Massage Student Tips

Maybe it has been several years since you graduated from high school or college. Or maybe you never developed good study habits when you were in school and you barely scraped by. But now, things are different. You want to succeed in your new career of massage and there is so much to learn. So many new words and so much anatomy and physiology to memorize, not to mention all of those muscle origins and insertions...

What should you do? How will you ever get through?

In class, write down everything that the massage instructor writes on the board. Take good notes while he/she lectures.

When the instructor says you will have a quiz or a test, the instructor means it. That means for you to re-read and study extra so that you are prepared. Don't be nervous. If you have studied, then you are prepared. Just go in to class, answer the questions that you have studied for, and you will be fine.

One of my most important massage student tips is to make flash cards of all of the muscles you have to learn. Buy some 3"x5" index cards. Make photocopies of the muscle pictures in your textbook. Cut them out and cut out the information about the muscles and glue them onto the flash cards. Write notes down on the cards. Or, if you can find them, buy flash cards.

When I was a student, I looked all over for flash cards, but there were none. So I made my own. Now they have muscle flash cards online and in stores sometimes. Honestly, it is easier to buy them, but if you cannot find them, make them yourself. They make studying and memorizing muscles so much easier.

Do not stay up late at night studying. You need a good amount of sleep to be able to stay awake and concentrate in class and while you are studying.

Find a family member or a friend who you can practice your massage techniques on. If no one will help you, team up with another massage student in your class. Take turns practicing on each other after class.

Another of my important massage student tips is to buy a massage table as soon as possible so that you can practice without having to bend over on a bed, a couch, or the floor. It is much easier to practice massage on an actual massage table that you can adjust to the perfect height so you can practice good posture and body mechanics.

First, DON'T PANIC!

Take a deep breath and tell yourself that you can succeed. Then make up your mind to do so. If you keep telling yourself that you made a mistake and that it is too hard and you cannot do it, you will believe that and quit. Don't let this happen to you.

Understand that it is natural to feel overwhelmed when you start school. Not only do you have to read and understand medical terminology, but you also have to learn how to give massage at the same time and practice massage techniques each and every day.

Next on my list of massage student tips is plan out your time. Buy a cheap planner at a dollar store or at Wal-Mart and learn to schedule your time in blocks--class time, massage practice time, textbook reading time, not to mention all of the other things going on in your personal time.

Understand that for the time being, your classes and study time will have to come first. That means making sure your family knows this. It also means saying no to a lot of unnecessary requests from friends, family, church, and work. It will be rough, but it is only temporary until school is over.

Turn the TV off and find a quiet place to read and study. Get some caffeine to stay awake. Read your textbooks with a highlighter and a notepad and pen handy.

Highlight important things and jot down notes of things you want to find out more about. Include the page number so you can ask your massage instructor in class. You can also look things up that you don't understand in a good medical dictionary such as Taber's or look them up online.

There are many good massage information web sites, like this one, that provide massage student tips to you free of charge. I do it because I have been there, done that, and I want to help and encourage you. You can make it through school and be successful if you believe it! Believe in yourself. You can do it. How do I know? Because I did it and if I did it, you can do it, too!

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