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The current trend in youth sports leads to year-round competition.  Travel league feeds into All-stars, which is quickly followed by the regular school team season and the cycle continues. Unfortunately, this can often lead to overuse injury. Specific off-season training is very important to help athletes recover and address physical imbalances that come with playing a competitive sport.

Sports place an un-equal load on the body.  One arm can be used more than the other, for example.   Off-season training for youth athletes should focus on improving fundamental movement patterns as well as general strength and cardiovascular conditioning to lessen the chance for injury.  Movement patterns like jumping, landing, decelerating, squatting, hinging at the hip, pushing, and pulling can help develop the foundation for a successful in-season.

It is impossible to prescribe the same thorough off-season program for everyone.  Each sport and athlete is different.  One athlete may need more strength training and their teammate may need an increased focus on flexibility.  We provide the only area training facility to house physical therapists, athletic trainers, and certified strength and conditioning specialists who work together for each athletes’ success.  We offer the most effective individualized programming to achieve optimal sports performance.

Contact us today to see how we can help you or your student athlete with off-season training!

This post was brought to you by our UMedGym Director, Jenny Williams.