Gone are the days of the true off-season. Gone are the days when the only time we would see our players between December and August is when we passed them in the halls. As more programs become year round endeavors, the term ‘off-season’ has more appropriately been replaced by the phrase ‘out-of-season,’ a time when athletes are expected to begin preparing themselves both physically and mentally for the upcoming season. With out-of-season months being filled with strength training and conditioning programs, the key question becomes “How do we keep our athletes focused and motivated to give the same effort we expect in-season, even though the next season may be seven or eight months away?” The answer has to be built into our out-of-season programs. Simply telling a high school athlete that next year’s success will be built on what we do now may not be enough. We, as coaches,
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