Why In-Season Training Is One of the Most Important Times of the Year

Every year, as soon as practices and games begin, I hear the same question from parents.

“Should my athlete keep training now that the season has started?”

It’s a fair question. Between practices, games, homework, and family life, schedules fill up quickly. On the surface, it seems like practices should provide everything an athlete needs.

The reality is they don’t.

Practice and performance training serve two completely different purposes.

Practice is designed to improve sport specific skills. Athletes work on plays, technique, communication, and strategy. Those are all critical pieces of becoming a better player.

Performance training develops the athlete behind those skills.

Strength.

Power.

Speed.

Mobility.

Recovery.

Those qualities don’t magically improve during practice. In fact, during a long season they often begin to decline if they’re ignored.

That’s why our approach changes once the season begins.

During the offseason, we challenge athletes with higher training volumes because they have the time to recover. We’re focused on building strength, increasing speed, improving power, and helping athletes reach new physical milestones.

Once the season starts, our goal shifts from building to maintaining.

Instead of asking athletes to do more, we help them do what matters most.

Every session is designed to help them recover from practices, maintain the strength they’ve worked hard to build, stay explosive, and continue moving efficiently throughout the season.

Parents are sometimes surprised when they see that our in season workouts aren’t designed to leave athletes exhausted.

That’s intentional.

If an athlete leaves our facility feeling completely worn out, we’ve probably done too much.

A successful in season workout should leave an athlete feeling refreshed, confident, and physically prepared for the next practice or game.

The athletes who perform their best late in the season usually aren’t the ones who trained the hardest during the season.

They’re the ones who trained the smartest.

Consistency always wins.

If your athlete has invested months into becoming stronger and faster, don’t let those gains disappear once the season begins.

Train smart, recover well, and give your athlete the best opportunity to perform all season long.