{"id":1343,"date":"2017-04-13T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-04-13T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webinology.website\/nation2021\/design-your-entire-off-season-training-plan-in-20-minutes\/"},"modified":"2021-11-03T12:53:12","modified_gmt":"2021-11-03T16:53:12","slug":"design-your-entire-offseason-training-plan-in-20-minutes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.coachup.com\/nation\/articles\/design-your-entire-offseason-training-plan-in-20-minutes","title":{"rendered":"Design Your Entire Off-Season Training Plan (in 20 Minutes)!"},"content":{"rendered":"

So your season is over and you have the entire off season staring you in the face. Where do you start? Designing your offseason skills program is a daunting task but hopefully this article can give you a framework for going about it.<\/p>\n

If you want to maximize your time in the gym this offseason, then get ready, this is going to be the most valuable 20 minutes of your spring and summer. Grab a pencil and paper or open up a blank document on your computer. You ready? Alright, lets do this (read all the way through for an example program at the bottom of the page). <\/p>\n

Step 1 (6 minutes): Determine the skills you want to improve.<\/strong><\/h5>\n

For the first 4 minutes, list any skill you want to improve. Don\u2019t limit yourself to just your weaknesses, include strengths that you want to get better at as well.<\/p>\n

This is a brain dump so don\u2019t be afraid to sound silly or stupid. If you think it, write it. Some examples could be…splitting the pick and roll, keeping my man in front of me, between the legs move, and finishing over shot blockers.<\/p>\n

Make sure you narrow down anything that is too general. For example, if I said I want to improve my \u201cshooting,\u201d that’s way too vague. What aspect of shooting do I want to improve? My range? My shooting off the dribble?  Be as specific as possible. It will make Step 2 much easier.<\/p>\n

For the last 2 minutes of Step 1, choose the 3 most important topics on your list and circle or bold them. These will serve as the focal point of your offseason skills regimen.<\/p>\n

Step 2 (5 minutes): Develop tangible goals<\/strong><\/h5>\n

For each of the three topics you\u2019ve chosen in Step 1, write down your goals for the offseason.<\/p>\n

These goals need to be as specific and tangible as possible. Don\u2019t say that your goal is to get better<\/em> at shooting off the dribble. Instead, your goal could be something like this: \u201cBe able to consistently make 7 out of 10 pull up jump shots going both left and right.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you have multiple goals for a topic, feel free to write them all down. Just make sure you don\u2019t have so many that you can\u2019t focus enough attention on each individual one.<\/p>\n

Important note on goal setting<\/a>: an ideal goal is one that is difficult, yet attainable. This way, you\u2019ll be challenged to reach a high target while still encouraged that your goal is possible.<\/p>\n

Step 3 (5 minutes): Lay out actionable steps<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Spend the next 5 minutes writing down actionable steps that you will take in pursuit of your goals from Step 2. For every area of improvement, write down two<\/strong> actionable steps so that you end up with a total of six<\/strong>. This step is vital because it provides concrete actions that you personally hold yourself accountable for.<\/p>\n

I’ve noticed that it’s much easier to rationalize a lackadaisical workout when all I\u2019ve agreed to do is \u201cget better\u201d at something. But it’s difficult to justify being lazy when I\u2019ve personally agreed to an inflexible rule like “shoot 100 pull ups a day” (for tips on self-motivation<\/a> check out this post on using motivational quotes).<\/p>\n

Step 4 (4 minutes): Fill in the rest<\/strong><\/h5>\n

The 3 areas that you\u2019ve chosen to work on should make up 60-65% of the time you spend training. So if you\u2019re planning on training for 1.5 hours, you should spend about 20 minutes on each skill. These 20 minutes should include–whenever possible–the actionable steps that you developed in Step 3.<\/p>\n

For the other 30-35%, mix it up. Practice a wide variety of skills that complement the other drills you are performing. I suggest listing as many other drills you know of that focus on complementary skills. This way you can draw from that bank any time you aren’t working on your three main skills.<\/p>\n

Creating a plan for your offseason training is absolutely vital to rapid improvement and effective workouts (Check out this post on why its important to write down your workouts<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Simply investing 20 minutes now toward organizing your offseason workout program will pay major dividends down the road. Trust me, it\u2019s worth it.<\/p>\n

Example offseason skills program<\/strong><\/p>\n

Step 1: Areas of improvement<\/strong><\/h5>\n