To get ready for season, most Division 1 programs start their preseason training with two weeks of double days. Thats a 2-3 hour practice twice a day, everyday, for two weeks. And some days, just for fun, conditioning and weight training too. Players endure lots of reps, lots of fitness, and lots of soreness. In this time however, you can also experience lots of mental training, team bonding, and support. Preseason is one of the hardest times for training, but it can be one of the best time for growing as a player and as a person.
Focus: First you have to have focus. If you are focused on the task at hand, everything will be smoother. The conscience is calm, because we know that every everything you do in practice, everything change in technique, will be a good thing for the journey ahead. There is no use in fighting for old ways – “thats how I’ve always done it and its good enough”. Embrace the change, embrace the process and allow yourself to become better, and by doing so, allowing your team to become better.
Rest the body and the mind: Sleep, rest, meditate, have good and positive thoughts. Visualize the games, the strength of the mind drives the body. Your body will be tired and sore, but your mind can carry you through. Mental toughness will be trained during double days. Mental positivity can also be trained within the team during this time. Everyone is tired and sore and hungry, but no one complains about it. Everyone is happy and thankful to continue to have the opportunity to train and get better. This has to happen within every person on the team, so that also positivity coexists with the team, because when everyone is positive together, everything flows.
Poor nights sleep contribute to tiredness, discouragement, laziness. A rested body has the energy to cope with long hours of play, travel, and unexpected movements. The body being sore after training is sometimes pleasurable, because we know it means we have worked hard in training, and the muscles are developing and strengthening themselves. Pain when it doesn’t stop, pain when it bothers you even after several days without training, has to be investigated in order to be treated.
Energy for the body: Food fuels the body. As an elite athlete your body is similar to a high performance sports vehicle. How you choose to fuel this vehicle is very important. you wouldn’t put cheap gas in a Lamborghini, don’t put cheap fuel in your vehicle. Think of this when you are eating, you may be tired and might be tempted to eat sugary treats. But keep in mind sugar is not good long tern fuel. Proteins and good carbs and fats will help your body survive the intense training ahead.
Body needs to be treated: Pay attention to your body. The body will you tell when something needs attention. know the difference between being sore and being hurt, and being hurt and being injured. Prevention is better than treatment, that means ICE, HEAT, and STRETCH. Make sure you have frequent and honest talks with your trainer and coach about how your body feels and how much to push it.
Recovery: One of the most important things during preseason is recovery. Working, preparing and strengthening all the muscles is just as important as working, preparing, and strengthening the mind. Working the muscle of the arms, legs, abdomen not just in the gym, but also at home. Work that can be done at home, smoothly, consistently and thoroughly, as everything we work on contributes to preparing the body and mind for a long championship marathon.
Written by sophomore rightside #7 Pamela Moreira
UTRGV Volleyball 