The focus on off-season athletic development comes down to the individual’s goals, needs, and wants to be successful on the playing field. When the season comes around we switch gears and go into in- season mode. While there are several factors involved in how we approach athletic development in-season, it’s important to note the primary goal is to always ensure the athlete is 100% fully prepared for competition to perform at their highest levels.
With that being said, there are several factors that need to be considered to get athletes to 100% level of readiness for competition. Just a few questions that need to be considered below is just a starting point, but can be elaborated on in greater detail.
- What season are we preparing for during off-season training?
- Are they currently playing another sport during off-season training for their primary sport?
- What are the athlete’s goals, wants, and needs to prepare for the physical demands of their sport (current or next season)?
- What position(s) do they play?
- What sports do they play?
- What sport do they want to play in college, if at all?
This is not an exhaustive list of questions by any means, but it’s a good starting point to move in the right direction. I believe the main factor we need to consider when working with multi-sport athletes is what season are they preparing for? Take for example, if we have an athlete that plays a winter sport like basketball, there is a lot of sprinting, agility, and conditioning involved day to day. It wouldn’t make any sense to add stress to these physical qualities outside of practice and/or games when they are already being developed day to day. What this athlete needs to focus on is strength development and power development to prepare for the upcoming baseball season and stay healthy and resilient during the basketball season.
This is just one of many examples I can offer when it comes to how multi-sport athletes should be approaching in-season training, while they continue to prepare for their upcoming baseball season. There are so many variables at play, this doesn’t even scratch the surface.
The main question I always ask myself is, “what do they need to prepare for the physical demands of their sport?” “What are they not getting day to day in practice and/or games?” Just a couple of questions to guide how we approach working with these athletes knowing and understanding the importance of consolidating the many stressors they encounter. The goal is to always get them as close to 100% level of readiness for competition.
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Kip Steingart, Owner
Top Performance Strength
