As many fall sports seasons are starting to come to an end, it’s time to start thinking about off-season training! It can be emotional when your season comes to an end, but there is so much to look forward to. The off-season offers athletes time to rest, reflect, improve and reach new heights and goals. This is the time for athletes to recover physically and mentally, as well as determine what kind of athlete and player they want to be. 

Here are some tips to help you make the most out of your off-season this winter!

Recover

One of the first things all athletes should do to start their off-season is take time to rest and reflect on how the season went. This will help any athlete recover mentally as well as physically.  Sport seasons can be very long, as well as mentally exhausting, which makes it essential for athletes to take a couple of weeks off. 

Once you find that off-season routine, it is still important that your body and mind are getting the recovery they need, and this includes getting ample amounts of sleep. Sleep allows your body to recover. You want to make sure your mind and body are in the best shape possible once your season starts again, so it is important to make this a focus while you’re training during the off-season. 

Set Goals

The first and most important thing you can do to start your off-season is to take a week or two off, and establish some goals. These goals should shine towards things you want to improve on and will help hold you accountable in achieving them. It is easier to work hard for something meaningful, so establishing goals that are not only going to benefit you but those around you as well. 

Training

Training programs differ from sport to sport, and everyone’s training program is going to look a little different. There are many ways athletes can train that will be beneficial once your season rolls around.

• Core Stability: Working to improve the strength and stability of your core is one of the best things you can do. This will help you prevent injuries, as a strong core limits the amount of stress to your central joints. 
• Dynamic Flexibility: Improving your dynamic flexibility is something every athlete should work on. Dynamic flexibility is the ability to relax non-working muscles when you perform a sport movement so the muscles don’t resist the movement. Performing dynamic stretches with sport specific movements that allow your joints a full range of motion is one way athletes can improve on this. 
• Aerobic Capacity: Every sport requires a high oxygen rate when playing, which makes it important to have strong aerobic capacity in your muscles. This is important in all training, but is especially important during the off-season. 
• Balance: All three of the above will inevitably help with your balance. Balance is necessary in any sport, and improving your balance is vital in becoming a better player. 

Football Training Academy

At Warren Academy, our football training academy focuses on the off-season improvement of all our athletes.  We work with players of all positions in not only improving strength and speed, but Football IQ and a love for the game. We push our football training academy athletes to their full potential all off-season! Visit our website to learn more about our football training and sign up for a session today!