With the netball season over for 2023,  it is time to kick off those netball shoes and have some time away from the courts. During this time, you can start to work on addressing and fixing any injuries or niggles you might have picked up during the season, grow your physical capacity by training in new ways with a more relaxed routine, focusing on general strength and fitness. But most importantly enjoying activities with whānau and friends that help improve your overall health and mental wellbeing.  

During your off-season, there are three things you should be focusing on in your training: 

Fix your Body  

Now, is a great time to prioritise your movement and mobility to ensure that your body is ready to play again. If you continue to ignore the warning signs (in the form of a slight pain in your body), it will not necessarily go away… overuse injuries for example, are more than likely to get worse and eventually stop functioning effectively. Since you have more time, prioritise moving correcting in all movement planes and recovering your body. Regular stretching sessions, with adequate recover and rehab is key to preparing our bodies. 

Build Strength  

Now is the perfect time to focus on building your full body strength. With the pressure of netball gone, you can focus on fatiguing your body in other fun ways or sports and improve your upper, lower and core strength. This will help you to perform better in the pre-season stage of your season when the exercises will become more sport specific. The stronger you are, the better you will be able to perform.  

Build Fitness 

Keeping your cardiovascular system ticking over, will ensure your baseline fitness level stays up to standard, so you can hit the ground running! Make sure to include weekly aerobic training sessions to keep your fitness where it needs to be. This could be in the form of anything such as, running, interval training sessions, swimming, or anything else you fancy. With the season over, there is no pressure to keep your training ‘sport specific’, however, ensuring you are fit will make pre-season more enjoyable for you and your team!  

Article added: Thursday 07 December 2023