Last week as we pushed our players, provided a few necessary lessons about going to classes, and asked them to get tougher, I kept reminding them next week was active rest week. Our upper class players in full awareness of what was to come were able to push themselves through the challenges.
The freshmen on dead legs and bodies which were sore from toenails to the crown of their heads wanted to know what active rest week meant. Finally, Tiffany Scott, a rookie from Sylvania, OH, gave me the best definition I've ever heard. She said, "I was talking to my mom and telling her we had active rest week next week. She asked me what that meant. I told her I didn't know but everybody told me it was the best thing ever. It was just like Christmas!"
So this week according to Tiffany, we are on Christmas break. This is not exactly the truth. There are no presents involved, no holiday dinners and no festive activities. We are, however, giving the players an opportunity to recover, to allow their bodies a chance to rejuvenate and their minds a chance to catch up to what we've been teaching.
What are we doing this week? In place of running sprints and then running some more, we are playing games. Since NCAA rules don't allow us to have a basketball, we play ultimate frisbee, gator ball, Hungarian dodge ball, and other games which involve a lot of running.
The difference in training is really in their minds. There is not a clock or a timer, no extra punishments for not making the times; only a consequence of sprints for the losers. There is still running involved and sweat . . . lots of sweat.
In weight training, we change our P90X Plus routine and provide something a little less challenging. We don't want them to lose their edge they have gained by pushing them the past three weeks; we do want them to feel revitalized and eager to return to tougher practices.
What Tiffany doesn't know is when the players come back from "Christmas" we push them harder. I guess none of the upper class players explained that concept to her. Oops!
So next week we increase the number of sprints they run, decrease the amount of time they run them in, and we push harder in individual practices. I'm not certain what the upper class players call this week and I probably don't want to know.
Hopefully they enjoy the holiday this week while preparing their minds and bodies for the challenges to come.
ONE HEART. ONE DREAM.
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Coach Winn my question to you is how do you do it, that is coaching I mean?
I know coaching isn't an easy job, it couldn't be you have to put up with complaining young women all day long. You have to listen to each other howl at one another when the losers get up to that dredded line to run the extra sprints you hear the huffing and puffing. Not to mention the few young ladies that are slowly slipping there feet off the baseline to get a headstart so they'll make the time, and won't have to do extra. I know these things because I was a player myself. I venture to ask you how long have you been coaching?
Because may I say you've been doing one heck of a good job running this place. I think UC is a terrific college well it's not the biggest but, it's where the most humble and halarious people go plus there easy to get along with. I think you make the UC program more appealing to young women to be interested in teh sport of basketball. I think with coach Pike along side with you this year your going to have a lot of great success this season and I wish you the best of luck. I will continue to read your blog because it puts a smile on my face. Best wishes
:)
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