Hands-On??

[Andrea H]

MMMkay... so I'm gonna go ahead and use my First Official Post to prove JUST how ignorant I am about this whole massage thing....

Our first class is Saturday (this coming) and it is orientation. Sunday, according to the Owner will be a 'hands-on' day because he isn't sure if there will be more students joining the class the following week (so far there are 5 enrolled counting me); he doesn't want to have to re-lecture the class I'm assuming. Soooo.... what DOES hands-on mean? Surely, we won't be learning any massage techniques without a lecture to explain WHAT we are learning, right?

I guess I just want to know what to expect... any help is, as always, very appreciated.

Julie

 

[JC Rules!]

Hands on means just that Hands on. You can pretty much bank on doing some massaging.

Wow that is a small class!!! Good Luck with school. Keep us posted on how things go for you.

 

[Atherfool]

the only way to really teach hand-on work is to have you stand next to your table and learn strokes, posture, etc.

i think you're a little nervous.
it'll be all okay... t045

 

[Zahid]

I remember my first day (evening classes of MT school). The teacher put us in two rows. Then he told us to take off our shoes and socks. You should have seen the look on some of my classmates faces as they were told to stick their foot in the lap of the classmate opposite them. Yup, we started with Reflexology. And the way they squirmed about working on someone's feet that first day, you had to wonder how they were going to handle a totally unclothed client... :roll:
(We got our tables a couple days later...)
So yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if you do end up having a portion of "hands on" training that first week. My class consisted of 8 girls and 2 guys. The class following mine was 8 girls.
Personally I think small classes can be a great thing, especially for the technique and hands on portions of training as it assures that you'll get lots of personal attention!

 

[Jimmy R]

I would say to be ready with linens and oil or lotion.

 

[davemorton007]

Wow.... thanks for all the super fast responses!

Heh... I must say that I am super shocked to be starting with hands-on things. I figured there would be TONS of book work before I ever laid my hands on another person. Mush... You totally nailed it! I'm petrified! I've been out of the 'school' setting for almost 7 years now. Any kind of class work is frightening to me. Feet... I could care less about touching someone else's toes, but thanks for the heads up so I can stop off for a pedicure before class.... Just in case! LOL

Thanks so much... I'm so thrilled to have found this group!!

 

[manny k.]

At my school we had technique classes 3 days a week and A&P one day a week. So the hands on started right away. The first thing we did was learn body mechanics so our partner remained clothed and we practiced our stances and touching the body in the different stances. This was our first experience touching our partner and I was surprised at how nervous I was. But it got better after just one exchange of "clothed" practice.

 

[skmathew67]

Hands-On??

MMMkay... so I'm gonna go ahead and use my First Official Post to prove JUST how ignorant I am about this whole massage thing....
Julie

Hi Julie & welcome to the forum! All I have to say (OK, maybe not ALL, if you've read my typical posts lol) is, don't feel ignorant! I think I got my FIRST massage IN massage school (!) and I can remember being VERY apprehensive about it...my mind was going a million miles a minute. Typical stream of thought was as follows: "omigosh, I'm NAKED? Holy cow...well OK, I GUESS I'm OK with the MT seeing everything, I mean chances are she's seen everything before, right? No big deal, right? OK, psyching myself up now...still nervous though. Oh wait--say that again? I'm gonna be covered with a sheet? REALLY? (!) You say she's not going to see anything except what she's working on...and that's just arms, legs, back, neck? Oh COOL! OK, I dig this. Where do I sign up?!" LOL

So as you can see, we all have our, um, learning experiences and moments of enlightenment & all...

1) Breathe
2) Yep, you're probably gonna actually be massaging. Don't worry, no one expects you to be an expert. Yes, it's very interesting to have someone (probably still a perfect starnger) facedown on the table in front of you, with their bare back staring back at you and you're supposed to ignore everything that's been drilled into you about different levels of "personal space" and you're supposed to touch their nekkid body. I remember being clueless and clumsy and nervous as all hell. But, you get past it, and pretty soon you'll be so laid-back that you're like "oh, they're just glutes!" And you don't even really think of it as your butt anymore LOL And don't worry--if your school is anything like mine (and chances are it will be, ks we're both from TX) you'll just be doing some basic effleurage (long gliding) strokes on the back or something...and that's IF you don't work through the clothes OR just watch the MTI do a demo first.
3) Breathe some more
4) Relax
5) You'll be fine

Hope that helps We've all been there!
Hugs,
~Jyoti

 

[aloha]

Hands-On??

MMMkay... so I'm gonna go ahead and use my First Official Post to prove JUST how ignorant I am about this whole massage thing....

Our first class is Saturday (this coming) and it is orientation. Sunday, according to the Owner will be a 'hands-on' day because he isn't sure if there will be more students joining the class the following week (so far there are 5 enrolled counting me); he doesn't want to have to re-lecture the class I'm assuming. Soooo.... what DOES hands-on mean? Surely, we won't be learning any massage techniques without a lecture to explain WHAT we are learning, right?

