Athletes are made in the off-season
Are you looking to step back onto the field or court in 2021?
Before the competition even starts, there are plenty of things you can be doing in the off-season. It’s a big time to gain an advantage!
The most successful athletes and teams in the world use this time very effectively to ensure competition success. Believe me, no athlete or team will show up to competition without doing the work beforehand.
The benefits are endless to, it can decrease injury risk and burnout, improve the quality of training throughout the year, positively influences success and performance and increases overall happiness.
So, what can you implement this year?
Here are 4 key areas you should be focusing on in the off-season:
1. Adequate rest and recovery:
Since you are free of games and competitions, you can give yourself a few weeks to wind down and refresh. Here, look to reduce overall stress on the mind and body so you can come back feeling fresh and ready to go. One huge mistake would only be focusing on rest and recovery and getting back into training to late (this will be addressed in the next few points).
2. Identify areas of improvement:
the offseason is a chance to improve in new ways. The first step would be to identifying what areas let you down last season and make them a priority. For example, what if you finished the season with knee pain and you couldn’t perform at your best? Being proactive and finding out why it happened and addressing the root cause is a great start to ensure next season, the same issue won’t arise. Other areas may include aerobic capacity, sprint speed and technique or even lower body strength. If you are unsure on how to improve these, I would suggest reaching out to a health professional or coach to guide you in the right direction. Remember small changes have the potential to create huge impacts and sometime it’s impossible to focus on these during the season.
3. Gradually build intensity:
you don’t want to jump back into high intensity training straight away, so you must start low and gradually build. This could be unplanned exercise such as gym training, swimming, running easy trails or trying different sports. Finding things you enjoy with variety is key to keep it fresh, different, and fun.
4. Get sport specific:
now it time to start building to get you ready for competition. It’s ideal to have a training plan which will meet the demands of your sports and overall goals. Think about what you want and need to achieve and plan accordingly to ensure you succeed! For example if you are playing a team sport, gradually building the aerobic system and strength will be a great starting point before going into specifics such as change of direction, sprints, plyometrics etc.
So, what can you implement this year?
