Complimentary health fitness sporttherapy's Blog

I’ve just returned from a cutting edge shoulder course taught by Jean-Pierre Barall himself. The first day was a very frustrating yet exciting event. I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling wondering what the past 20 years in sports therapy meant to me. This course was not only cutting edge, but a completely new exploration of the shoulder and it’s anatomy at a level my hands had never been before. Everytime we practiced on each other, my mind would shift to ‘weight’ what kind of touch am I supposed to apply? Is it light like cranial? or heavy like deep tissue work? is it visceral? is it intention? Anatomy should be anatomy wherever you go, but the precision of this work was mind blowing and by the end of the course I can clearly say my hands knew what to do, even if my mind seemed to interfere with the work.
To sum it up in a few words. The shoulder course I just completed is applying visceral work to the shoulder joint. It’s about listening to the body and locating the precise point to work with an insertion point and muscle,artery, nerve and to release the related organ which not only is an organ in function but with the mind-body connection.
I feel very privileged and lucky to have had the chance to train with such a wonderful tutor and ‘brain’. I look forward to applying some or all of the techniques in shoulder related injuries : )