In the scheme of year round training, an athlete should make adjustments to their training methods and schedule depending on how close they are to the onset of a competitive season or how long ago the competitive season ended. By taking this approach to plan training, many overuse injuries and performance plateaus can be avoided. One way to break up a year's training schedule is to organize by In-Season, Off-Season, and Pre-Season. Although each phase plays a critical role in the overall development and health of an athlete, it is the Pre-Season where many significant performance gains are made.
In a time of multi-sport athletes, summer leagues, club seasons, travel teams, indoor seasons, and such, simply finding a time of the year to call Pre-Season is a difficult task. This alarming trend of year round competition is becoming increasingly popular. The cost of devoting one's time solely to competition is a higher risk of burnout, injury, and stagnated development. At Velocity Sports Performance, we believe athletes should prepare to compete rather than use competition as a means of preparation. So even when our athletes compete almost 12 months of the year, we help them find at least a solid three month period where top priority is placed on Pre-Season development.
Because the Pre-Season phase leads into the competitive season, training methods should be aimed at peaking athleticism and fine tuning movement skills that will have the greatest impact to the particular sport. This includes first broadening the athletic foundation of overall strength, conditioning and flexibility, then making a focused effort to increase explosiveness, speed, coordination, reaction, and game-tempo stamina. This is the time of the year when our athletes train with us most often (3-4 times per week), set specific performance goals, add to their athletic repertoire, and realize significant improvements in performance.
Not sure when to start your Pre-Season training push? Then talk with your local Velocity Sports Performance Sports Performance Director and they can sit down with you and determine the right plan.