Hi Carson, welcome to our forum and to the Thai Foot Massage certification program. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with our certification checklist to make sure that it is all correctly organized:
As explained in section 1 of the certification checklist, I changed your display name to the name which you listed on the certification registration so that our records are synchronized. Also could you please fill in the bio section in your forum profile so that I have an idea about your background, massage experience (or lack of it), where you live, what you are trying to accomplish with the course, etc.
We are neighbors since we are located in Thailand. Where in Malaysia do you live?
Do you have a practice partner?

December 5, 2018

Shama said
Hi Carson, welcome to our forum and to the Thai Foot Massage certification program. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with our certification checklist to make sure that it is all correctly organized:As explained in section 1 of the certification checklist, I changed your display name to the name which you listed on the certification registration so that our records are synchronized. Also could you please fill in the bio section in your forum profile so that I have an idea about your background, massage experience (or lack of it), where you live, what you are trying to accomplish with the course, etc.
We are neighbors since we are located in Thailand.
Where in Malaysia do you live?
Do you have a practice partner?
Hi Shama
Yes, we are neighbour. I live in Johor, the southern part of Malaysia.
I hope that I can become an expert in Thai massage after I finish all these courses.
I do not have a practice partner. I just simply ask someone from my spa and see if he or she is ok for me to practise what I have learnt on them ?

December 5, 2018

Shama said
So you can practice on someone, just not on a regular partner, right? Is anyone in your spa doing Thai Massage already, or are you introducing this as a new style?
Yes I have someone to practice on and will try to practice on the same partner if required.
And yes, we are going to include Thai massage in our menu.

December 5, 2018

Module 2
I have learnt 3 different techniques from this module. Same as Module 1, these techniques focus on working on feet (the 3 energy lines). Learning how to use these techniques correctly are important. Very little or no pressure should be given to our thumbs to avoid injuries.
I am assuming it is easier or more convenient to perform these 3 techniques on one foot first, then only move to another foot. So that we do not have to move left and right repeatedly after we perform each technique.
Actually it is a good idea to practice on more than one person. In this way you get a feeling for different sizes of feet and different degrees of stiffness or flexibility.
You are right, stay on one foot as long as possible and then switch to the other foot. Going back and forth all the time between two feet feels quite weird.

December 5, 2018

Module 3
Techniques learnt in this module are slightly more than the previous 2 modules.
Firstly, attention needs to be paid on the rhythm while working on the feet. The rhythm is uneven, shorter when our upper body is moving forwards from the right to the left, longer when our upper body is moving backwards from the left to the right. Making sure our client's feet is parallel (not wide open) is important. This technique is different from the rest as it can be worked on the feet all the way up to the legs.
Secondly, we apply pressure with our thumbs on the middle hole on top of the feet while pulling in both feet with our palms. Then we can start working on those 4 energy lines on top of the feet with thumb circling and palm heel circling movements.
Thirdly, we work on both sides (edges) of the feet, starting from the inner sides with thumb circling followed by thumb pulling movements. We can also work on the malleolus parts with thumb pulling technique. Repeat the same techniques (instead of using our thumbs, we use fingertips) to work around the outer sides/edges of the feet. Next, we can work on both sides of the malleolus by squeezing and pulling with our thumbs and index fingers.
Lastly, we can apply circular and sliding movements with our thumbs on the groove between the inner achilles tendon and medial malleolus. Same techniques can be applied on the groove between the outer achilles tendon and medial malleolus while the client is in the prone position.
*Take a deep breath*
These techniques are very useful, I can already feel its greatness even before I start practising them on my clients!

December 5, 2018

Module 4
I have learnt how to use the 'harder' parts of my body (forearms, elbows, knees, feet and fists) to work on someone's body who is in the side or prone position. These techniques do not require tons of strength or muscles. We need to make sure the client's feet are properly placed in a comfortable position before we can perform these techniques, especially while we perform the last technique with our fists.

December 5, 2018

Module 5
Unlike previous few modules, this module focuses on how we can move a client's feet in 6 different ways (bend out, bend in, bend down, bend up, twist out and twist in) and a special wiggling technique to loosen stiff feet.
Placing our palms on the right places of a client's feet and maintaining the right position of our arms and body are important. Always start with light pressure and increase the pressure gradually (be aware of the level of pressure a client can accept).

December 5, 2018

Shama said
So what kind of feedback do you get from your practice partners? Do they like it? Do they offer any suggestions for improvement? Do you feel that it is going well with them?
They felt great and they asked if I can do more! I said no, that's it for today, they need to wait another day, LOL! They asked why I sweated a lot, I guess it may be because I am not used the positions yet?

December 5, 2018

Module 6
I checked the level of stiffness/flexibility of my practice partner before I perform these techniques. I found out that she sprained her right ankle few weeks ago. So I performed the techniques with lighter pressure and more support on her right ankle. She felt the differences immediately!
I personally love the compression/traction technique combined with the rotating techniques. It gave my practice partner a whole new massage experience!
I ended the session with the toe-pull-wiggle and 2 relaxation techniques.
I think I am starting to fall in love with Thai Massage...LOL!
Oh boy, you are about to become an addict! That happened to me 20 years ago, and I never recovered from my Thai Massage addiction! Well, there are worse things in life than that!
Anyway, that's really the secret - if you love this work, you can't help but get good at it.
I do show you how to put it all together. But keep in mind that this is not meant to be a rigid sequence of techniques which you have to follow step-by-step. So feel free to be creative and modify it. The Thai Foot Massage part of the course is really meant as an addition to Thai Massage, or to improve someone's Thai Massage. You can also use it as a stand-alone therapy, but that is not the main purpose of it.
The reflexology part of the course is totally meant to be a stand-alone system, and there is a session where I demonstrate the entire flow, or how it could be done. Again, this is not a rigid thing.
The third section of the course is therapy training for specific foot conditions, and that's also not a rigid sequence. So it is useful to follow the sequence as I demonstrate it, but just remember not to get stuck with one way of doing it.

December 5, 2018

Module 7
This module is where everything starts getting more interesting! I have learnt quite a few new methods and techniques, all done with our hands.
Thumbs aren't the only part we use to perform foot massage, we can also use other parts, such as knuckles and the heels of our hands do it. This way we can make sure we won't overstress our fingers as different parts of hands can be use interchangeably during a foot massage session.

December 5, 2018

Module 8
Thai foot massage can be done on a massage chair, massage bed and floor mat. For longer sessions of foot massage, the use of massage chair is recommended.
Bad ergonomics can lead to serious health issues for massage therapists. We can make good use of our body weight and supports (i.e. cushions, our thighs and etc.), instead of just using our hands to do massage.
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