Summer is here!
Perhaps you didn’t have the year you were expecting last season, or maybe you’re coming off a historic run! In either case, the summer is a reminder that the past is past, and that next season is right around the corner.
The summer is often the best time for athletes to develop. For young athletes, there are few times throughout the year where school responsibilities can take a back seat to their performance…and this is one of them! They are less stressed, typically have more sleep and are therefore able to recover better and handle a more physical load. Although it’s an optimal time in the calendar to train, coaches often find it to be the most challenging time of year to keep their athletes motivated and engaged.
As coaches we know that if our athletes commit themselves to a consistent routine over the summer, they’ll show up to tryouts/pre-season camp with more power, speed, and control than ever before. But we are not always there to supervise and help keep morale and motivation high.
Here are some key ways to optimize summer training and keep athletes engaged:
Understanding Your Athletes = High Compliance
Find out where your athletes will be over the summer and what they have access to. Ask questions or provide a survey on what they’d like to see in their summer packets. Find out what they feel like they need, let them feel heard.
Pro Tip: Tired of creating summer packets?! Start your FREE 2 week trial of the Volt Coach Platform HERE to let our tech and AI survey and personalize your athletes’ workouts for you!
Check Ins = High engagement
Create frequent touch points throughout the summer. A touchpoint can be anything from a team video call to a test submission where they need to report on a strength, speed or agility metric. Make sure they feel like someone cares for them and is invested in their performance even when you’re not present. It’s important to keep the morale high with these touchpoints.
Collaboration > Dictation (meet them halfway)
Something is better than nothing. Granting athletes some autonomy can lead to better results. Find out what motivates them and what is attainable for them. Try building out their packets together. This will drive buy-in and increase engagement.
Need more assistance in increasing your athlete engagement all year long?! Download the FREE Volt Athlete Engagement Guide & Tracker HERE to learn more engagement strategies, create your plan for the year, and lean on an easy-to-use template to track each athletes’ engagement.
The Power of Social Media
Social media is an easy way to remind your athletes to keep working hard and provide them with training inspiration. Post weekly workouts, share opportunities to join camps & clinics, and highlight athletes who are going above and beyond in summer training!
Struggling with social? Gipper’s all-in-one content creation & social media management platform makes it easy to create and share content that keeps your athletes engaged & informed. Try creating & sharing graphics and newsletters for free!
So why wait? With a little creativity and these tips, you can turn your summer training program into a launchpad for next season's success. Use the extra time to build a stronger, more motivated team, and watch your athletes reach their full potential come fall!
About the Author:
Victoria Druehl, MS, CSCS is a Strength and Conditioning Consultant at Volt Athletics. A fervent coach and educator, Victoria has devoted her career to youth development and health promotion. Her previous roles include Sport Performance Coach, Head of S&C, and PE Department Chair, at several schools such as Harvard-Westlake School, IMG Academy, and Ransom-Everglades School. Victoria was a member of the Rowing team at UConn, and earned her Masters Degree in Exercise Science at the University of Miami. Follow Victoria on LinkedIn.
About Volt:
Volt is the #1 research-backed, AI-powered strength and conditioning solution with over 14,000 5-star reviews. Volt elevates strength coaching by providing an easy way to build training plans, distribute them to teams, and track progress—all while minimizing the risk of injury and maximizing athletic impact.
Want to find out how Volt can elevate your game by strengthening your players?! Learn more and start your free trial HERE!
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