The off-season can be the hardest time for an athlete. During the season you work hard to master your game, grow as a unit with teammates, and focus on key in-season strategies. But during the off-season your growth from in-season work could be clipped by a lack of planning or discipline. Which of these items resembles you:
Looking for an off-season training program will keep your game at its peak. If you're not moving into another sport - an excellent choice is to find a structured program that is going to keep your conditioning up, muscles strong, and develop complementary movements. An excellent choice for off-season training is a boxing program. Here are SIX, of many, reasons why boxing will UP your game:
One challenge after the season ends is maintaining strength in the off-season. Due to a lack of drive or unstructured workouts athletes can loose the strength they developed during the season. Boxing offers a whole body workout that will not only help to maintain your conditioning but may also increase you strength while other athletes are posting up on the couch. Boxing will also work those minor muscles that often get ignored during the competitive season - more on that below.
An advantage of jumping into a boxing program is the balance and agility you'll acquire through workouts. Transferable to just about every other sport, boxing will help support the growth of body movement and awareness to provide control and a strong stance.
A structured boxing program will keep your mind and body sharp. Quick reflexes and speed are key for any athlete. From quick reactions for initiating a steal to turning on a dime, boxing can help support the development of key muscles in the body to give athletes that quickness that puts them ahead of an opponent.
This one may raise an eyebrow but stick with us. Off-season workouts are a chance to improve our weak areas and hone our mastery of major muscle groups. Boxing helps bring the entire body into synergy through understanding and mastering our balance, hand-eye coordination, and getting the body to move as a controlled unit. Body synergy or intentional exercises that allow an athlete to practice whole body movements are key for high school athletes who are still growing into their bodies.
Boxing is a lot of foot work, even more than you might expect. Understanding how to control and shift your weight as you move smoothly across the ring in a constant state of preparedness to throw or block a punch takes a lot of practice and energy. Boxing is an excellent candidate to help athletes develop great foot work that will compliment any sport.
Saving the best for last is the core strength that boxing will develop. Many sports do a poor job of developing a strong core that is vital to an athletes overall performance. A weak core can create all kinds of problems - from back pain, lack of balance, poor movement, a weak stance, etc. A weak core can also contribute to other muscles working over time to compensate for an underdeveloped core. The typical high school athlete spends roughly 8 hours a day sitting - most likely sitting in poor posture. An athlete's core is often an afterthought needing intentional attention to be developed. Boxing provides a great focused core workout without all the crunches. Core development comes from maintaining a strong stance, delivering punches on a heavy bag, shadow boxing, and more.
Although boxing can offer athletes even more than the six items listed above, you're likely asking how to get started. You're in luck! The FCA Boxing Huddle in Southern Colorado is a unique opportunity in southwest Colorado Springs. This boxing program will incorporate the six advantages mentioned above and will also provide training in two other dimensions - mental and spiritual toughness - that many programs or do-it-yourself gym workouts often leave out.
Get off the couch and develop your EDGE. Click below to learn more about program location, times and get registered.