If you want to learn massage, you first have to consider what your goals are. Is this simply something you are interested in for fun or personal use, or do you want to learn massage in order to use it professionally?
The reason this is so important is that you can learn massage from so many different providers, you need to be very clear before you start exactly what type of course you are looking for.
At the introductory end, you will find courses from half a day to a weekend that will teach you the basics. This will be sufficient for you to practice on yourself, or perhaps a partner.
However, if you are interested in this as a career, then you will need to ensure that the training provider you are looking at offers a course that covers everything you need to work in this field, and offers a recognised qualification.
This will typically involve studying for several months, in order to ensure that not only do you have the theoretical framework in place, you have also mastered the practical elements to a sufficient level.
A course of that level would be something like a Professional Diploma, and would include elements such as:
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Remedial and deep tissue techniques
- Soft Tissue Release
- Muscle Energy Techniques
- Neuromuscular Technique
- Positional Release
- Connective Tissue Techniques
- Soft tissue injury and rehabilitation workshops
- Gait analysis
- Postural assessment skills
- Stretching techniques
Look for a qualification such as a Level 5 BTEC to be sure that your skills are widely recognised and transferable.
