In-Season Training

It's often been said that great athletes are made in the off-season. I believe that statement is true to a certain degree. However, if indeed, great athletes are made in the off-season then great players emerge during the season. Typically, during the off-season the objective of any program is to improve one's physical capabilities such as quickness, strength, power, speed, body composition to name a few. Quite frankly, it is imperative that an athlete strive to improve those aforementioned qualities with the goal of maintaining those improvements during the season.

For me, the easy part of being a strength and conditioning is planning, organizing, and coaching athletes during the off-season. During this period ,the athlete tends to be highly focused on getting better physically because they are not subject to the physical and mental demands of their competitive schedule. Once an athlete enters into their competitive schedule, the game/sport itself becomes the focal point of their preparation and the improvement of movement/strength qualities are less of a priority.

It is vital that all athletes continue to strive to enhance strength, mobility, fitness and other game related physical qualities during the season if one hopes to maximize performance and minimize injury during the course of a season. I always ask my athletes" When do you need to be at your strongest, fastest, or best condition; during the season or before the season". Naturally, they all answer during the season because the physical demands are at their highest and therefore require one to train during the season.

Remember, if you want to play at a high level all season, you must train during the season as well.