A Blueprint for Off-Season Player Training: Unlocking Your Potential

The off-season provides an excellent opportunity for players to recharge and improve their skills before the pre-season kicks off. While some players take a well-deserved break, others use this time to improve their game. In this article, we will explore a four-step template for off-season training, focusing on personal development and skill development.

Step 1 - Rest & Reflection

As a player, I always took 1 week off any sort of training immediately after the season finished. I needed that mental break from the daily grind, that doesn’t mean that I didn’t go for a swim, or bike ride if I wanted to but; it did mean a step away from doing those things with a goal or pushing to achieve something. The mental reset a week off gave me allowed me to miss training with a purpose.

The most productive off season training I personally did was actually based on looking at my own game and then comparing them to elite players in my position at the time - Right back. I was a big fan of Championship Manager / Football Manager and using whichever version of the game was out then, I filtered the top full backs in the world to see what was common amongst them that I lacked.?

I grew up watching Cafu and Roberto Carlos on tv and Rangers teams with David Robertson and??Fernando Ricksen getting forward to get crosses into the box but; ‘attacking full back’ probably wasn’t the term any of my coaches would have given me as a primary descriptor. This is the weakness I choose to develop.

My self reflection saw that I didn’t get as many crosses away as other full backs because I didn’t get past my opponent enough. Speed was my issue, I could run for days but that initial burst of pace or that searing top speed that some have eluded me.??That was the next step in my plan.??

Step 2 - Gym & Learning

I got in the gym and made sure that I was lifting heavy.??The thinking was simple, the more I could lift, the more force I could generate, the faster I could run.??But, I did more than that, I read what I could about running and spoke with athletes and coaches. Two things I was told stood out to me were: 1) The faster I could move my arms, the faster I could move my legs. 2) Achilles tendon length is a indicator of speed ie the longer the Achilles, the faster the athlete can run…theoretically.?

I then went on pitch and started working over distances that would be realistic to the game - 5, 10 and 15 yards - whilst also doing sprints over 30 and 40 yards to allow myself the distance to get up to to full speed.?

Step 3 - Pitch Work

My feet were never the fastest so I thought about the one or two 1v1 skills I felt really comfortable with and spent a huge amount of time getting those as smooth and fast as I could. I chose two that were area specific to where I would get the ball in advanced areas and coupled that with the speed work I was doing. The first move I practiced was a lateral scissors.??My back to the sideline, I would take a touch with the inside of my left foot and immediately scissor around the ball with the same foot before taking a touch with the outside of my right foot.??A decent touch a few yards into space and a little quicker acceleration helped me get those crosses whipped in. The second move was the classic Cruyff turn. I was once asked by a teammate if I was right or left footed…six games into the season! Adding that extra burst of pace saw my previous seasons Cruyff turn go from a sideways or backwards pass to cutting the ball back and getting the space to deliver with my left peg.

Step 4 - Consistency & Hard Work

That following season, I went from averaging 1 completed cross per game to 3. My 1v1 take ons increased from 15% success rate to 35%. I was still a defender, I was never expecting, or expected, to get past opponents more than the midfielder or winger playing in front of me but it added more to my game and gave my team something extra in attack. Im a fan of the old army adage, ‘a chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link.’??I strengthened my chain.

We had a month off between seasons and a 6 week preseason. I worked on my speed and footwork for 3 of the 4 weeks off and continued it throughout our team sessions in preseason.

Junior Mendes, Head of Academy Performance at Hearts and a former colleague of mine at Partick Thistle, used to ask the U20’s on a regular basis, “What are you willing to do to become the best you can?”

9 weeks of work, not everyday and not all day, helped me become a better version of the player I was.??

“What are you willing to do to become the best you can?” - Junior Mendes        

Step 1 - Step away from training and season reflection - Mental Rest?

Step 2 - Get in the gym + learn about running

Step 3 - Acceleration and sprints on pitch + lots of 1v1 skills

Step 4 - Consistency + hard work?