What Divides the Good Athletes from the Great

Undoubtedly, every athlete has asked themselves at least once in their athletic careers, “What do I do during my off-season?”. However, the answer for what they should do is complex because every sport is different. In the end, most athletes come up with the consensus that they have two options — rest or train — when, in reality, they should be doing both.
For most sports, there will be a few months where the athletes have to endure hard training for any competitions, races, or games. There will also be a few months where there is nothing that they need to compete in. During this time, it is crucial for athletes to do whatever their body needs in order to prepare themselves for when their rigorous training resumes. This includes fueling their mind and body.
Resting is a good option during the off-season because it lets the body catch up on sleep and nutrition, causing athletes to become less prone to injuries. On the other hand, training is also crucial to their overall success. It makes athletes’ bodies stronger and better at their sport. Training allows them to surpass other athletes who just choose to rest. Due to this fact, the best thing any athlete can do is rest and train at the same time. While it can be confusing combining these two techniques, the simple solution is catering to the body’s needs.
Mrs. Marisa Beck, Science Teacher and head coach of the cross country and track teams, said, “the first thing you want to do is rest…about two weeks…but then you want to start building up your running…it is important to focus on lifting weights,” She continued to explain, “you do not want to do specific workouts in the off-season. You want your body to kind of recover.” Beck also explained that the most important thing to do is to give the body time to recover by using what is called “cross training,” a technique in which athletes use other forms of exercise than the one they most commonly use for their sport to train. For example, runners could swim or bike, thereby offering the body a recovery period while still keeping themselves healthy.
An athlete’s off-season is crucial to their overall success in the sport. What every athlete does during it is the differentiation between a good and a great athlete.