All of us have to confront the Pressures from Daily Living, but Professional Athletes must perform under extreme conditions. Some of these have come forth to share their secrets of coping and coming off successful using Kava to Relax:
Sika Manu says he escaped a gang life by shifting from New Zealand to Australia after signing with Melbourne Storm sports team, is backing the natural and traditional potion’s supposed healing powers to get back to 100 percent in time for the decider.
Manu felt his right hamstring tighten in the Storm’s preliminary final win over Cronulla but is confident it will be right for the big one in Sydney – with kava to play a big role.
“It just relaxes you,” Manu said of the drink, made from the roots of the kava plant, which he takes from a half-cut coconut.
“I’m not too sure if it helps you recover or not. I just know it relaxes me.”
Manu says he takes kava at least three times a week.
Several of his teammates are also known to favour the drink that is traditional to Pacific Island communities. They brought back a batch of it from New Zealand after their round-20 loss to the Warriors.
Manu’s housemate, Storm prop Jeff Lima, said his younger teammate loved the drink.
“Every day he drinks it. He got a tip off Ruben Wiki that it’s good for your body and it hydrates you at the same time,” Lima said.
Wiki is the NRL face of kava promotion. The retired Warrior drinks it after every game and his love of it is not lost on his younger countrymen.
Storm physiotherapist Mary Toomey said the club did not have a problem with players drinking kava in moderation.
“I just have to trust them to be responsible with it,” Toomey said.
“It’s a cultural tradition and they believe it’s important. We respect that.
“It appears from my observations that it has a mildly sedative effect and helps them to relax. They certainly feel it helps them recover.
“My gut feeling is it helps them relax and wind down.”
Manu, who shot to fame in rugby league circles for his tackle on Ashton Sims that led to Greg Inglis’s matchwinning try against Brisbane in the semi-final, described being part of a grand final team as a “dream”.
What Is Kava?
- Kava is consumed in various ways throughout Polynesia, Vanuatu, Melanesia and some parts of Micronesia.
- Traditionally it is prepared by chewing, grinding or pounding the roots of the kava plant.
- Chewing is followed by depositing into a bowl, mixing with water and straining through the cloth-like fibre of a coconut tree.
- Kava is a tranquilliser, primarily consumed to induce relaxation without disrupting mental clarity.
( NRL Fox Sports Dave Donaghy & Colleen Petch)
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KAVA Yum yum ... Sika Manu prepares the brown broth
