Proactive sports massage for runners, cyclists, tennis players and active people at Beverley Road, New Malden KT3 4AW. Training block maintenance, pre-event preparation and post-event recovery. BTEC Level 5, former tennis coach, 65 five-star reviews.
Every training block accumulates tension in the calves, hamstrings, hip flexors, lower back and shoulders. If that tension isn't cleared between sessions, movement patterns compensate to work around it, efficiency drops, and the risk of a genuine injury rises. The niggle that appears in week 8 of marathon training was present in week 3. It just hadn't become problematic yet.
This is the core argument for regular maintenance treatment rather than reactive injury treatment. Athletes who use sports massage proactively train more consistently, recover faster between sessions and accumulate fewer overuse injuries. The runners who book pre-marathon blocks, the cyclists managing load through their season, the recreational tennis players maintaining their shoulder — they all share the same approach: treat before it becomes a problem rather than after.
Or book via Treatwell · Beverley Road, New Malden KT3 4AW
🏁 Pre-Event Preparation — 4 to 7 Days Out
The ideal window for a pre-race session. Deep work with enough time to clear any temporary soreness before race day. Reduces muscle tension, improves range of movement and addresses any tight areas that might restrict performance. Avoid deep work in the final 48 hours. A lighter mobilising session 2-3 days out is better close to competition.
🔄 Post-Event Recovery — 48 to 72 Hours After
Clears metabolic waste, reduces post-event soreness and accelerates the return to training. Particularly valuable after marathons, half marathons and endurance events. The 90-minute session gives enough time to work through the full body — calves, hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors, lower back and upper body where relevant.
📅 Training Block Maintenance — Every 2 to 4 Weeks
The most impactful use of sports massage during a marathon or endurance block. Sessions prevent tension from accumulating to the point where it disrupts training. More frequently during peak training weeks when mileage is highest. This is when niggles are caught and treated before they become injuries that derail the whole block.
🏗️ Off-Season Rebuild — Between Seasons
The off-season is the best time to address the imbalances and compensatory patterns that developed during competition. Deeper work on persistent restrictions, addressing any injuries that were managed through rather than fully resolved, and resetting the body before the next training block begins.
Performance massage is not sport-specific. It adapts to the demands and injury patterns of whatever you do. These are the activities most regularly seen at Beverley Road.
The sport Nick works with most regularly. Hamstring, calf, shin, hip and plantar fascia — all common overuse patterns in marathon training. Runners from Raynes Park Harriers, Kingston AC and Wimbledon Windmilers come for regular training block maintenance.
Nick coached tennis for 8 years at David Lloyd Raynes Park and other venues. He understands racket sport load from the inside. Shoulder mechanics, forearm loading (see tennis elbow) and hip rotation patterns are the primary focus. Also treating padel, squash and badminton players from the local courts.
Hip flexor tightness, IT band and knee loading, lower back compression, the cyclist's characteristic cluster. The Hampton Court and Kingston cycling routes bring a significant local road cycling community to the practice. TT riders and sportive cyclists in particular benefit from regular off-bike maintenance.
Overhead athletes, CrossFit competitors and field sport players all accumulate sport-specific loading patterns: shoulder and thoracic for overhead work, hip and hamstring for sprinting and kicking, forearm and elbow for racket and throwing sports. Performance sessions are tailored to the specific demands of your training and competition schedule.
A performance session starts differently from an injury appointment. There is no primary complaint. The goal is to understand where the body is in its training cycle and what it needs at that specific point. Nick asks about recent training, upcoming events and any areas of tension or early-stage niggles.
Treatment covers the high-priority areas for your sport and training phase. For runners in a high-mileage week, that typically means calves, hamstrings, hip flexors and glutes. For racket sport players, shoulder, upper back and forearm. For cyclists, hip flexors, lower back and IT band. The 90-minute session is the most effective format for performance work, allowing enough time to address the full picture rather than a single area. Deep tissue massage is often the more appropriate approach for athletes, addressing the deeper layers of chronic training tension that surface work cannot reach.
You leave with a specific recommendation for the next session based on your upcoming training and competition schedule. Over time, Nick builds an understanding of your body's patterns: where you hold tension, what responds well, what needs ongoing attention, which makes each session progressively more targeted and effective.
13+ years treating recreational athletes, club runners, cyclists and competitive sportspeople. 8 years coaching tennis at competitive level before specialising in soft tissue therapy, which means an understanding of what training load actually feels like from the athlete's side, how overuse patterns develop over a season, and how to keep a body performing rather than just reacting to injury.
MSMA Member — Sports Massage Association (SMA)
If you hold private health insurance, you may be able to claim sports massage sessions back. Check with your provider. A detailed receipt is provided on request.
"Having been in tears thinking my Copenhagen Marathon was over with a calf injury four weeks out, Nick was incredibly thorough. I was able to make it to the start line and finished in 3 hours 6 minutes. I now look forward to Nick helping me with prevention rather than cure."
"Nick helped me cross the London Marathon finish line happy and injury-free. He provided tailored therapy to support my performance, recovery and alignment throughout training. Nick even messaged to wish me luck on race day."
"Nick gets to the root of the problem every time — I always leave feeling like a completely different person. His technique is the best I have ever experienced."