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Athlete recovery is an integral part of a sportsperson's journey towards peak performance and excellence. It's the phase where the body and mind repair, rejuvenate, and prepare for the next battle, allowing them to consistently push their limits.
In this context, ARC-Athlete Recovery, founded by David Mathias, has emerged as a game-changer in the field of athlete recovery. As an international cricketer with extensive experience in top-level sports, his personal journey has been dotted with challenges, including auto-immune disease, stress fractures, and multiple surgeries.
In an exclusive interaction with Sportskeeda's Business of Sports, Mathias delved into his personal journey, the vision driving ARC, and the brand's unwavering dedication to transforming athlete recovery.
Excerpts from Sportskeeda's conversation with David Mathias, Founder of ARC-Athlete Recovery
Q. Could you tell us more about the founding story of ARC-Athlete Recovery and what inspired you to start this venture?
David Mathias: As an international cricketer for Bahrain and former Ranji trophy player for Karnataka, I have played top-level sport for the past two decades. I have played and travelled with athletes and sports teams for most of my life. I was part of the boom of knowledge and sports-science integration that got injected into cricket post the start of the Indian Premier League. As Indian cricketers started to get fitter and stronger, our abilities grew tremendously.
My own journey involved one auto-immune disease, a stress fracture to the back, and three back-to-back knee surgeries. Each time I was out of action for over a year, but I was fortunate enough to work with some of the best physios and trainers in India to make a comeback to top-level cricket each and every time.
I thought to myself, isn’t recovery just as important as hard work? To me the definition of an athlete is someone who realises that there is no finish line and that the pursuit of excellence is forever. Recovery is a key that keeps you in the game and not watching from the sidelines; this is what inspired me the most.
Q. What motivated you to enter into a partnership with Bengaluru FC as their 'Official Recovery Partner'?
David Mathias: When the possibility of a partnership arose, it excited me because Bengaluru FC have always been pioneers in Indian football, they have historically been the first to do many great things. To put it quite simply we had tremendous synergy from day one. They were extremely passionate about getting the best in recovery products and infrastructure for their players, and we are on a mission to serve the athletes.
Q. Can you elaborate on the vision and mission of ARC-Athlete Recovery, and how it aligns with the ethos of Bengaluru FC?
David Mathias: The vision of ARC-Athlete Recovery is based on the principle that high performance and quality recovery are a necessary combination for reaching greatness. When we talk about the Chicago Bulls being one of the most influential and successful sports teams of all time, metaphorically we could view Michael Jordan as high performance (he is as high performance as it gets), and Scottie Pippen as recovery in the way that he played a supportive role throughout.
Even while considering the variables in recovery, there are plenty of factors that the sportperson solely controls like nutrition, sleep etc. But as a brand we believe that we can introduce products and solutions that act as catalysts to boost and improve the recovery process of every athlete that trusts us with this important component of their performance and growth.
From the day we started our conversation with the team at JSW Sport for Bengaluru FC, it was evident that they were extremely passionate about becoming pioneers in cultivating a culture of recovery amongst their players. We aligned with this ethos and wanted to be in a like-minded environment where we could serve the athlete.
In order to truly add value, we needed their faith in the concept that if the players recovered better every day, in a month’s time it would mean a little. But over the course of a long season, it would mean a lot.
Q. What are some specific challenges that athletes face in terms of recovery, and how does ARC-Athlete Recovery address them?
David Mathias: An athlete’s life is a very interesting one. When they reach a new height or a peak that they have sacrificed everything up to that point for, what happens? After Neeraj Chopra wins a gold or when KL Rahul makes a century in a crucial game, does the journey end for them the next day? No. They need to momentarily savour that success, but very quickly set their sights on the next conquest or the next mountain they must climb as athletes.
As a result of their strenuous efforts to achieve the highest level of performance, they will also push their bodies and minds to the limits. The height of their next peak is determined by the steep decline they create for recovery and repair. They need their recovery to happen then and there; not in a couple of hours’ time or in a day’s time. From the moment the game or competition is over, their repair and recovery for the next battle must begin.
One of the first things we did as a brand was to make ice baths available, accessible, convenient, and also create a comfort around that experience. They have been in practice for decades and are a very potent tool in the athlete’s recovery armoury. Nothing else provides as many benefits for such little investment of time as a dip in ice cold water for 3-4 minutes.
Q. How does ARC-Athlete Recovery's COLD RUSH™ differ from traditional recovery methods, and what are its unique features?
David Mathias: Most of the best things in the world are adaptations of already existing good things that have been tweaked to become much better. The COLD RUSH takes a traditional, tried-and-tested recovery method and amplifies its effects by making it easier to use whenever and wherever you want.
We as a brand have done recovery sessions with multiple clients in the most unusual places, such as parking lots, beaches, bathrooms, balconies, and also in some of the most luxurious hotels and sports dressing rooms. All you need is 80cm of space, some water, and some ice (some of the most easily available commodities), and you are ready to start your recovery process.
In some cases, our clients bring the ice in the previous night and use it as a stimulus to start their day with an ice bath so they are fresh and focused for whatever the day brings.
Q. Are there plans to expand ARC-Athlete Recovery's partnerships with other sports teams or organizations in the future?
David Mathias: We will follow the athletes, and wherever their journey take us. We will aim to honour athletic endeavours by serving them in whatever we can.
Q. What kind of feedback have you received from athletes and sports organizations that have used ARC-Athlete Recovery products?
David Mathias: The feedback aspect is something we have been very hands on with. We recently did an event where around 800-1000 people used our product to take ice baths after an endurance event, and our products were put through the test of how robust they could be. Based on my conversations with the participants, we passed with flying colours.
We have been used by some of the top sports teams and associations in the world like National Cricket Academy, TNPL, Caribbean Premier League, and KPL franchises as well as the Bangladesh Cricket team to name a few.
We have tried to hang on to every bit of constructive feedback, and tried as best we can to incorporate that into our latest upgrade the COLD RUSH 2.0. This is where we made the product taller, stronger, and had more layers of insulation to keep it colder for longer.
So far, the feedback has been positive. We have also been listening to the market carefully to understand what the needs are, and will continue to remain market- and value-driven at our very core, always.
Q. What is the vision for ARC-Athlete Recovery in the coming years, both in terms of product development and partnerships? Finally, could you elaborate on your long-term goals and vision for the company?
David Mathias: Long term, we would love to grow into a brand that plays a pivotal role in an athlete’s journey to greatness. Let the world focus on the accolades, the medals, and the victories. ARC-Athlete Recovery will be the 14th man, the invisible player, focused solely on helping these brave individuals recover better every day so they can inspire us in the way only they can.
