by athletes after the competition as a restorative technique. Here are two quotes from Jack’s book:
Whatever sport you play, Sportsmassage will give you the 20 per cent extra – extra performance, extra protection, extra time, per game, per season, per career.
With Sportsmassage, you can do what you do better, longer and more easily, raising your performance level at the same time that you lower the stress level it places on your body.
Jack’s book was written to teach athletes how to care for themselves. Jack developed new hand techniques and a whole new way of thinking about how and where to apply these techniques for maximum effectiveness.
Jack’s revolutionary methods were so effective that the book launched a whole new modality and specialty field of training for Massage Therapists. Today, the common name applied to those who have received this specialty training is Sports Massage Therapist.
In 1990 Don Doran, the professional thoroughbred racing horseman, expanded his skillset to also include being a Licensed Human Massage Therapist with specialty training in Sports Massage.
Don attended human Sports Massage School with the specific goal of correlating human and equine running injuries.
Don and his friend, Joe Rongo, became the first Sports Massage Therapists for the University of Florida’s Track Team. In the beginning, none of the athletes wanted to spend their time getting massage. Their mind set was that after a hard day of training they would naturally be sore the next day and would have to back off their training level for a few days. This was just the way it was when you are an athlete. Athletes live with muscular pain.
The coach made the poorest performers go and receive Sports Massage. These individuals showed a big improvement in their performance levels, and all of a sudden everyone was lining up for their Sports Massage!
If they received a Sports Massage in the evening after a hard day of training, the athletes found that they were not as muscle sore the next day and could continue their training program with increased intensity.
The wait line for Sports Massage got so long that the athletes got together and purchased a chalk board so they could sign up in advance and not lose their spot on line.
Don took these new skills and coupled them with his in-depth knowledge of the training programs of thoroughbred race horses and in 1993 he developed the world’s first Equine Sports Massage Therapy Training Program.
Don’s talents enable him to move effortlessly between the worlds of human Sports Therapy and equine Sports Therapy.
Our motto applies to both human and equine clients: Healthy muscle tissue does not hurt!