The season has recently ended. Athletes are fatigued both physically and mentally (structurally and neurologically). Instead of getting in the weight room and immediately chasing performance outputs, focus on rebuilding the foundational qualities first. Key Priorities Restore tissue quality and movement variability Aerobic work support recovery systems General strength to support later high-intensity work Hypertrophy to build muscle mass lost during season Rebuild eccentric force capacity Improve tendon stiffness and connective tissue resilience Position and structural strength through isometric loading protocols Know where you're going to know how to start Have an understanding of what the end of the off-season and beginning of the season looks like from a performance lens. This will make the programming and decision making processes much simpler. As the season begins, athletes should be healthy and be able to physically express themselves close to their greatest potential. Creating a program that starts with a solid foundation for which further qualities can be built on top of will ensure athletes are prepared once the season comes back around. Questions to consider: How do you prioritize restoration vs performance in your early off-season programming? How do you balance general preparation while maintaining basketball-specific qualities? What mistakes are commonly seen in the early off-season programming for basketball athletes? Rich McLoughlin | Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach | Atlanta Hawks

One of the things we have been doing is using overcoming isometrics as seen here These keep neural activation high with little to no cost at the level of the muscle. The muscle produces maximal tension but does so without changing length, sparing the tissue of any potential delayed onset muscle soreness. We also use CAT (compensatory acceleration training), which is the lifting of external loads with maximal intent and speed throughout the entirety of the range of motion. Several studies have shown the shifting of type IIx fibers towards type IIa fibers after straining under heavy loads for extended periods. We use near maximal loads very sparingly, and 90 or more of our training is performed with moderate/submaximal loads. Since using this strategy, our peak propulsive power, propulsive impulse, jump height, and acceleration times have all noticeably improved.

What is one metric or data point you originally valued heavily in athlete monitoring that you now rely on less? What metric(s) would you recommend highlighting today? For me, I've been thinking a lot about how context changes everything especially in basketball. Two athletes can show just about the same outputs, but game demands, player role, movement solutions, and stress levels can cause these numbers to mean completely different things. Curious to see/hear what other Coaches have evolved on over time.

Scott Sehnert, MS, RD, CSCS, CSSD serves as the Director of Sports Performance for the Dallas Cowboys where he works closely with strength and conditioning coaches to develop player-specific nutrition and recovery plans. Before joining the organization, he spent a decade as a collegiate sports dietitian, bringing extensive experience in sports nutrition and performance. He also served seven years on the board of the American Sports and Performance Dietitians Association, contributing to the advancement of the field. Have a question for Scott? Drop it below—he’ll be live on May 18 and May 26 to share his insights.

Hey everyone! My name is Joe Pedulla, strength & conditioning coach at the University of Oklahoma for softball and women's golf. This is my third year at OU, and I also own Pedulla Performance LLC (you can find me @pedullaperformance on instagram) where I mentor over 180 other strength & conditioning coaches in a community of my own. I also train professional athletes 1-1, mainly within baseball and softball. My areas of expertise are within speed development for team sports, periodization and training strategies (especially within sports involving almost constant practice and/or competition like softball), and technologies such as Hawkin and VALD force plates, Catapult GPS, motorized resisted sprint training devices, and velocity based training devices. Over the years I have built several frameworks and holistic approaches to athlete profiling, archetyping, individualization and progression. I invite you to ask questions pertaining to the aforementioned topics, and anything else that may be on your mind relating to team sport athlete development. Some of the issues I see within high performance are inappropriate training volumes, misguided belief systems relating to power development, and a surface level understanding of how to integrate technology in a way that both seamlessly integrates with our workflows, and also results in actionable decisions that yield high impact; we want to make good use of our data. I look forward to having some great conversations here!

Yes! I live and work in the Chicago Area.

The Sports Recovery Toolkit has A TON of great information! I've played around with a Recovery Score Card for the athletes that I work with - especially during championship and tournament times. Has anyone else used a tool like this to educate and motivate athletes? If so, how did you go about selecting and assigning points to recovery strategies and modalities?

When access is limited, hydration needs to last longer. Explore fueling and hydration approaches designed to support sustained performance across longer efforts. Foods Fluids For Endurance Sports.pdf Nutrition for Football Players.pdf

When every minute counts, hydration matters more. Find tools and guidance to help athletes rehydrate efficiently and get back out there. Optimizing Performance and Safety Through Proper Hydration.pdf Understanding Electrolytes and Hydration.pdf

Gatorade can help address your hydration needs. Understand what’s lost in sweat and how proper fluid intake helps athletes perform at their best. Science of Hydration.pdf Whats Lost in Sweat.pdf