Why would any coach EVER massage one their athletes?? Huge red flag

Bad Analogy Of The Day Award

1ub2run wrote:

I have a ballet dancer daughter.. I learned to massage just so I could keep her upright. It's not the most ideal thing but we both want her able. at home, free is just more convenient.

She will say so many of the teachers now won't touch the kids but really.. most of the time, the kids need it. Athletes don't necessarily know how it is suppose to feel. It's an over time, gradual thing. Our private teacher would touch a lot more.

Trust is so hard in the world right now. In a perfect world, athlete complains about tightness. Coach drops and irons it out right then and there. Publicly with transparency. But, we can't trust the coach, even the patient, and both have to able to communicate clearly what's goin on.

Absolutely disagree. There's a big difference between helping someone adjust posture, and giving a massage/assisting with stretching.

Massage therapists are licensed. They should have a better understanding of what they are doing. they know how to massage/stretch safely, they use proper hygiene, they have insurance, HIPPA, etc... The coach has none of these things.

If you don't know what you are doing, you can make matters much, much worse. Its one thing to tell people how to stretch, its quite different doing it for them.

smd wrote:

Did Al also clean their teeth and check their eyesight rather than have them see a licensed professional? It's beyond mind-boggling, especially with the resources he had.

I'm not sure but it sounds like he may have check Galen's prostate.

For a high school coach to massage their athlete is for sure a mistake. But for a professional coach to massage a professional athlete that is not a minor…if that doesn’t fly then massage is basically off the table.

I see no inherent problem within the very specific context.

Is there some super secret way to vet massage therapists, such that you know that arrangement is safe?

yogogkg wrote:

Is there some super secret way to vet massage therapists, such that you know that arrangement is safe?

Yes, they are licensed.

zbt wrote:

I used to run with a great group in Santa Barbara, 'Santa Barbara Running and Racing." It is run by an excellent coach and talented runner, Rusty Snow. Rusty also does sports massage. He does massage for a number of recreational athletes in town in various sports, including some of the people in the running group. I have gotten massages from him many times, which I have found helpful. There is nothing weird or inappropriate about it at all. I acknowledge that in some circumstances it may be a little more edgy, such as a male high school or college coach massaging a young female student runner. OK, but to say that any coach massaging any runner is weird and inappropriate is way off base.

Are you really this stupid? You think giving an example of a coach who also has a business as a massage therapist (Myotech Muscular Therapy) shows that all (or most) coaches should give massages? Really? You see no problem with your very specific sample size of one?

My coach is also a lawyer, should all coaches be able to give legal advice? I guess so, right? I mean, my coach gives me great legal advice.

You are an idiot. More than that, you are just deeply deeply stupid.

It's not necessarily a weird or creepy thing to do.

*It's not a prudent thing to do*.

We lost a wonderful Charter School teacher 2nd grade in Berkeley one year because he had been doing a regular story time group with one student sitting on his lap. Long time, respected teacher with impeccable history. He refused to give up this practice for solid educational reasons. Fired.

An ounce of caution. Or accept the consequences.

oldJelly wrote:

I mean WTF!!!...I have been around a loooooooong time and have never heard of such activity/behavior from a coach. Secondly, given the climate of the last 20+ years, what coach would even consider this even if trained in massage?? Mind boggling.

Perhaps "climate of the last 20+ years" makes the difference, but I've given and received quite a few massages in my day. I guess things have changed, but this was not an uncommon thing to see at track meets back in the day. Massages are really beneficial for athletes coming off of or nursing an injury. Being that coaches generally gave massages at a track meet, I am not sure how you could sexually assault someone out in the open,

Fluid G wrote:

Its the only way to keep the circle of people who know what is being rubbed into your athletes small - fewer chances of leaking that info.

right on target, probably testosterone cream. The whole senario is akin to honor amongst theives

Jamesengle6 wrote:

It's not necessarily a weird or creepy thing to do.

*It's not a prudent thing to do*.

We lost a wonderful Charter School teacher 2nd grade in Berkeley one year because he had been doing a regular story time group with one student sitting on his lap. Long time, respected teacher with impeccable history. He refused to give up this practice for solid educational reasons. Fired.

An ounce of caution. Or accept the consequences.

lol what

More often than not it is a really bad idea. In Salazar’s case there really is no good reason for him to act as a masseur. It does not take hindsight to realize that.

The only time my coach ever touched me was when I displaced a stress fracture. He wanted to know what was going on. The notion of him giving me a massage is very strange to me.

That phrase "solid educational reasons" should have quotes around it denote irony. His explanation in his defense referred to a number of psychologists and educationists who advocate group activitiess using touch and and story- telling....in other cultures.

Imprudent in his society, tho.

It was better in the old days when the best coaches would piss on you in the shower.

Not like this weird stuff going on today.

Coaches giving massages is way more common than is being portrayed here. My first experience working with a training group, the head coach(not licensed) was massaging athletes on a table at track meets. These athletes were high school age and younger, no one seemed to care and I doubt anyone ever questioned if it was right or wrong.

I understand how things COULD be viewed and how it could go bad, but being licensed doesn't eliminate those potential issues. When I became a coach, it was about my 9th or 10th year that I began giving massages. Started off as a last resort due to a lack of options with staffing and resources. I wasn't licensed either but about 3 years later people were literally requesting massages and offering to pay.

Ironically, I've seen more people complain about coaches who provide and administer the weight training program of the athletes than giving massages.

High school coaches shouldn't be giving students "massages". It's just creepy dude.

When you write "massages" are you thinking from your own mindset or some sort of universal reality?

Unless they are an RMT it's because they're a pervert.