March 25, 2011
Proper in-season training is crucial
by Dr. Daniel McGovern/
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the March 2011 issue of New England Lacrosse Journal.
College, high school and youth players approach the start of the lacrosse season with great hope and expectation. Unfortunately, many teams and/or individuals will not compete at their optimal level of performance.
Many well-intended coaches, strength coaches or parents will sabotage the season by making common mistakes designing an in-season strength and conditioning program. Some coaches will choose to “do what I did” although such training may be outdated. Others will go online and copy a workout regimen from a top-rated college team for their high school or youth squads.
Peter Warmingham, assistant strength and conditioning coach at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, works with the Bobcats’ men’s and women’s lacrosse teams, and says the approach to in-season training is similar for both genders, and that the goal is “to maintain strength and mobility during the season.”
Likewise, Dan Kopcso, head strength and conditioning coach at Tufts University, says that in-season training should focus on “maintaining strength and power.” The Jumbos, who won the men’s 2010 Division 3 national championship, do not do extra in-season conditioning and rely on conditioning-based drills during practice. Kopcso also emphasizes mobility and soft-tissue work using a foam roller. While the men’s and women’s teams adhere to the same basics of training, they are managed differently based on the head coach’s preference.
Here are some key in-season training don’ts:
►Don’t over-train; one or two training sessions a week during the season is recommended.
►Don’t under-train or be so busy with drills and skills that you have no in-season program at all. Without in-season training, all of a player’s offseason efforts are quickly lost. (And remember, some high school and youth players don’t do offseason training; if you don’t do some training work, they won’t increase their level of fitness.)
►Don’t emphasize the “wrong” muscle groups; avoid training like a bodybuilder.
►Don’t train the wrong energy systems for lacrosse; avoid frequent, long, slow runs. The saying “Run slow, be slow” applies here. An occasional recovery run is suggested.
And here are things you should do:
►Have a plan; talk with coaches before the season.
►“Train the opposite.” When they’re in-season at Quinnipiac, athletes follow this principle to avoid overtraining and injury. For example, shooting and passing require the front (anterior) of the shoulder muscles to work extensively, so the Bobcats include exercises focusing on the back (posterior) of the shoulder and scapular (shoulder blade) muscles.
►Focus on maintaining or gaining maximal strength and power.
►Train with higher loads and higher speeds of movement.
►Keep fatigue levels down with a lower volume of exercise.
►Incorporate recovery tactics into your sessions (particularly for the mid-back and ankle).
►Modify workouts later in the season. Be open to change based on what the athletes need at each point in the season.
Warmingham believes that a key to any strength and conditioning program is to have “buy in” from the athletes. “When kids buy into you and your program, the sky is really the limit,” he said.
At Tufts, Kopcso notes that incoming freshmen have limited experience with a structured in-season program and require transition time to his regimen.
In-season strength and conditioning programs should be age- and skill-appropriate for the individual team and/or athlete.
Train hard, train smart. Good luck this season!
Dr. Daniel McGovern is a board certified sports physical therapist and the clinical director of Prescription Orthopedic and Sports Therapy (P.O.S.T.) in Cohasset, Mass. He can be reached at feedback@laxjournal.com
