For some athletes, their training does not stop once the season finishes. Whether it is working out, strength training or playing for a travel team, one can grow as an athlete during the off-season.
Junior Sophia Stearns, a swimmer, believes training in the off-season is what makes an athlete better.
“If they practice in the off-season, they’ll be able to grow in their sport, whether it’s swimming or something else,” Stearns said. “I think a lot of athletes prioritize off-season because if they have one sport, they’re solely focused on that one sport.”
Practicing outside of the season is crucial for an athlete, according to tennis player junior Rehaan Karnik. For him there is a lot of movement to take in order to accomplish a match. With Karnik, he can easily tell which teammates have been practicing and who needs more work based on their footwork.
“When they (teammates) come in rusty, you can tell. They’re a little bit slower to react. Their stroke maybe isn’t as clean or as refined,” Karnik said. “Whereas someone who’s been training, they almost look like they haven’t missed a step.”
Similar to Karnik, Stearns can tell who has and who has not been working out in the pool during the off-season. Swimming requires a lot of upper body strength. For Stearns, a swimmer’s movements are a tell-tale sign whether or not they have been training during the off-season.
“For others, you can tell because they may not be as steady in the water and they’re struggling to even keep themselves up,” Stearns said. “Their stroke may not be as strong as it should be when you’re swimming.”
For three-season athlete and sophomore Alva Kerley, doing track supports her in soccer, which she does year-around. Kerley believes the balance between track and soccer works out.
“I do think it’s important to balance doing different things,” Kerley said. “I find doing track is a different environment then soccer, so it helps to do different things, and it’s less competitive.”
Kerley said she can feel the consequences of not practicing. She stated that running gets a bit more difficult and keeping up with the soccer ball may be more of a challenge.
“If I don’t practice for a while, I’m unfit and it’s harder when I run, and it’s harder on my legs,” Kerley said. “It can definitely impact soccer agility skill, like sometimes my first touch is affected.”
Student athletes believe off-season training for all athletes of all sports are important for their athletic ability. For Karnik, consistency is the key for improvement. He believes that without consistency, an athlete will not get better at their sport nor their fitness goals.
“As long as you’re staying active and being consistent, especially at our age, we’re always gonna be developing, so that consistency just helps us build our muscles and our endurance,” Karnik said.