Where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday that the season just started, but it’s already almost November. I honestly can’t believe that today is Halloween. With that said, a lot of you are going into your off season routines after getting knocked out of the playoffs. Have you even thought about the off season if you’re not playing basketball? Most of you are shaking your heads, but here are 4 important questions I want you to ask yourself going into the off season.
1. Do you feel good about the season you had?
One thing that I never really did was reflect back on my previous year to evaluate myself on how I thought I had performed. When I say perform, I not only mean from an outcome standpoint, but a holistic standpoint in how my season went. How well did I lead my team? Did I prepare well for the games? Based on my preparation, am I pleased with the outcomes? Is there anything more I could have done to help my team win?
These are all questions I would have absolutely asked myself if I was still playing. I would have taken one week to relax and just had some deep thought about the season that I just had. This not only rests the body physically and mentally, but it gives you the road map needed in order to further progress yourself as a player once that time comes around. This might be the most essential time of the year to increase your performance. Young players need to understand this! This deep reflection time creates the system that players put in place to then determine what skills and traits they need to work on to further improve their game.
2. Are you in pain?
It’s the end of a long season and it’s inevitable that you are going to have some pain somewhere within the body. That’s just the nature of football. But what if your pain isn’t from trauma? What if your pain is actually because of general wear and tear? Things that would fall into this category would be shoulder impingement, low back pain, golfer’s elbow, tennis elbow, and many more. A lot of times, players will not think much about these injuries and just let the pain go away after they aren’t throwing as much. Here me when I say this though. If there is pain in your arm from throwing a football, then there is dysfunction in the way that you are throwing, or there’s dysfunction in the way that you are lifting weights in the weight room. Most of the times, it’s a combination of the two. Check out this video below for an example.
Guys, you need to have a movement professional that understands biomechanics, strength and conditioning, and throwing mechanics check you out to see where the true cause of the pain is. Only these types of people will be able to diagnose and fix the true issue at hand. If you haven’t seen our shoulder solution series, I highly recommend checking it out to get off on the right foot this off season to decrease pain at the elbow or shoulder. Click the picture below to check it out
3. Do you plan to pick up a football soon?
You might laugh at me when I say this, but don’t pick up a football for the next 2-3 months. There’s no reason to. Take the months of November, December, and January and dedicate these months to the individual dysfunctions that you have as an athlete. This period of time should be a time when you are either playing another sport or regenerating your body to make yourself a better athlete. Spend this time in the weight room. Spend this time in the film room if you want. Spend it anywhere improving, but don’t spend it on the field throwing. This will decrease risk of burn out, but it will also allow the body to not have to rotate to one side only over and over. The less asymmetries that we can have as throwers, the better. Believe me, my asymmetries in my spine, hips, and shoulders have caused me lots of problems because I went down that vicious cycle over and over. Don’t make the mistake that I did.
4. Are you happy?
For a lot of you, the season has been a grind. Maybe a tough year or injury has caused some feelings of anxiety or depression. I fell into this category a couple times in my career. There’s no shame in this because most of us experience it at some point, but don’t know how to describe these “icky” feelings that we have. Let me tell you that it’s alright to have these feelings because you are human and even though you’re male, and a football player, humans have feelings. The attitude around football is that we should never talk about feelings and emotions because you have to be “mentally tough.” Let me tell you right now that people who think that way are full of sh**. The first step that you need to take if you are in this position is to open up and talk to someone about how you’re feeling. Chances are that you have many teammates that feel the exact same way that you do, but are afraid to talk about it. The second step is to realize that it’s alright to not be alright. Everyone in this world goes through times of hardship and struggle. Don’t worry, they won’t last forever. And guess what? You develop this little thing called resilience which will allow you to take on harder and harder challenges as life goes on. It’s great to be in uncomfortable positions because it builds character. It’s just not alright to be in these positions in an isolated manner where you feel like you don’t have any community. Human beings need a tribe! It’s science people! Find your tribe and talk about your issues.
Alright guys, you have some work to do the next couple weeks. It’s not in the form of sport, but it’s in the form of revitalizing your mind, body, and spirit in a way that will set you up for success moving forward as a quarterback. Get yourself right and then get off on the right foot heading into the off season. If there’s questions, please feel free to reach through email at [email protected] or call/text at 812-343-4226.
-Drew Kiel PT, DPT, CSCS