Off Season Training

Photo by: Abby Plevin

Although as I have mentioned in the blog posts it is important to rest and recovery it is also important to participate in off season training. After your season is over and you have applicable time to rest it is time to get back to the grind. Off season training is a time for athletes to prepare physically for when they return to being in season. This time off from season is very crucial and can make a huge impact on your performance when you return. It gives you the time to address your weakness and strengths within the sport and then dedicate your time to where it is really needed to help improve your skills. 

1. Set Goals

For me personally my off season training is during the summer time I am home. At the beginning of this time I will set attainable goals I want to ficus on. For example going into this summer I want to focus on being more explosive and increasing my vertical. Now this goal is very broad which will make it more reasonable for me to reach. When I go into the gym over summer I will focus on doing exercises that will increase my vertical jump. Having a goal to reach will help you find your motivation during off season training.

2. Focus on development

You will not make to to where you want to be physically if you do not focus on your development and skills along the way. Every single day focus on getting 1% better. Sometimes we tend to just want the end result and we forget about all the little things along the way. Development can happen both physically and mentally. Focus on skills you struggle with physically and those will help you reach your end goal. Focus on the mental aspect step by step focusing on ways to calm your mind and body. All those little development things will help you reach your end goal.

3. Enjoy your time

In off season training not only should you focus on your sport but you should also focus on yourself. take time to enjoy yourself, family, and friends. Whether this mean just going out for a dinner or a nice day at the lake allow yourself to enjoy your off time. This also applies for during your training, make it fun and unique. Find workout buddies or friends to help keep you accountable for your off season training. There are so many unique possible thing you can do to add to your training and make it fun and personalized to you. So play around with it and ultimately enjoy what you are doing!

In conclusion off season training is one of the most valuable and crucial times for a student athlete. It gives you time to reflect on yourself in all aspects in life and set goals to become better at certain things. By using this time to your advantage it will help you become a stringer and more come-emotive student athlete. Think about off season training that you do now and if this blog has made you decide to implement something new to it?