13 Apr 2018
What to do to prepare for preseason?
As we get towards the end of the season, enthusiastic footballers may find their thumbs excessively twiddled as the footballing calendar takes a breather and readies itself for a new season.
For those who aspire to be the best player that they can be, this breather shouldn’t apply! The season may have ended, but elite athletes find themselves often training out of the regular season – meaning those who want to become elite should probably aim to do the same.
Take a look through our tips for keeping in shape post-season,
Keep training
Your teammates may not be training, but this can be seen as an opportunity to focus on your game. Take a bag of balls down and take hundreds of free kicks until you’re a dead-eye from set-pieces, or practice your ball control without the pressure of defenders. You can target the areas in your game that you can strengthen alone then get ready to impress your teammates when they return after summer.
It would also be very beneficial for players to get in the gym. Get working strength levels to help with elements like shot power, strength, pliability and also fitness levels – be the one player on your team who can make it through pre-season without feeling so unfit they could puke!
Eat correctly
This is something that everybody should be doing all of the time, but it’s especially important in times of training. Keep meals rich in protein for the benefit of your muscles and to reduce soreness after exercise. Wherever possible, eat nutrient rich food, such as: fish, eggs, green vegetables. Eating clean is a very important component in maintaining and improving health and therefore ability to compete!
Don’t be scared to try supplements, but do your research. Some protein shakes could benefit a lot of athletes, but watch the carbohydrate content. In certain protein shakes, the goal is overall mass – if this does not apply to you, find a low-carbohydrate protein shake.
Make it fun and prepare for the pain
You’re in control of your out-of-season training, so make it fun! If the areas you need to improve in are enjoyable, great – you’re off to a winner. However, it’s likely that you may not enjoy the skills that you find yourself lacking, in this case, find a balance that works for you.
Allow the thought of your behind-the-scenes progress to motivate you and see how much you can improve your skills during the off-season.