Taaj Jaharah, M.A., M.S., A.T.C., R.M.T., L.A.T.

Serving Professional Athletic and Performance Communities, Movement Coaching and Re-Training 

 

Boosting Your Performance on the Court or on the Stage

Maximizing Flexibility, Dexterity, Ease of Movement and Endurance, Minimizing Injuries, Re-Training Alignment and Movement

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          Movement Re-training for high levels of performance for athletes and performers who use their bodies professionally.

          Available for elite athletics, film, Broadway and television.

          Consulting to Professional Coaches, Teams, Athletes and Performers

          Creating Greater Efficiency, Fluidity, Flexibility and Effortlessness in

          Athletic and Performance Abilities through Movement Re-Training.

          Have served athletes on all NBA teams, Broadway, Television, Film, Music (lists upon request).

          Physicality of Character Development as well as Athletic Movement.

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Recent "RESPECT" MGM Studios

"Godfather of Harlem" for Forest Whitaker 

New Orleans Pelicans NBA

"Eclipsed" Movement Coach for Lupita Nyong'o Golden Theatre-Broadway 

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http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/11/learning-lear-feeling-the-pain/

Learning ‘Lear’: Feeling the Pain

By JOHN LITHGOW JULY 11, 2014 11:41 AM

John Lithgow in rehearsal at the Public Theater.

Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

 

John Lithgow, a Tony-winning actor and writer, will be regularly blogging on ArtsBeat as he rehearses “King Lear” for Shakespeare in the Park.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/11/learning-lear-feeling-the-pain/

 

At 3 p.m. the very next day, Taaj Jaharah arrived at the door of my apartment. Taaj is the Public Theater's go-to physiotherapy miracle worker.

She takes care of actors, dancers, singers, and even world-class professional athletes.  She's fairly exotic, even in the exotic world of showbiz

(and I can't begin to imagine her striding into the training room of an NBA team.)  Wiry, petite, and clad in tight black warm-up gear, she resembles

a kind of elfin Mrs. Danvers, without the sinister streak.

 

Taaj took charge of me.  She listened intently as I told her about my recent woes and about the demands of our production.  She watched me

walk up and down a hallway.  She ordered me onto the floor and pressed her fingers into key spots on my shoulders, back, hips and feet.  She 

gently guided me through some stress-free stretches, placing my legs in positions they had never been in before.  Through all of this, she told

me, in abtruse phrases which I could barely follow, what was happening inside my skin, in the complex tangle of my bones, muscles and ligaments.

 

By some kind of witchcraft, she persuaded me in minutes that everything was going to be all right.  The oppressive weight of worry simply disappeared, and her job was half done. That was four days ago.  By now I've had three sessions.  I'll have several more in the days to come.  My back is already well on its way to full recovery.  And now, rather than fretting about walking sticks, back surgery, and herniated disks, I can go back to worrying about the unintended consequences of dividing my kingdom among my three quarrelsome daughters.

 

And I've never felt so grateful when I tie my shoes in the morning.

 

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The official site of the Chicago Bulls

bulls.com

There’s a secret to Stackhouse’s success

-- It seemed like two years ago I was listening to Jerry Stackhouse’s NBA radio program on Sirius, and it was pretty good. Stack didn’t pull punches, like when he became an NBA hero for decking Christian Laettner on a Pistons road trip. But one of the more remarkable stories of the season has been Stackhouse’s resurrection with the Nets at 38, pushing out MarShon Brooks, at least for now. He’s averaging 7.3 points, but has scored in double figures his last there averaging 14 points and nine of 15 on threes, including nine of 12 threes in wins over the Knicks and Celtics. But Stack has a secret. It’s Taaj Jaharah, an innovative New York trainer and therapist whose work on agility and flexibility basically throughout his career helped Kareem Abdul-Jabbar play until he was 42 and at a high level. “I have worked with him (Stackhouse) since his rookie year in Philly,” Jaharah said in an email. “He has been fastidious in his desire to continue to retrain and to maintain his ease of movement, a truly dedicated athlete. They don't last 18 years in the league without that.” It’s a great lesson for young kids. Players like Abdul-Jabbar and Stackhouse realized when they were kids that training their bodies for that sort of flexibility would extend their career. They probably never realized how long. And this at a time whether to just keep busy more players than ever seem to want to continue their careers. There are eight players at least 38 with the return of Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace and Derek Fisher and Grant Hill and Kurt Thomas over 40.

---Sam Smith Monday 12/3/12

 

http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/smith_121203.html