When should a football player begin an off-season training regimen?
General fitness levels should be maintained throughout the year. But specific training for youth football in particular can start as early as eight weeks in advance of the pre-season. Why is off-season training important for young athletes? Off-season training has many advantages. Some of them include having the body better prepared and acclimated to the specific demands of football. These demands can include tolerance to the environmental conditions (heat and humidity), adaptations to the body such as strength and power, and resistance to injury. What are the disadvantages to not doing proper off-season training? The primary factor that would leave a player at a disadvantage of an improper off-season program is not having the body prepared for the demands of football. This ultimately compromises the health and safety of the athlete. What types of training should be done in the off-season? There are many effective methods of training in the off-season. For youth football, it is advised
