It’s time to become a better athlete this off season. Now that your season has finished up the most valuable time of the year is upon you… the OFF-SEASON. The difference between average, good and exceptional athletes is undoubtedly found in what they do in the off-season. This time of year is where you can make the most gains on your opponents, where you can zero in on your weaknesses and start building yourself into a valuable assest for your team next season. Let’s get started!
Improve General Athleticism
Athletes should use offseason times to improve their general athleticism as much as they possibly can! Fielding a baseball, dribbling a basketball, shooting a double leg takedown, shooting a lacrosse ball are important sport specific skills that are practiced with the instruction of that sports coach.
Become an athlete not just a _______ player
What good is fielding a ball if you haven’t trained your speed to be able to range over to get it. How important is dribbling if your legs are too tired to run back down the court? Every athlete needs to understand the importance of fitness as it relates to their performance. A lack of focus on fitness or being a good athlete will eventually be the detriment of any athlete skilled merely at sport specific tasks.
Where do I start?
What are the most important components to an offseason training program? Start by reading about CrossFit’s Hierarchy of Training Development. Any quality offseason training program will start with a learning how to properly execute effective movements (functional movements), a good coach will always be helpful in shortening the time it takes to learn, effectively use these movements. These movements should be varied so to create varying stimulus, for your central nervous system, musculature, bones and connective tissue.
Learn and Practice New Movements
Learning and practicing new movements regularly not only prepares the body but the stimulates the mind to more easily learn and acquire new skills in the future. While participating in a program that has an all around approach to attaining fitness and athleticism, it is important to begin to take note of weaknesses. It is not abnormal to find a common theme of weaknesses, when they are found it is time to go to work on the corrective exercises to fix them. A good coach should be able to help you spot any major weaknesses in less than 3 training sessions. Athletes who utilize the off season to become better OVERALL athletes fair better when it’s time to get back to sport specific skills.
