Event work is a different job from clinic work. It is shorter, more specific, and timed around performance rather than around a treatment plan.
Before
Brisk, stimulating and short — usually ten to fifteen minutes. The aim is to increase blood flow, sharpen the muscles you are about to use and get you mentally ready. Deep work immediately before competing is a mistake: it leaves muscles sluggish and sore exactly when you need them responsive.
After
Slower and more thorough, aimed at flushing the muscles, easing the tightness that follows hard effort, and getting you recovering sooner. Where there are back-to-back events, this is often what decides how the second one goes.
On-site cover
I cover events directly — fight nights and tournaments in particular. Day rate covers the event; get in touch with the date and what is needed.
Timing matters more than technique
The single most common mistake is a deep sports massage the day before competing. Deep work causes micro-trauma and soreness, and the day before is exactly when you cannot afford either.
As a rough guide: deep work no closer than three or four days out, light flushing work up to the day before, and short stimulating work on the day itself. If you have never had treatment before, an event is not the day to start — try it in training first, where a bad reaction costs you nothing.
What to tell me beforehand
Your event and start time, what you are competing in, any current niggles, and whether you have had pre-event work before. If you are making weight, say so — it changes what is sensible, and cupping in particular is a bad idea before a weigh-in because of the marks.
Between rounds and back-to-back days
At tournaments and fight nights the job is usually shorter still: keep the athlete warm, keep the tissue moving, deal with cramp, and get them ready to go again. This is not the time for anything new or aggressive.
Where events run over consecutive days, the evening treatment is often what decides how the second day goes.
Booking event cover
On-site cover is charged at a day rate and covers the event rather than a fixed number of athletes. Get in touch with the date, the location, the sport and roughly how many people need covering, and I will tell you whether it is workable.