Off Season: Now What?

Now that the season is over, what's next? Most players jump right into AAU/Travel Programs and start playing games with these teams. Seems like a good plan and it is a necessary part if you are looking to play at the next level, but is that all there is?

The simple answer is NO! Over the years I have watched player after player go into the "off-season" routine without truly making a plan to get better. I wrote an article last year titled "Got A Plan? Be S.M.A.R.T About It" where I talked about goal setting (click here to read) To be a "next level" player you have to go beyond just playing games and team practices. You need to spend ample amounts of time developing your skills and athleticism. That requires sacrifices and extra work. I had a conversation recently after a workout with a young friend who just finished his second year of playing Division 1 college basketball and I asked him about his transition from high school to college basketball and what did it take for him to prepare. He simply pointed out that he did whatever it took to get ready whether it was extra conditioning or lots of late nights in the gym working on skills. He said it helped him to gain the confidence to know he belonged on the court with his teammates.

So how do you go about putting in the necessary work? There isn't enough space in this article to fully explain all you need to do, but over the next few weeks I will be sharing some articles that will help you come up with a plan to elevate your game. So are you ready to take your game to new heights and become the player you wanted to be? If that's you, then let's go and do work!

Stay Forever Strong!