So, what exactly does the men's soccer team do when there is a foot of snow on the ground outside and no games to play? Well, our winter off-season consists of a few different aspects: lifting, playing, individual work, and relaxing.
Lifting:
- This consists of lifting weights Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 7:45 a.m. until 8:45 a.m.
- On Mondays and Wednesdays, we focus more on upper body lifts like arms, chest, back, shoulders, etc.
- Fridays are our leg days during which we do many different leg lifts.
- The key philosophy is to do more reps at lower weights in order to increase our muscular endurance while building strength as well.
- As the semester goes on, we incorporate circuits into our lifts, which means we do combinations of strength and core exercises along with cardiovascular exercises to help prepare us for the spring season.
Playing:
- We play a lot of soccer on our own. Our coaches are not allowed to be around while we practice (since it's the off-season), so we run our own playing sessions.
- We use both the basketball courts to play small futsal games and the field house to play larger games to goal.
Individual Work:
- The winter is the best time to improve yourself as a player and focus on your own game. This ironically stays true to the school motto "Meliora" as we strive to improve ourselves as players.
- Players do this in many ways, but a very popular activity is going to the racquetball court and running through a multitude of different drills to improve the player technically.
Relaxing:
- This is a very large part of the winter off-season. This time is great to catch up on your studies, hang out with friends, and ultimately enjoy the opportunities we have around campus.
- Some people choose to play intramurals, others participate in psychology studies, some do research, and some simply play a lot of FIFA. Ultimately, the winter is a time to really improve yourself as a player while decompressing from the stressful fall season. The goal is to be fit, healthy, and refreshed for the upcoming spring season.