The type of sports massage that will help an athlete the most depends primarily on timing:

• Preparatory Massage
• Pre-Event Massage
• Between Event Massage
• Post-Event Massage
• Preventative Massage
• Restorative Massage

Each of these types of massage differ according to objectives, session time, duration, technique, and pressure.

Frequently called maintenance massage, athletes should receive preparatory massage on a regular basis when not in competition. Preparatory massage builds a "massage foundation" for the athlete's body.

The soft tissues of the body adapt to the demands placed on it from specific activities. Just as their tissues must adapt to a particular sport, the athlete's tissues must also adapt to a massage regimen.

Athletes receive preparatory massage regularly during training, prior to intensive competition. The massage foundation is critical for effective post-event, preventative, and restorative sports massage.

Maintenance massage will also help to balance the athlete's muscles and soft tissues, offering greater resilience from injury and improved performance. However, this balancing requires time and generally should not begin within days of an important sports event.

A typical session lasts 30 to 60 minutes. For the serious athlete, I recommend preparatory massage at least once per month, but typically not more often than once per week.

Athletes receive pre-event massage just minutes before an event.

It helps to stimulate the nervous system and warm-up the tissues to be used during competition. Some athletes receive pre-event massage to help calm their nerves prior to competition.

A typical session lasts 10 to 20 minutes.

Massage during event breaks will benefit athletes that must perform for long periods of time.

It improves blood and lymphatic drainage, helping the body to flush wastes that accumulate in the soft tissues and that irritate the nervous system. The calming effect on the nervous and energy systems of the body helps to restore optimal muscular contraction.

A typical session lasts 10 to 20 minutes.

Post-event massage occurs immediately after an event.

Similar to massage between events, athletes receive post-event massage to calm the system and help to "jump-start" the natural healing processes of the body.

Most importantly, the therapist focuses on removing stress from the nervous and energy systems of athlete's body. The therapist must avoid any type of work that might further irritate these systems, since they have already been severely stressed.

Calming the nervous system helps the muscles to relax and to improve overall circulation. The athlete's nervous system will transition from a state of "fight or flight" to one of "rest and digest". Current research and practical experience shows that proper post-event massage helps to reduce, if not prevent, delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).

Post-event massage can also help to prevent mental and emotional exhaustion during multi-day competitions.

A typical session lasts 15 to 30 minutes.

Often confused with post-event massage, preventative massage takes place approximately 2 hours after an event to have the best results on athletic recovery.

Unlike post-event massage, preventative massage requires more extensive work and lasts longer. It addresses the entire body, with special emphasis on the muscle groups overloaded during competition.

Ideally, the nervous system has already calmed down significantly as a result of post-event massage. The therapist focuses on removing soft tissue wastes, but must not cause any discomfort to further aggravate the nervous and energy systems of the body.

Post-event massage, followed later by preventative massage, offers the best defense against delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).

A typical session lasts 40 to 60 minutes.

Athlete's receive restorative massage a day or two after competition.

Much like preventative massage, it addresses the entire body, with special emphasis on the muscle groups overloaded during competition.

Restorative massage helps to restore an athlete back to the fitness and performance levels achieved prior to competition.

A typical session lasts 60 to 90 minutes.