Beginnings

So first off is the obligatory look back on the past season. As far as the team it was a pretty successful year. This was the highest finish ever in team history (4th) with some great games and tournaments along the way. I think we made good strides in becoming a really competitive club team plus well positioned with the mix of older and younger players in the years to come.

Personally I had a great early season, but then ran into some injuries around Boston Invite (first a groin strain, then a pretty serious ankle injury) which held me back during the second half and during Sectionals and Regional’s.

The past 2 years I've trained extensively in the off-season and then have been hit with injuries during the summer months that sideline me and affect my overall performance. In '06 I had a herniated disc and this past season a groin and ankle injury. Both years have been frustrating and disappointing in terms of how I wanted to play and how I ended up being injured.

So as with years past my main goal in the off-season is to get healthy and to get stronger in order to prevent my annual mid season breakdown. I’ve tried different training methods as well in the past some involving little weights and lots of running to lots of weights and little running in the off months. But I haven’t found a combination yet that has really let me play to what I think is my full potential.

Getting back into it:
3 weeks – 6 days
10 pushups
10 sit-ups
10 dips
10 squats
10 calf raises
10 scissors
10 super-mans

For groin/ankle
3 weeks - 3 days a week
30 sec toe taps
30 sec heel taps
30 sec alternating toe/heel taps x 2
1 ankle alphabet – each ankle
5x30 sec 45 degree abductors hold with tennis ball
5x30 sec straight leg abductors hold with tennis ball
30 sec 1 legged balance