Softball Tips - Downtime is Necessary

Guest post by Ken Krause, Life in the Fastpitch Lane blog

I am a big believer in taking some downtime after the season to just unwind, relax, and heal both physically and mentally. While that might seem like heretical to some people, it really is important. Even Marc Dagenais says so.

Some people don't like the idea of shutting down for a while. They're afraid their players/daughters will lose all the gains they've made, or will fall behind the others if they take even a couple of weeks off. Poppycock! (How often do you get to use THAT word in a sentence these days?)

The softball season can be a long grind, especially for high school-age players, many of whom start in March with tryouts for school and don't finish until the end of July/beginning of August. That's five months of softball practice or games nearly every day, including a summer filled with tournaments.

No matter how much you love the game, that type of schedule can become mind-numbing after a while. To jump from there immediately into prep for the next season, when you'll do it all over again, really isn't good for anyone.

It's really part of our whole human cycle. We need breaks on a regular basis to recharge both the body and the spirit. That's what sleep is all about.

How many times have you had a bad day, or been puzzled by a serious issue that you can't solve? We all experience it. And how many times, after a good night's sleep, do we find rejuvenation in a new day or a solution that pops into our brains? It happens all the time.

That's what that little quiet period of separation does. Taking time off after the season does the same thing, only over a longer time period. Nagging injuries, such as sore arms, heel spurs, tired muscles, etc. get a chance to rest and rebuild without the stress of constant use.

More importantly, the brain gets a chance to rest and think about other things — sort of like clearing the palate after a course in a fancy restaurant. As good as that course was you want to be sure you're prepared for the next.

Will you (or your daughter) miss it? Ache for it? Maybe. But even that's good. The enforced time off will rebuild the enthusiasm that can get lost in a long season, which means that when you do resume workouts sometime in September it will be with more energy and a fresh start.

Will your softball conditioning go down? Sure. But that's ok, you have a long time before you need it to be at peak efficiency. Besides, maybe the break will give you time to look into some new workouts instead of going right back to the old ones.

A key principle of weight lifting and conditioning is changing things up on a regular basis because once the body gets used to a workout its benefits diminish. You'll have time to find some fresh approaches to keep it interesting and keep the body and mind moving forward.

So kick back, relax, and just chill for a while. It may be tough after being in softball mode for so long. But ultimately both your body and your mind will thank you for the break.

Anyway, that's the way I see it.