A former professional rugby player, Riaz Fredericks started his career in his home town Perth, where, at 16, he was first selected to represent his provincial team in Western Australia. Riaz would go on to represent Western Australia throughout all the age groups before being selected for the senior Western Australian team at age 21.
That same year Riaz left Perth and travelled to the east coast to join Sydney Premiere Club Eastern Suburbs. At Easts, Riaz played first grade rugby with five current Australian Wallabies, one of whom was the Australian captain and legend number eight Tim Gavin. After a season at Easts, Riaz travelled to Hong Kong for what was meant to be an off-season stint with a local rugby club. That short trip turned into an epic adventure, that lead to high-level rugby being played throughout Asia, Australia, Europe and North America.
Riaz was living in Hong Kong when the 1997 Rugby World Cup Sevens were being hosted, days before the tournament Riaz played in the Hong Kong Tens tournament. Based on his play there, he was selected as a reserve player for all the World Cup teams. Hong Kong took some early injuries and he was drafted to the Hong Kong team where he joined in their success as they beat Ireland, Scotland and Argentina before losing in the final of the plate competition.
After sustaining a neck injury in the World Cup that almost ended his career, Riaz returned to his family home in Perth for close to two years before returning to rugby. A short stint in Hong Kong lead to European Cup winning club, Ulster, recruiting Riaz for the 1999-2000 season, a broken thumb would hamper his season, but not before Riaz scored a length of the field try against rivals Munster.
After a season with 1st division club Bedford in the English competition and a few more seasons playing British club rugby, Riaz headed to the U.S. where he played his part in Santa Monica Rugby Club’s first Division 1 national championship, Santa Monica would repeat the next year and become back-to-back champions. After undergoing significant surgery on his lower back to repair a ruptured disc, Riaz spent the next two years as the assistant coach at UCLA, helping them to the most successful season they’ve enjoyed in almost thirty years.
This last summer Riaz acted as head coach for the Santa Monica Rugby Club 7′s team, in a season that many are calling the best yet. Riaz has enjoyed a rich career spanning four continents. Riaz’s real passion for rugby now is giving back to the rugby community that his given him so much by helping young players achieve their sporting goals.
What prompted Riaz to create the first fitness program for overcoming chronic muscle pain?
The Bula Ball Method is the culmination of the work Riaz did to overcome his own chronic muscle pain, caused by years of rugby-related stress, strain and injury, on his way to total fitness. These methods have been tried and tested by Riaz who suffered with chronic neck, shoulder and lower back pain and are supported by the therapists who have treated him both before and after his recovery. This form of muscle recovery training is not new — physical therapists have been recommending programs like the Bula Ball Method for years but they have never been put into practice like this before. These types of muscle recovery programs are being used by elite athletes from the NFL to the NBA on a daily basis because of the positive ways they impact muscles and release tension. Riaz knows what it is like to live in constant pain, he is now excited to share what he has learned through his own process of recovery.
Chronic pain in the United States is currently at epidemic levels affecting more than a quarter of the population and, according to a recent Time magazine report, costs the U.S. $60 billion per year in lost productivity. That same report found that American’s with lower incomes spent nearly 20% of their lives in moderate to severe pain, compared with 8% of people living in higher income households. Blue-collar workers are more likely to experience pain from the physical demands of their work and the stresses of repetitive motion. The study also found American’s spent about $2.6 billion on over the counter pain medication and another nearly $14 billion on outpatient analgesics. Put simply, chronic pain in the United States is costing Americans far too much and there could not be a greater need for this program!
Amazed at how powerful self-myofascial release techniques are and how positively they impact our muscles by reducing inflammation, increasing blood flow, and restoring muscle tone and normal muscle function, Riaz was moved to develop the Bula Ball Method to help others overcome chronic pain.
