If you ask any basketball coach, football coach, or other athletic head, they will tell you that the trick to a successful team is commitment and dedication, not just during the sport’s season, but all year round. If you hope to get better at a certain sport, then you should be training even when you do not have to be. This is one thing that the Glen Ridge High basketball team along with 24 other schools have held very close as they took part in a Newark Summer Academy during July. These teams have all decided to stay fit and keep their eye on the prize coming into the 2010/2011 basketball season.
There is also a Farleigh Dickinson University-Teaneck’s Team Camp this week held, which the Ridger’s head Liam Carr wants the squad to participate in. It is true that most of these high school athletes juggle other sports as well – in the Ridger’s team, all three captains are committed to other sports besides basketball, but Carr is happy that they are at least doing something to keep fit and focused.
This coming season, starting in November is very important for the Ridger’s as they will be trying to replace the senior leadership of Glen Ridge High’s most recent graduates. The younger players will be getting used to the pace of Varsity basketball, whilst the returning players will all be vying for the new positions that will be available. Carr is relying on the three captains to take the initiative and lead the team to victory.
The summer programs and additional training, might get one thinking that the squad is being overworked – on the contrary, fitness experts believe that continuous training during the off season will strengthen players, improve individuals’ games, and reduce injury. The summer is a long time without sport and even though most athletes do participate in other sport activities during the summer, there are those who don’t. They get unfit, uncoordinated, and begin to slack. In a country where sport means so much and where scholarships are the main aim for most college hopefuls, it is best to keep fit during summer in any way necessary. This is where coaches like Carr have it spot on.
Any sports career that you hope to enter into will be filled with potential stars that will run you right off the court if you are not fast enough, strong enough, or fit enough. This is why you always have to be one step ahead of your game all the time. Sports jobs are tough, because you are not just expected to play the game you have chosen, but you have to play all year round, whether it is the same sport or not just to keep your body and mind focused.
Fitness professionals can also help you with training in the off season, but as Carr pointed out, the team play that you get from going on a camp or playing in an academy is far superior to that of sitting alone in a gym. You need to feel the energy, play for real and bond as a team to be the best.
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