Training Tips to Help You Stay on the Field This Fall
The fall sports season will be here before you know it, and summer’s carefree days will give way to intense practices and weekends filled with games and matches. What you do now, during late summer, can make a big difference once the season begins.
Many athletes spend the summer months staying active, but that doesn’t necessarily prepare the body for the demands of competition. A structured preseason plan can help you build strength, improve movement, and reduce the risk of injuries that can lead to missed practices and games.
Why Preseason Preparation Matters
At Complete Game Physical Therapy, we know the bustle of the fall sports season well, having participated in it ourselves! Popular fall sports involve many high-level movements, including sprinting, jumping, and cutting, which can place stress on your body’s tissues. If you jump into these activities too quickly, you’re more likely to suffer injuries like strains, sprains, or tendinitis.
However, a thoughtful preseason program prepares the body for these demands. The right combination of strength and mobility training, sport-specific conditioning, and recovery strategies in the summer improves physical readiness while reducing the chance of losing valuable playing time come fall.
1. Build Strength Before Practices Begin
Progressive strength training prepares muscles and tendons to handle the demands of regular practices and competition. Our team can work with you to identify muscle imbalances and develop an individualized strengthening program based on your sport and goals. This might include strengthening:
- Upper body for throwing, catching, and contact sports
- Legs and hips for power and stability
- Core muscles for balance and body control
2. Improve Mobility and Movement Quality
Stiff joints can limit your body’s ability to adapt to sudden changes in movement. Over time, this forces nearby muscles to absorb heavy impacts at awkward angles, which can lead to deep soreness or irritation. Our team can evaluate your movement patterns and let you know which areas to work on, providing you with a program that might include:
- Dynamic warm-up exercises
- Mobility drills for the hips, shoulders, and ankles
- Stretching after activity to restore mobility and reduce muscle soreness during recovery
3. Gradually Increase Conditioning
Jumping from summer break into full-speed practices places significant stress on the body. Instead, you want to aim for a gradual progression that allows your heart, lungs, muscles, and connective tissues to safely adapt to the increase in intensity.
Before training starts, gradually increase activity over several weeks by working in activities like:
- Running
- Sprint intervals
- Agility drills
- Sport-specific conditioning
4. Practice Sport-Specific Skills
General fitness is important, but athletes also need to prepare for the movements required in their sport, preferably under our team’s guidance, as we can ensure you’re practicing the safe movement patterns needed to handle unexpected moves safely.
For example, you might work on:
- Cutting and pivoting for soccer and football
- Throwing mechanics for baseball and softball
- Jumping and landing drills for volleyball and basketball
- Sprint starts for track athletes
5. Schedule a Preseason Movement Assessment
Every athlete moves differently. A preseason assessment from our team helps identify strength deficits, mobility limitations, balance concerns, and movement patterns that may increase your injury risk. Once they’re identified, we’ll create a custom plan to address them using treatment techniques like:
- Sport-specific return-to-play progressions that safely prepare you for competition
- Manual therapy to improve joint and soft tissue mobility
- Dry needling to reduce muscle tightness and improve movement in appropriate cases
- Therapeutic exercise to improve strength, balance, and coordination
Start the Season Ready to Compete
The final weeks of summer offer an excellent opportunity to prepare your body for the demands of fall sports. Building strength, improving movement, increasing conditioning, and addressing small problems now can help you stay healthy throughout the season.
That way, you can spend the fall focused on improving your performance, not recovering from preventable injuries.
If you want to make the most of the rest of your summer, the sports physical therapy team at Complete Game Physical Therapy is here to help. We provide individualized evaluations, evidence-based treatment, and sport-specific training to help athletes move better, perform with confidence, and spend more time doing what they love. Schedule an appointment today to get started.
The Importance of a Proper Warm-Up Before Every Practice
As fall sports practice starts to kick into gear, it’s important to remember that every session should begin with an opportunity to prepare your body for movement. A proper warm-up helps ensure that your muscles, joints, and nervous system are ready for the demands of your sport, helping you perform at your best while reducing the risk of injury.
