Andrea Colombo (Como), an Italian football referee (Serie A debut in 2021) and a member of the FIFA International Referees List since 2024, shares what the Riva Method and training with the Delos system mean to him.
Before discovering the Riva Method, I had no awareness at all of concepts like balance, proprioception, or prevention.
I first started using the Delos system and the Riva Method to treat and resolve persistent pain in the inner and outer calf muscles—an issue I had lived with for more than a decade. In just over a year, that pain completely disappeared, after years of suffering that I had learned to accept and tolerate.
Today, the Delos system has become a tool for continuous improvement—both mental and postural. It’s a constant challenge with myself in terms of performance, goal setting, timing, and execution, and above all, patience and focus. For me, it is both a training tool and a recovery tool, depending on when I use it. It prepares me mentally and physically for each match and helps me regenerate afterward.
Most importantly, the Delos system and the Riva Method have made me aware that most injuries can either be prevented or at least minimized. When I twist an ankle during a match or training session, I remain calm—it doesn’t distract me from my focus as a referee. With me are the thousands of training hours and the hundreds of thousands of proprioceptive stimulations with Delos that have made my body more resilient and elastic. They allow me to keep running without stopping.
Today, my ankles respond automatically to sudden, unexpected movements, and I feel stronger and more stable than ever before. Honestly, I would struggle to continue refereeing at this level without the weekly training I do with this methodology.
Delos Riva Method Specialist: E. Di Costanza (Proprioception and Posture Center, Como)
