Massage Chairs in Sports—An Interview with the Würth Künzelsau Fencing Club

Relaxation, pain relief, stress reduction—we know that massages are ideal treatments for a variety of ailments, but also simply for helping us recover better. Another key area of application for massages is undoubtedly sports. We had the opportunity to equip the Würth Künzelsau Fencing Club with a massage chair and took the chance to conduct an interview. Sports Director Dominik Behr and his athletes Josephine, Tiziana, and Lena explain why the fencing club chose a massage chair and what benefits it brings to their daily training routine.

 

Recommended Reading: From Head to Toe: How Massages Help

 

In Search of Ways to Recharge—Dominik Behr's Journey to the Massage Chair

The starting point was that, as a sports club, we naturally deal with the topic of recovery in sports on an ongoing basis. We were therefore looking for a flexible way to provide treatments to as many of our female athletes as possible. The massage chair is a very flexible solution that doesn’t require physical therapists or massage therapists. Athletes can treat themselves to a massage at any time without an appointment and immediately feel more relaxed than they do right after training, when they’re naturally working with increased muscle tension most of the time. Our goal was to make massages accessible to all our athletes and to shorten recovery time after peak performance.

The massage chair is used before training, at the end of training, and at any time between training sessions, benefiting the entire team. I also use it myself after a long day of training, mostly selecting the “Master” program, where I just have to press a single button and the relaxation program runs automatically.

How did you end up Massagesessel Welt ?

A colleague of mine found you after doing some online research, and we decided to just stop by and get some advice on massage chairs. The consultation was definitely the deciding factor in our purchase decision; we felt very comfortable here right away and got the impression that, should we have any further questions or even any complaints, we’d have a partner by our side who would handle everything in a completely hassle-free way. That was also very important to us when investing in such a high-end product—not being left to deal with it on our own if the worst were to happen.

After trying out many massage chairs and having the differences explained to us, we decided on the Master Drive Plus A.I. 2.0 model from OGAWA. I’m personally very satisfied with it, and the feedback from my athletes has been extremely positive—as we can tell from how intensively they’re using it.

What are the female athletes' expectations of the massage chair?

Lena Stempfer won the bronze medal in the U20 sabre event at the 2022 German Championships. We wanted to know when she prefers to use the massage chair—and, above all, how.

I usually feel very tense after long car rides to tournaments, but also in general from the fencing itself. Because of the physical tension required, you tend to get stiffness in the neck area. I love the wide selection of programs and use the one for the neck most often. I often go through several massage programs in a row, and afterward I’m so relaxed that I could go straight to bed to sleep—so it’s really restorative. I’m more relaxed and flexible during training, and that’s a huge plus in fencing.

Josephine Kober, you won silver at the 2022 Würth Championship in the U17 division—a great achievement. How important is relaxation after sports for you?

Relaxation is an important factor for all of us. Personally, I use the massage chair most intensively after a tournament, when I’ll sometimes go through two or even three programs. After a regular training session, I usually limit myself to just one program due to time constraints. The hip program also comes in very handy between school and training, since I spend a lot of time sitting during the day. One of my favorite features is the heat therapy for the feet, which I find incredibly relaxing. It instantly relieves minor tension or mild aches and pains, and I’m ready to train again.

Clearing your head is also important in sports. So having a tablet that lets us stream our favorite shows while getting a massage is very relaxing. We don’t have much free time outside of school and training, which is why many of us athletes enjoy and appreciate the time in the massage chair as a mental break.

Dominik, how satisfied were you with the delivery, installation, and training?

It was already Massagesessel Welt from the consultation and our general interaction with Massagesessel Welt that we were in good hands. So we had complete confidence in the delivery—and rightly so. After a quick discussion of the details upon delivery, the OGAWA Master Drive Plus A.I. 2.0 arrived the very next day, was set up professionally and quickly, and its features were explained to us once again in great detail. All in all, it was truly a great experience from a customer’s perspective, and since then it has been working flawlessly, delighting our athletes time and time again at the touch of a button.

I think the massage chair will be a great help to us in terms of recovery and relaxation in sports, and will therefore contribute not only to making training more enjoyable but also to our success in tournaments.

We’d like to thank Dominik Behr, the sports director of the Würth Künzelsau Fencing Club, and athletes Lena Stemper, Tiziana Nitschmann, and Josephine Kober for the interview and for sharing their experiences with the massage chair. We wish the entire club continued success and, above all, plenty of time for recovery and relaxation with your new OGAWA massage chair.