Senior therapist, practising since 2007
Richard Clarke
Senior therapist at Sports & Deep Tissue Massage Swansea, covering Swansea and Neath, and the therapist behind the practice.
Background
Studied the science, then put it to work
Richard holds an honours degree in sport and exercise science. The degree gave him a working understanding of how muscle, connective tissue and the nervous system behave under load, and how the body responds to the demands placed on it. That understanding shapes every session he delivers.
It also led him into research. His work on sports massage has been published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine and the International Journal of Sports Medicine, two of the most widely cited publications in the field. Very few practising therapists have research in either.
Client history
The athletes he has worked with
Across his career Richard has worked with competitors at the very top of their sports, as well as the teams and squads behind them.
World champion boxers
Working with fighters through training camps and around competition.
National, Commonwealth and Olympic swimmers
Supporting swimmers carrying heavy training loads in and out of the water.
First class and national teams
Extended work with team environments rather than one off appointments.
Professional rugby and football
Pitch-side support across many seasons, at the moment injuries actually happen.
A taekwondo world champion
Working with the specific demands of a combat sport.
National women's under 18 squads
Supporting emerging athletes through age group competition.
Why the pitch-side work matters
Treating an athlete in the minutes after a knock is a different discipline from working in a quiet treatment room. Decisions have to be made quickly, with a clear head, about what is safe to push and what needs to wait.
Many seasons of that, across professional rugby and football, have shaped how Richard judges pressure. It is why he knows exactly when to go deeper, and when going deeper would do more harm than good. That judgement is the part clients notice most.
- Treating national, Commonwealth and Olympic level athletes
- Pitch-side support across many professional seasons
- Judgement built from real match day situations
How he works
Same approach, whoever you are
The standard of work does not change because you are not a professional athlete. Most of the clients Richard sees are office workers, drivers, tradespeople and people getting back into exercise, and they receive exactly the same care and attention as the professionals he has worked with.
Every session starts with an honest conversation. What hurts, what you have already tried, what you want from the appointment. Only then does any work begin, and the pressure is adjusted continuously throughout to what your body can actually work with on the day.
Credentials at a glance
- Senior therapist, practising since 2007
- Honours degree in sport and exercise science
- Research published in two international medical journals
- Multiple massage and treatment qualifications
- Pitch-side support across many professional seasons
Booking with Richard
Arrange an appointment
Richard covers Swansea and Neath. Send an enquiry below or call and we will find a time that suits you.