Why Should Pro Athletes Seek Performance Coaches in Their Off-Season
By: Will Hitzelberger
I really struggle with the concept of not working on getting better during your off-season. Especially as a pro athlete.
I get it, you need to take some time off after your season, regardless of your sport. You need to for physical, mental and probably even emotional reasons.
But then, it’s time to start training!!! Training is different for every individual, every sport, and that list can go on. Some pro athletes may need to focus on recovery from a very damaging season, where others may have very focused performance goals to attack.
Regardless, FIND A TEAM OF SPECIALISTS THAT CAN ENHANCE YOUR CAREER.
Too many times we see athletes try to tackle their off-season training on their own.
I hate analogies, but here is one for you:
I recently had the inside of my house painted. How hard is painting? Doesn’t seem very hard. But you all know that painting is a project you start with the best intentions and 5 hours in you regret every bad decision you made in this awful process. So, painters came, painted every room in the house, walls, baseboards and ceilings in two days and it looks freakin incredible. It would have taken me two weeks and looked like a 5 year old had done it. They had the experience, the proper tools, the know-how, the entire package.
Ok, so back to training. I know that you have been given a packet, and maybe even a very individualized program to follow this off-season, but there is also directions on how to paint.
You cannot see yourself, you do not know when to make changes, you are not an expert in this specific area. If you are doing something wrong, it needs to be corrected immediately. If you need to progress or digress, that needs to happen immediately.
The majority of our pro athlete clientele over the years have been older veterans near the end of their careers. Why?
Because they have finally realized the value $$ of investing in a support team to help THEIR CAREER.
The most common feedback is:
“I wish I had done this my entire career.”
It’s the little things. Learning proper mobility work that allows you to warm up better, which means you’re less likely to get injured. It’s nutrition, not just taking a supplement, but understanding the big picture. How do you fire your core properly? All of the sudden your back doesn’t hurt when you squat. Now your squatting for the first time in 5 years and you feel incredible (doesn’t have to be squats).
When a pro athlete comes to SSP, very rarely is our goal to make them jump higher or run faster. Sure we do that, and that has a time and place in some athletes’ career. But more importantly, what can we do as a Performance Team to enhance your career?
Remember, we are staff of excellent experience, undergraduate and master’s degrees in what we specialize in and constant researchers of performance enhancement. We were not certified over night to be personal trainers. WE ENTERED THE FIELD TO HELP OTHERS.
Your body is an investment; I think most athletes understand that. But also remember that the better you perform, the more money you make. The longer your career lasts, the more money you make. Small investment now, very large return down the road.
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