To become a better athlete and to constantly improve means that you have to sharpen your skills on a year round basis. Even if you are a multiple sport athlete who plays a different sport from one season to the next, you can still take the time to improve upon your speed, quickness, strength and explosive power.Training all year does not have to be a huge effort on your part with a complex series of workouts, exercises and drills. In fact, you can keep it simple by working with these basic training tips:
- Jump Rope Use it on a regular basis as it will improve footwork, quickness and conditioning. Vary your jumping from one foot to two feet, while going between jumping for reps and jumping for time.
- Full Body Strength Training Focus on strength and power with full body workouts at least twice per week. These workouts should include an explosive lift (DB squat and press), a leg strengthener (barbell squat), a hip action lift (RDL), press and pull movements (bench press and rowing exercise), and a good body weight exercise such as pull ups. Also add in a rotational movement (plate cork screw) and a good core exercise. (Questions about these? email me at PerformanceSport@Hotmail.com!)
- Cone and Ladder Drills Use a variation of cone patterns to run, sprint, shuffle and backpedal through to keep your agility sharp. Also use various ladder drills moving forward and laterally to improve your foot speed and ground contact.
- Workout Scheduling When you are not in a season, try to keep a schedule of consistent workouts per week (2-3 Strength, 2-3 Agility/quickness). But if you are in a sport season, tailor the above tips around regularly scheduled practices and games (a good rule of thumb during this time is simply work in certain drills and exercises into your existing sport practice days).
Above all, keep it simple and put in maximum effort. It will pay HUGE dividends as you work toward success in sports!
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