Coach: How to improve your game in the off-season

Finally, some downtime for many of our young athletes.

Commitments with some sports teams may wind down after the Fourth of July. Travel teams start to ease up, house leagues are over, camps and clinics often close shop and all the school-sponsored "voluntary" sports programs have mostly ended.

So, now what to do?

What can a young athlete, serious about getting better in their particular sport, do during these theoretically "down months" to keep up skills and continue to improve?

Let me offer a few thoughts:

1) Discover Your Inner Sport Self: Sounds pyscho-analytical, but the concept is simple. Practice on your own. Whatever the sport is, this time of year is good to get away from coaches, trainers, teachers, teammates - and even parents - and just work on your craft by yourself.

Swim, shoot buckets, hit off a tennis wall, throw to imaginary targets or kick into targeted areas - whatever your particular sport might be. It may sound basic, and even a bit corny, but the time spent by yourself can be both therapeutic and, dare I say, maybe even enlightening.

2) Work On An Area Of Weakness: We all like to play and practice what are good at doing. But the truly dedicated athlete works on their weaknesses as well. So, pick one deficiency in your skill set and work on it this summer.

If every off season you concentrate on improving one thing you are not good at, the benefits down the road will be great. Work on your left hand, or weak hand, in basketball, power kicks with your left foot in soccer, lob game in tennis, sand shots in golf, or defensive digs in volleyball, just as a few examples.

The goal? Surprise your coaches, teammates and opponents next school year on how much you have improved on this supposed weakness.

3) Get Beat Up A Little: Not literally, but figuratively. Play pickup games against older, advanced, more physical competition. This is absolutely one of the most underrated, underpublicized, underutilized, but vital, things a young athlete can do.

If you're 8 years old, play in games with those who are 10. If you're 12, get in games with your older friends. If you're a varsity caliber athlete, find games with college players, or even men's leagues, where the games are more physical.

If you're a house league level athlete, scrimmage with travel level players. If you're a girl, get in games with the guys. That's right, ladies, one of the absolute best things you can do for your game in the off season is to compete against guys.

Any scenario where you are playing up a level or two in competition and physicality is a huge benefit. I am not talking organized leagues here, but instead just in the park or in the driveway. It is amazing what you can learn from this unorganized version of play.

When you come back to your own age level teams during the school year, everything seems slower and easier because you have been put through the wringer playing against tougher, more physical competition.

4) Get Bigger, Stronger, Faster: No shortcuts. Go to work on your physical conditioning and improve your overall athleticism. Jump onto blocks (plyometrics) to improve vertical leap, master the jump rope to improve your foot quickness, go to the beach and run in the sand to build leg strength and stamina (this is one of the best) and, maybe best of all, get friendly with a hill. A big hill.

Run up the hill so many times that it becomes part of you. Oh, and when you are completely exhausted and finally ready to head home for a nice cold sports drink? Run up that hill one more time.

5) Do Nothing: Hard work is good, but you also need to rest and mellow out. No question, the body - and the mind - need to take a sports break. Get away from it all and maybe even play something else just for fun. Give yourself some complete down time knowing that every athlete needs to do this from time to time. Then, when you do come back, you're physically and mentally refreshed and busting at the seams to show off your new found skills.

6) Turn The Pages: Literally. Reading can work wonders, and with so many good manuals, magazines, books, etc. that have specific sports information, as well as inspirational and motivational topics, there is no reason not to bury yourself in the beauty of the written word.

Soak up as much information as you possibly can reading about other great athletes and how they did it, or even some who were not great, but had to overcome tremendous struggles to achieve success. You can learn from their stories and the trials and tribulations they have all been through.

Sometimes you will read a book and maybe just one or two things stick with you. But those one or two things can stay with you all your life and really have an influence on the type of athlete and person you become.

7) Don't Turn That Channel: Yes, watching games on TV, or going to games in person, can be a real learning experience. Observing others perform their craft can increase our own knowledge of skills, strategy, rules, techniques, even subtle little tricky moves you might be able to use when you play. Sometimes it is even a subconscious skill or nuance that you will pick up, not even realizing it.

As an added bonus, this year's Summer Olympics will no doubt give us great examples of what we mention here. So many inspirational stories and performances will be seen that can motivate and inspire the young athlete.

The above are just some of many suggestions that could be made to improve yourself during the off season Find some on your own and develop as you go. There are always new things to work on and discover.

Remember, next season you will be competing for a spot on the team, or more playing time, or beating that tough opponent, and just wishing you got better isn't going to cut it. You have to put in that extra time to make the difference.

As the old saying by Peter Bergman (or possibly Ed Macauley or Bill Bradley, depending on the source) goes: "When you are not practicing, remember: Somewhere ... someone is practicing. And when you meet him, he will win.

• Jon Cohn of Glenview is a coach, retired PE teacher, sports official and prep sports fan. To contact him with comments or story ideas, email jcsportsandtees@aol.com.