So Your Season Has Been Postponed: How This Can Actually Benefit You - Part 1

With professional sports having spent the past few months being canceled, delayed, or pretending like nothing is happening, it was only a matter of time until the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) made an official decision to postpone Fall sports until the early Spring with Spring sports immediately following. All sports (Fall, Winter, and Spring) will be a condensed, 7-week version. The exact dates and regulations, including how many practices must be participated in to qualify for competition can be found here. 

Now, while this may sound like a logistical nightmare for the athletic directors (it is), even more challenging is how to navigate this new landscape as an actual athlete. Let’s say you play multiple sports that now have overlapping weeks? Where would your off-season be to recover, physically prepare, and retool some of the skills you’ll need for your next sport? What if you now have 2 seasons of football, volleyball, cross-country, or soccer within the same year? 1 season per calendar year is already a toll on the body, but doubling down on that work load can have some serious repercussions if you aren’t properly prepared.  

But this article series is not all about doom and gloom. At Headquarters Physical Therapy one of our main tenets of education is that nothing occurs in a linear pattern forever. Whether we’re discussing strength and conditioning, muscle hypertrophy, fat loss, rehab, or even life’s obstacles surrounding a pandemic, it is always in your best interest to be prepared and be willing to pivot when necessary. So, in similar fashion, we wanted to give some practical advice on how to turn what may feel like an unfortunate situation into a positive one. 

This week, we will be addressing our football players in particular. 

What if I play multiple sports?

Respect your rest days and days off from activity. You're in season, so when not practicing or playing, spend that time in recovery mode. It won't be time to hit the weight room every day as inevitably it will take away from your ability to perform at a high level in practice and in games. If you feel like you have to be productive on off days then study film. Mental preparation can improve decision making abilities and reduce performance stress/anxiety.

This may also be the time to take a hard look inward and think about how much you love football vs. any other sport you are a part of for the new Summer season. Consider which sport you enjoy the most, which one gives you the best opportunity to feel fulfilled in terms of participation (i.e. playing time), and which one gives you the best opportunity to get to the next level of competition if that is a part of your long term goals (read: college is not cheap). This is even more important to consider if you tend to play multiple sports within the same season, although, your school’s athletic department may not give you much choice in that regard this year.

What if I need a breakout season to make the next level?

If you are a senior with hopes of playing at the next level and need a breakout season, consider only playing football in the Spring. It will keep you focused on the task at hand and not spread you too thin (mentally and physically) with the demands of other Spring sports. If you are a Junior, also consider only playing football in the Spring as this will help you to stand out in the eyes of recruiters and in turn provide you with enough of a gap between sports to train and then perform well again in Fall 2021, capitalizing on your well-earned notiarity and hard off-season work (even if it is shortened this coming year). However, specialization in sport is a hot topic. Normally, we would be on the fence for a Junior High School athlete specializing in football, as playing multiple sports is a positive thing. However, Spring 2021 and Fall 2021 are exceptions, and if you have an opportunity to play at the next level, you might as well take full advantage and focus your efforts on football.

What am I supposed to do with such a long off-season?

We love off-seasons as they are great opportunities to get bigger, faster, and stronger for the next season. The more time you have between now and then, the more progress you are able to make to help you stand out above the competition when the time is right. Use this time to begin (or continue to progress) a consistent training program which includes a focus on aerobic development, muscular strength and muscular power development. These attributes will help improve your strength, speed, acceleration and endurance on the field. This is the perfect opportunity to make up for lost time especially if you were not able to train due to the shutdown related to COVID or a busy summer schedule. You will thank yourself in the Spring during those first few weeks of practice where coaches may also be trying to make up for lost time, and feel a need to really dial up their conditioning efforts.

We realize that you may have other questions and concerns regarding this shift in your timeline. Everyone’s situations and goals are different, so if you are wondering what you should do and how to prepare to have a successful season with a decreased injury risk, please reach out to schedule a consultation with one of our doctors of physical therapy.