Firstly, it is important to recognise the physical demands and requirements from the previous season.
For example, if a player was highly available and played large volume of minutes during the season, the philosophy may focus on physical and
emotional rest followed by rehabilitation of any injuries sustained. Another player may require more physical and developmental approach to
build for the following season. All in all one shoe does not fit all.
The overall goal should be to set individual physical objectives and build physical performance programmes based on the regular and
extensive physical profiling tactics that clubs / players may implement during the season. On top of this having an understanding of
the needs analysis of the sport is vitally important - what key metrics do players need to be hitting.
The offseason gives a fantastic time for a player to focus on certain physical performance areas that are regarded to be lacking. For
example, a youth player may require more muscle mass to fulfill his role as a lock forward in rugby union or a player in GAA may require
more strength and power to improve speed. So individual needs require a schedule that addresses these issues - the beauty of
the off season is there are no matches so plenty of work can be performed without having to peak for matches.
The design and implementation of an off-season plan must always take a multidisciplinary approach, with input from not just the physical
performance department, but also medical, psychological, nutritional, and coaching or performance analysis. This will give a thorough,
360-degree snapshot of the athletes' off-season growth.
Overall, the offseason plan should be individualised as much as possible, or at the absolute least, have an individual bias in every
off-season plan. Each player must agree on the programme's goals and general philosophy. Whether it's rehabilitation, injury maintenance,
or physical performance growth, each player must understand and accept responsibility for their own off season.
Example of an annual plan with specific blocks and off season scheduling:
Competitive seasons are starting earlier and lasting longer, therefore the amount of time for an off season appears to be shrinking. In
many sports there is practically no off season; yet, there is a high requirement on players to maintain competitive, peak physical
condition throughout the whole year, throughout several seasons. From a medical point of view some muscle / tendon injuries can take
substantial time periods to fully heal, so I believe complete rest can be crucial for 3-4 weeks or maybe longer depending on the athlete's
age, injury and status.
The quantity is mostly determined by how much time the player has spent playing, as well as other personal and
physical characteristics. Competing at a top level for 8-9 months is physically taxing, and the required period of rehabilitation
varies greatly amongst athletes. Some people need total off-foot rehabilitation with a slow and steady buildup, while others like to be
more active and may do low-intensity exercises right immediately.
As performance practitioners, we must recognise and appreciate the heightened risk of injury during the preseason. Preseason exposes players
to a reasonably high load for a short period of time. Although we endeavour to do so in a progressive and appropriate manner, we must
acknowledge that strain and breakdowns can and do occur. Prior to preseason we recommend a block (2-3 weeks) of anatomical adaptation - body
weight, prehab based and light exercises just to expose the tissues to some load.
We strive to limit this danger by including particular aspects into an off-season plan that ensures the player returns with a baseline level
of fitness, muscle, and tendon health when preseason begins. Conditioning regimes must suitably increase effort and volume. We notably focus
on establishing runs that take the player to maximum velocity while also exposing them to appropriate eccentric loading patterns,
considering the frequency of these movements during game-specific training.
The off season is also incredibly important for focusing on promising areas that were identified throughout the club's testing and profiling
processes. These can result from performance testing, medical or musculoskeletal screening, and current or historical injury routes. For
example, a player who has been suffering from tendinopathy can use the offseason to strengthen and develop the tendon loading regimens that
they may have been doing during the season
Example of how a players performance radar may look - this can be compared to other team members or even elite level athletes if you have the data:
Any training programme's effectiveness is dependent on effective communication with the athlete and linking in and having a combined honest
transparent approach. You may construct the best development programme ever, with extraordinary depth and complexity, but if it is not well
conveyed to the players, then you may lack buy in from players. From previous experience I present the plan to the player so they
understand what the process ahead involves, when testing blocks occur and what each block or phase is trying to achieve.
It is critical to recognise and understand the disparities in how players respond to specific training blocks - hence the importance of
performance testing for accountability for the Strength and Conditioning staff and the player themselves - effectively we train to improve
so this needs to be a measured process. To guarantee the highest level of adherence and compliance, we must give all kinds of communication,
whether visual, textual, or spoken.
We must also give some background and information as part of the programme. Whether it is basic match data (match minutes, entire games),
physical load data (total chronic load), or physical profile data (strength and power diagnostics, testing results), this information serves
as the foundation for the programme. Educating participants about this data and what it means for programme design and prescribing will
always result in increased accountability and adherence.
If you would like advice regarding managing your off season feel free to contact us on info@offalyphysioandperformancelab.com
Thanks
Chris
