Successful coaches have a developed strategy for facilitating a championship season. They don’t just rely on good players and luck. The strategy is in motion long before the season begins, and this “secret weapon” is helping their teams fly through the starting line at a strong pace, while the competition is left standing still.
Here are 3 simple reasons why a pre-season Injury Prevention Program is a Coach’s Secret Weapon:
1. Players will be more PREPARED at the start of the season
Coaches, have you ever wished you could get your players moving or exercising before team practices begin?
Have you ever issued a gym program or conditioning plan for your players during their break, with little follow-through?
I hear coaches from a variety of sports feeling frustrated that their players don’t do the home workouts that they are given.
What if they had an at-home program and someone to virtually guide them through the exact exercises to do on their own, without expensive one-on-one training? The exercises advance as they get stronger, so their capacity builds before they even meet for the first training day.
With a proper training regiment and expert-guidance during the pre-season, even prior to the first team meet-up, athletes show up on DAY 1 stronger, more confident, and more fit – ready to explode into team training sessions, with more resilience and a lower risk of injury.
Good pre-season preparation leads to greater overall development and a higher-level of performance throughout the season. An independent pre-season injury prevention program that educates and trains athletes can give your team an edge up on the competition from the start.
2. More time for coaching skills, technical, and tactical play
When your players share the responsibility for their pre-season injury prevention training by completing some of the exercises at home, the coach is able to focus on other aspects of training to develop competent, strong, team players and plan for a winning season.
With a dedicated at-home program, the players learn the importance of preparing their bodies for the season and are guided in exactly what to do (rather than randomly jogging or throwing weights around, or just jumping zero-to-full force). Too many injuries occur as a result of a training error, usually increasing intensity too rapidly or with poor form. Learning how to avoid injuries will continue to benefit these athletes for life.
With an independent injury prevention program, the exercises can be done 100% at-home, 100% as a team, or a hybrid of 2 days at-home and 1 day together, freeing up more time to allocate toward other valuable aspects of coaching, like technical training, skills, decision-making, mental strength, endurance, and other secrets that the coach has up his or her sleeve.
3. Team Chemistry
Have you ever noticed how a tightly-bonded team with great chemistry can out-perform a team with highly-skilled individual players? Team bonding is extremely valuable in unifying a team.
A pre-season injury prevention program, like ACL Strong, promotes team bonding. Players learn how to help, motivate, and inspire their teammates with positive communication. Players build friendships, lean on each other, and gain trust in one-another.
Teams with good chemistry play better together.
If you’re a coach and you haven’t tried this strategy, then I recommend giving it a shot and see for yourself.