Game On! (In the Off-Season...)

Game On!

So you know you gotta keep your head in the game between seasons.  You know that Champions are made in the off season.  Now what do you do?  You can only run back and forth through cones so many times by yourself before you lose your mind! 

So What do you do???

 

There are several things you can do to keep your head in the game.  Some involve playing, some just involve being around the game.  Let's talk about the ones that involve playing in this post.

1. Indoor Soccer

Indoor soccer is great for many reasons.  Because it is a much smaller field and there's no out of bounds, you get alot of touches on the ball.  The speed of the game is much faster, causing you to think faster and react faster.  This can be a fun way to stay in shape and keep your touch on the ball!

2. Tournaments

In many areas you may be able to find soccer tournaments that you and your  buddies can enter.  Sometimes you can find 3v3 or 5v5 tourneys.  These are great because the smaller fields and team size force you to play offense and defense, and allow you a lot of touches on the ball.  You also get to play against other players that you may never play against otherwise.

3. Pickup games

You are probably not the only person around that loves the game and doesn't want to go 3 or 4 months without playing.  Call up your buddies.  Roll down the windows of your car, crank the stereo and have a blast!  Just because you're honing your skills doesn't mean you can't have fun doing it! 

4. Camps

There are always soccer camps around in the summer.  These are great to hone your skills.  You get to learn from different coaches, thus learning new ways of doing things.  This will expand your knowledge and give you some great ideas of things to practice before the season starts.  You'll also get a T-shirt out of the deal and maybe a plastic water bottle...

A Word of Caution

While these are all fun, and will go a long way in your quest to get a leg up on the competition before next season, you do need to be cautious of a few things. 

Make sure you don't sit around for 3 or 4 weeks and then decide to get some buddies together and go to a tournament.  That is a great way to hurt yourself.  Your mind will pick up right where you left off at that last game, but your muscles very quickly lose their edge.  Do yourself a favor and make sure you keep yourself in shape.  That way you won't get embarassed when you are winded, or worse yet, get injured and screw up your entire off season and perhaps the next season! 

Make sure that, while your having fun, you are challenging yourself.  While its fun to run circles around your 6 year old little cousin, it does little to increase your skill level.  It could even lead to bad habits as you get sloppy in your moves and your training.  Seek out players who will challenge you, thats how you grow!

Whatever you do, have a blast!  Soccer is fun, enjoy it! 

If you find value in these posts, please pass them to all your teammates! 

Follow me on Twitter: @Skropp2