It’s now September in Australia. If you are a team-sport athlete who plays in one of the major winter codes (AFL, Rugby, Rugby League, Football etc) then you will have likely finished your season for 2025. Club sport seasons can be long and hard, so it’s understandable that planning for season 2026 is likely the last thing on your mind.
However, if you plan some key steps now for your off-season period, you can set yourself up for great success going into future seasons. In this short article, we outline some key steps every amateur and semi-professional athlete should take to make the most of your off-season.
Recharge and Detach
Maybe not the advice you were expecting? While planning and preparing for the new season is important, taking time to fully detach yourself mentally and physically from the sport is just as crucial. Detachment is the key word here. By creating a level of separation between yourself and the sport you play in the initial weeks of off-season, you will not only improve your recovery but also reduce the risk of experiencing physical or mental burnout going into the following season.
Detachment will look different for everyone. It might mean going away on holiday, spending more time with family and friends, not watching games of your sport, or muting group chats associated with your sport or club.
How long you do this for will be highly variable to the individual. Your ultimate goal is to feel refreshed and excited to return after your time away.
Find a Physio, Get a Baseline
Once you are back from your time off and ready to start your off-season training, it is important that you consult a physiotherapist who has a strong understanding of sport and exercise to get baseline physical testing and injury screening completed.
Where most athletes go wrong in off-season is they start training with no plan, no data and a generic program that isn’t tailored to their physical profile. By engaging with a physiotherapist, you can get a comprehensive testing battery completed across a number of physical assessments to get a well-rounded understanding of your current physical status.
Once completed, the physiotherapist can help create a bespoke off-season strength and conditioning program that has content designed to address key physical deficiencies, build on current strengths and identify and address injury risks. Using this precise and data driven approach to your off-season programming will ensure you come into the first week of pre-season in the best possible shape to withstand the physical demands of training.
Build General Physical Qualities
What makes off-season training so advantageous compared to other times of the year is that athletes don’t have to balance their physical conditioning practice with practice and games of the sport itself. This provides the athlete with an excellent opportunity to ramp up the development of their physical conditioning without consequence or a negative impact on their skills training.
The focus of off-season training is to develop general physical fitness qualities that will ultimately provide a foundation for your future physical performance in pre-season and in-season. This is known as the general preparation period (GPP). During GPP, you will work with your physiotherapist to address:
- General Strength and Power
- Aerobic and Anaerobic Fitness
- Mobility and Movement Quality
Developing the above qualities through your GPP will set you up for success coming into the start of pre-season.
Address Injury History and Injury Risks
In addition to building general physical fitness, the off-season provides a fantastic chance for you to work with your physiotherapist to assess and create a thorough rehabilitation plan for any current or historical injuries you may have.
Again, the lack of interruption from training and games in this period means you and the physiotherapist have the chance to be thorough and create an in-depth program. In this case, the physiotherapist will identify key risk factors you may have that could elevate the risk of injury and re-injury, and then create an exercise program that addresses those risk factors.
Often, this can be integrated within your GPP program so that you are not overloaded with training. By addressing these injury risk factors, you can once again improve your overall physical resilience to withstand the demands of pre-season training.
Final Thoughts
If you are waiting until pre-season week one to get yourself “fit” again, you are already falling behind and playing catch up. Take some time to detach and recharge, and then get proactive with the rest of your off-season time. See it as an opportunity to build general physical attributes that will improve your physical performance in sport. In addition, see the time as an opportunity to assess and treat injury risk factors through a tailored rehabilitation plan. Most importantly, ensure you work with a sport and exercise physiotherapist who can provide you with education, structure and planning during your off-season, as well as a comprehensive assessment so that your program is tailored to you.
Book an appointment at BeFit Training Physiotherapy — no referral needed.
Edgecliff: (02) 9327 7749 | Coogee: (02) 7205 2805
References
Raedeke TD. Is Athlete Burnout More Than Just Stress? A Sport Commitment Perspective. J Sport Exerc Psychol. 1997;19(4):396-417.
Bompa TO, Buzzichelli C. Periodization: Theory and Methodology of Training. Human Kinetics.
Australian Physiotherapy Association. Clinical guidelines. physiotherapy.asn.au.
