Returning To Training
Throughout the last year schools, clubs and athletic programs have had to navigate the difficult task of leading their programs and the dozens, if not hundreds, of students and families connected to their programs. Each program inevitably trying to do what is best for the health and safety of their student-athletes while also trying to remain competitive in their landscape. To make the decisions even more difficult and nuanced, each state and governing organization is left to create their own criteria for opening, cleaning, managing positive cases, and daily protocols. This can create great confusion.
No matter where your club, team or school is in this process you inevitably have athletes preparing for a season after an extended break. As coaches it is natural to be excited and have a desire to make up for lost time as training begins. However, it is important to take into account the fact that many of these athletes have not been active or have moved at a much lower intensity and volume for a period of time. With that in mind, this pre-season will look very different than most pre-seasons. Taking all of this into account, how can you best prepare your team for the beginning of practice and competition?
In this post I will outline a process to best reintroduce your group while mitigating injury.
1. Evaluate the current conditioning level and movement quality of your athletes
2. Determine the level of strength and conditioning that is reasonable for the first competition
3. Train smarter, not harder
EVALUATE THE CURRENT CONDITIONING AND MOVEMENT QUALITY OF YOUR ATHLETES
Regardless of the duration of the break we, as coaches, are very aware that our athletes have had an extended time off. Knowing this we can assume that many of them have lost mobility, flexibility, strength, power, speed, and conditioning. Even our most dedicated athletes will struggle to train as they would alongside their teammates. In order to best regain these characteristics there should be some semblance and an evaluation in order to give the athletes what they need. This evaluation process does not need to be elaborate. A simple overhead squat, push up, and walking lunge will give you a much better idea of the group’s flexibility and mobility. Incorporate a 3 minute kettlebell interval and you’ll better understand their conditioning as well.
Of the factors listed above it is important to regain certain criteria prior to others. For example, if you go chasing power prior to flexibility you are likely going to find an injury. Another example, if you desire conditioning prior to maximum velocity you will likely find a group of tired and still slow individuals. As we return to the training process you should desire to regain:
1. Flexibility
2. Mobility
3. Strength
4. Speed
5. Power
6. Conditioning
As you begin to creating your program, keep in mind you do not need to completely achieve one characteristic prior to training the next, you just need to be sure not to skip steps. You can train strength from day one, however, be sure to also incorporate some flexibility and mobility work. (Note: Flexibility and Mobility are not the same) Here is a video of a great flexibility drill to incorporate after periods of inactivity.
DETERMINE THE LEVEL OF STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING THAT IS REASONABLE FOR THE FIRST COMPETITION
There is a myth among the coaching world that you need to be the best prepared team for game one. This is a fallacy that we must get past. The off-season is not the only time to prepare athletes, physically, for competition. This is a process that continues throughout the season. The best example I can provide is Tom Brady. How many times over the last decade have you heard commentators proclaim in weeks 1-6 of the NFL season that Tom does not look like he is in peak condition and that his season is doomed. It seems like every year there are people counting him out because his first few weeks are not stellar. Sure enough, every year you will find him in the playoffs and likely vying for a conference championship if not a super bowl. This is also not specific to Tom. You hear the same comments about Aaron Rodgers, LeBron James, and many other iconic athletes. The difference is these athletes understands that this is a process and the weight room legend that crushed everyone in all the drills throughout the off-season is probably the same guy sitting on the sidelines or struggling to stay healthy throughout the season.
This example is to help remind coaches that this is a process. Yes, the off-season should be used to improve strength and conditioning. However, those characteristics CAN STILL improve throughout the season. Do not look at week 1 as the finish line.
Conversely, think of week 1 as a check in. You have had the off-season to prepare to this point. Now, see where that preparation has placed you. Begin to evaluate what areas you should be spending more time in and what areas you can begin to reduce volume in. When you do this evaluation it is best to evaluate against your own standard and that of year’s past. Do not compare to the standard on the other side of the ball.
Train Smarter, Not Harder
As you enter the season post quarantine or post any extended break (injuries included) understand that your time table is reduced. Do not try to fit a normal off-season into a reduced time frame. As discussed above you can address multiple training characteristics at one time, but you do not need to match the volume. For example, you can incorporate flexibility and mobility requirements prior to the session, then work on acceleration drills followed by a few power based movements. However, there is no need to also try to incorporate an hour of strength training, a full practice and 30 minutes of conditioning to follow. You could also choose to focus on two characteristics per day while alternating those characteristics each day. For more on this idea of training design check out this episode of The Business of Speed Podcast. Here is an example of pairing training qualities on any given day:
Monday: Acceleration / Power
Tuesday: Agility / Strength
Wednesday: Flexibility / Conditioning
Thursday: Max Velocity / Power
Friday: Mobility / Strength
These training sessions would be in conjunction with practice each day. Again, the idea is to create a stimulus that elicits a response without placing the athletes in too deep of a fatigue hole to be able to recover from.
Finally, as athletes return to training after their extended time away there are a few things that ALL athletes will need:
1. Soft Tissue Maintenance- Example
Throughout their extended time off it is safe to say that many athletes were not adamant about recovery routines and soft tissue care. It is also likely that many had reduced water intake as they were at home and in front of their computers for virtual learning. It is time to reawaken the system and get the juices flowing.
2. Flexibility / Mobility- Example
Due to the fact that much of the learning lately has been done sitting behind a computer for multiple hours per day or in the same classroom all day it is worth noting that many athletes will come into training already in a compromised position. We can expect shortened hip flexors, weakened core musculature, poor foot interaction (with ground), and poor hip mobility. Each of these issues tend to arise from increased levels of sitting and reduced movement throughout the day.
3. Get Reacquainted to the Weight Room
Many of our athletes have been out of our facilities for a large period of time. They, inevitably, will want to return and expect to perform as they were prior to quarantine. They will not account for reduced strength capacity and loss of movement recognition.
4. Strength Base
As mentioned above, many of our athletes will ignore the fact that they have not trained in a while and attempt to match their former bests. Take the time to reintroduce them to hypertrophy and strength work to ensure they can last the length of the season.
5. Get Reacquainted to acceleration mechanics- Example
As with the weight room, it will be important to make sure our athletes remember how to get into proper acceleration positions and move well prior to moving quickly. Give them the time and opportunity to explore before trying to compete.
We are all on new territory here. As competitors we want to be the first to each step of the process and try to be the one to say our team worked the hardest. Even with the reduced time frame, now is the perfect time to take our time, do it right, and ensure a long, healthy season for all of our athletes.