Don't let the 2012 season hold back your development for 2013

            With the holidays well in the rearview mirror it means one thing: the 2012 football season is over.  It'd be very easy to just sit back and rest on your laurels for a bit- after all, football is a grind from start to finish, no matter what level you're currently playing at.  Make no mistake about it though: how you handle the months after this season WILL have a direct effect on how your 2013 season will play out.  Don't let the season dictate your performance next year.  Follow these simple tips and I guarantee you'll have a leg up on the competition in 2013!

 1.)    Get Healthy.  As I said, football is a grind.  Starting with training camp in the summer and then rolling through the season, training, practicing, and competing on a regular basis will take its toll on you both physically and mentally.  It's absolutely imperative you take an ACTIVE roll in getting healthy in the time following the season.  The emphasis on 'active' is crucial; you can't take a month or two completely off and expect to pick up where you left off.  At the NFL level every player will have an exit physical with their team, so start treating yourself like a pro now.  Obviously major injuries need to be addressed with your physician, but now is the time to address minor injuries as well.  Anything that was nagging through the season or that you've been battling through should be taken care of now; meet with the team trainer and take a proactive role in getting yourself back to 100%.

 2.)    MOVE!  Without the structure of practice or training, athletes around the country tend to fall into the routine of school-friends-home-repeat in the off season.  If you're not committed to another sport, set up a routine that you can stick with ASAP.  Rest is an important piece of the puzzle, but that doesn't mean a complete absence of training.  Picking 3 to 4 days a week that you can hit the gym and the field for some simple workouts will go a very long way in setting the tone for the 2013 off-season.

 3.)    Lower the Stress... I'm talking physical stress here, not mental stress.  Lifting heavy, sprinting, and jumping are very important components in the annual plan of a football player, but they're also high stress activities that demand adequate recovery.  The time following the season is a time to cut back on these activities so the body truly has a chance to recover from the rigors of the season.  Once again, though, this does not mean an absence of training.  Cut way back on the volume/intensity of any jumping. Control the output of your sprinting by focusing on tempo runs, hill runs, or beach runs if you live near the sand. And shift the focus in the weight room.  Keep the resistance and volume of your lifts in the "moderate" category, shifting to sets of 8-12 or upwards and concentrating on full range of motion and a lot of blood flow- for lack of a better term, and chase the "pump" as opposed to the number on the bar.

 4.)    ...then raise the bar!  If you follow the advice above your body is going to be primed to make some strong gains following the down period.  As an athlete, you should always be trying to improve 2 things: your overall athletic ability (strength, power, speed, etc.) and the skills required for your sport.  The closer you get to the season the more time you should be spending on the technical aspect, so take advantage of those early winter months to focus on improving your athletic ability.  Figure out what you need to improve on and then attack!  I've never heard a football player show up at spring ball saying "man, I got too strong this winter" or "I wish I didn't get so fast".  Intelligently and relentlessly improving your athletic traits will only make your coach's job of molding you into a better football player that much easier.

 5.)    PLAN.  Failing to plan is planning to fail.  While following the first 4 steps on this list will help you become a good football player, I hope your goals are higher than that.  Go for greatness!  What are your goals for the 2013?  Split them down into team goals and personal goals.  Take an hour and visualize where you want to be a year from now and what you want to accomplish, then write it down and hang it on your wall or in your locker.  Motivation is going to get you started, but planning and habits are going to help you stay consistent.  Don't waste time now that you could use to invest in your future.

 Ryan Burgess, CSCS, is the Director of Football Development at Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego, CA.  Along with his team of performance coaches, Coach Burgess helps football athletes from the youth to professional level prepare to perform at world class levels.  For more info on Fitness Quest 10 and Coach Burgess you can check out www.FQ10.com and www.CoachBurgess.com.