I guess I just want to know what to expect... any help is, as always, very appreciated.

Julie

Hands on means that you will be starting massage. We did massages the very first day of class without any lecture. We were shown a few movements and went at doing them. We were all very crude and it was hilarious now thinking back on it, but where I go to school we have been doing hands on from day one and it hasn't stopped

 

[Dazzle.]

Alrighty... welp, sounds like this is the norm then. Thank God I'm a massage addict... I couldn't imagine being in Jyoti's shoes! LMAO... that was great, I needed that bit of comedic relief in my chaotic thought process! LOL

Still, I must admit.... this is sorta like just throwing a Dental Assistant Student in with one of those little plaque scrapers and spit suckers on the first day! LOL (However, in all honesty, I would rather be on the massage table than that dentist chair!) I just figured we'd have some trainin' first!

Again, thanks!!!!!! :wink:

 

[and improved!]

Alrighty... welp, sounds like this is the norm then. Thank God I'm a massage addict... I couldn't imagine being in Jyoti's shoes! LMAO... that was great, I needed that bit of comedic relief in my chaotic thought process! LOL

Glad I could help LOL

...and spit suckers...

LMELAO ... sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread, but this one had me on the floor

Hugs,
~Jyoti

PS: TJ, you're hysterical

 

[Vote Repubs Nov 2010!]

Awww... thanks Jyoti! I do what I can with what little I have! LOL

 

[Ale]

At least you'll be better prepared than the woman sitting next to me at the start of my massage course. She turned pale and said to me: "We have to undress? I thought we'd be learning to massage through our clothes..."
It is true, though, that the hardest move you make on a massage course is the first time you touch a stranger - it's a big leap for those of us brought up in non-tactile societies. You'll be nervous, but don't worry. So is everyone else, but after a few weeks you won't even think about it!

 

[corvette!!]

So how did it go, Julie? Tell us all...

 

[Pompal 09.]

my first class we did hands on work too. we were actually just seated in our chairs and first started out just having our hands resting on the shoulders of one of our classmates...just kinda of breathing and relaxing. then we just did some simple working of the shoulders and arms to become familiar with touch. it's a really natural thing to do. i think people just forget that.

hope it went great! have fun with it~

 

[ashleystone37]

Hey there. Thanks for asking about me!!

So.... I went. I had convinced myself Friday night that I wasn't going to go. Freaked out by the 'school' atmosphere, I guess. Didn't even set my alarm. Prayed all night for a 'sign'... something to let me know if I was doing the right thing. Welp, I woke up at 5:45 a.m. on Saturday morning. The EXACT time I had set my alarm for and then turned it off. I figured that was sign enough. So up I got and went to school.

Come to find out, I'm the 'elder' of the class at the ripe old age of 24. The youngest in the class is seventeen. :roll: Never figured I'd be the oldest one. Saturday was orientation.... figuring out schedules and rules and whatnot. Came back Sunday and did some hands-on work. Learned the basic strokes, that kind of thing. I *did* learn one very important thing. I do NOT want to be on the table FIRST. (we pair up, one 'learns' first and then is on the table after lunch) The instruction for the morning session took nearly two hours. The afternoon instruction (since everyone had heard it once before regardless of who was on the table) took about 45 minutes. I can't really believe that you learn the same amount of stuff being first on the table. I know when *I* was on the table, I just kinda zoned out.

Anyway,.... School was cool. Teacher is awesome. Students are bit young, but we'll muddle through. I found myself awake Monday morning WISHING I could go back right then. This every other weekend mess sucks!! I wish we went Monday through Friday! :wink:

Thanks for all the help and support, folks! I really appreciate it!

 

[oneclickwonder]

Glad you enjoyed your first class

As far as being the oldest in the class - that would be me. Heck, I was even older than all of my teachers in the first quarter. (btw-I am 37 yrs old).

 

[Ron]

Wow, the oldest at 24! I'm a mere 52, but luckily not everyone else in my class is under 24.
Glad you enjoyed it. As we all said, the first touch is the hardest. From now on it just gets better and better...

 

[Like legitly legit]

How great to have such a small class!! I consider myself lucky, too - I'm the only girl in a class of 4 students, and my school usually has the max students enrolled - 22!! So I have no idea how our class ended up so little, but it means we get loooots of one-on-one instructor attention.

I'm so glad you decided to go after all. I was mortified re: touching a stranger for the first time in class - I had only given my sisters backrubs, and even then, we're not an affectionate/touchy family by any means. Now it's starting to feel like old hat

Man, at 24, I'm the youngest student in my class by 15 years. LOL. It's amazing to hear about such a young age range in your class!!

Best of luck and keep us very posted!!!

 

[SugarByte]

i'll let you in an a little secret you'll come to know....

you will actually learn more ON the table than when you're giving the treatment. that was always my experience anyway. in fact, after 6 years of working i still find it to be true. i learn with each massage i receive...no matter who it's from. whether it's good or bad. you always learn so much from being on the table.