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Off Season 

Now that the season is over it is time to plan. Yes the “Off-Season” is just as important as the season. What I am going to talk about are several important things that you need to do once the season is over. Not everything I talk about will apply to all players but if you want to get better you should look to do something to improve.

Relax!!! Yes, take some time away from playing the game of soccer. It may be a couple of weeks or a couple of months. I know this sounds a little ridiculous coming from a coach that wants players to be working hard at getting better all the time but taking time away from the game will help you. It will first off, keep you from getting burnt out on the game or the everyday activities that surround the game. When you spend some time away you will start to miss playing and come back with a stronger passion for soccer and a stronger will to work harder to get better.

 The time off will also allow you to heal nagging soccer injuries. During the season you may have had a little boo-boo but you couldn’t stand to sit out and rest your body. Now the season is over, you don’t have games and practices that might suck you into playing just because you hate to sit and watch. Now you won’t have that distraction. Rest up and heal your body.

Stay in Shape

Now, even though I encouraged you to take some time off, I think it is important to stay in shape for the up-coming season. Many of you play another sport. This is a good way to keep in shape. Realize being in soccer shape is different than being in shape for another sport. Each sport requires you to use different muscles more or less than others and the type of conditioning is not the same. So when you start the new season don’t expect to be in the same shape as when you ended the last even though you stayed in shape.

 So why work out in the off season to stay in shape? So you can get into soccer shape faster when the season starts. Plus it will help prevent injuries. Having done this you can push yourself harder in the beginning of the season and focus on skills. Players also have a tendency to get frustrated and they start to make many more mistakes. This is usually happens later in games and practices when players that aren’t in good shape start to get tired. Players tend to make more mistakes when they are tired. Coming into to season in shape will reduce your frustrations and allow you to have more success.

There are many activities that you can do to keep up your fitness level. I have already mentioned playing another sport. Even pick up games with friends is a good way to keep in shape. But if you only do that every couple weeks, then you should look for other activities to supplement your fitness needs. Core exercises are something that gets neglected even in season but should be done on a regular basis. Core exercises consist of variations of push-ups, sit-ups and other exercises that work your core muscles. You should do some core work every day. But, you can’t neglect your Cardio. I know Jogging isn’t that enjoyable for everyone, especially in the winter weather. Other activities that you can do are bike riding, swimming and cross country skiing (if you like to get out in the snow). There are many other activities that you can do to keep up your fitness level for the upcoming season but the most important thing is to get off the couch and stay active.