What Should Be Included in a Complete Warm-Up?
- Dynamic Stretching: Active stretches improve joint mobility and prepare muscles for activity without reducing strength or power. Better mobility allows you to move more efficiently during running, jumping, and changes in direction while lowering the risk of muscle strains.
- Light Cardio: Gentle aerobic exercise raises body temperature and increases circulation, helping muscles respond more efficiently during practice. It also prepares the heart and lungs for higher-intensity activity, like intense drills or competition.
- Core Activation Exercises: Strong core muscles improve balance, trunk stability, and energy transfer between the upper and lower body during athletic movements. Activating these muscles before practice helps you generate power more efficiently while supporting stable, confident movement throughout the entire body.
- Agility Drills: Sport-specific movements help ensure your brain-body connection is ready for play so that you can see improvements in coordination, reaction time, and movement quality. Practicing these movements before activity prepares your brain to read and react to fast changes during practice and competition.
Give Your Body the Preparation It Deserves
A quality warm-up is one of the simplest ways to prepare for a successful practice. If you’re not sure which exercises are best for your needs, Complete Game Physical Therapy can help develop a personalized plan. Reach out today to schedule your appointment.
Patient Success Story
“Complete Game PT did a great job helping me recover after shoulder surgery. Their staff is very knowledgeable and pleasant to work with. They are located in Chelmsford, MA within a restored textile building known as The Mill. The facility provides a beautiful atmosphere displaying the original brick and wooden structure from the 1800s full of history and original artifacts. Two thumbs up!” – Kevin
Staff Spotlight:
Dr. Shane Wunderli | PT, DPT
Dr. Shane Wunderli is a licensed physical therapist who graduated from Quinnipiac University in 2022 with his Doctorate in Physical Therapy. He graduated with his Bachelor’s in Health Science from Quinnipiac as well. Shane’s passion is to help enable his patients with the tools to manage their injuries on their own and to keep them out on the field or in the gym. Shane has a special interest in working with athletes or active individuals and has experience with a wide variety of sports (esp. basketball, barbell weightlifting, and distance running).
Recipe of the Month:
Sheet Pan Greek Chicken
Ingredients:
- 5 – 6 Chicken thighs
- 1/2 cup Avocado oil or olive oil
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 Garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp Dried oregano
- 1 tsp Dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp Sea salt
- 1 Bell pepper (red, orange, or yellow)
- 1/2 large Red onion
- 4 med Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 cup Cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup Capers (or olives)
- 1/2 cup Marinated artichoke hearts
- 1/2 cup Feta Cheese
- 1/3 cup Fresh basil
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare a large sheet pan by lightly greasing. Place the chicken thighs in a large bowl.
- Whisk together the marinade: oil, lemon, mustard, garlic, oregano, thyme, and sea salt. Reserve a few tbsp, and pour the rest over the chicken thighs.
- While the chicken marinates for about 10 minutes, prep the veggies. Dice up the potatoes and peppers into small chunks. Create slices of red onion. You can leave the cherry tomatoes whole.
- Spread the veggies over the sheet pan and top with the few tbsp of marinade. Toss to combine and ensure everything is well coated.
- Nestle the chicken breast on top of the vegetables and transfer the pan to the oven. Roast for 25 minutes.
- At the 25 minute mark, remove the sheet pan and quickly add in the artichoke hearts, capers, and feta. Bake for another 8-10 minutes, or until chicken is golden and veggies are roasted.
- Remove from oven and top with basil. Salt to taste and serve hot!
Exercise Of The Month
TOWEL PULL
Sit or stand tall and place a rolled towel behind your head, holding each end with your hands in front of you. Gently pull the towel forward and downward to support your head as you slowly extend your neck backward, looking up toward the ceiling. Use the towel for support—not force. Return to the starting position. 3 Sets, 10 Reps. (Materials needed: towel)
