Every week there is news of another sporting code being allowed to return to the field. It’s such great news!!
While it will be vastly different with lots of restrictions and changes, getting back playing sport is going to be the best thing for many people. Make your return your best effort:
1) be kind to your self and your team-mates
This break has been bigger than your average off season! And most people have been LESS active during the lockdown than a summer holiday. So no-one is going to be totally up to scratch at the (re) start of the season! Take a look at some of the players in the AFL and NRL: they don’t all look like they’re at the peak of their fitness. And neither should you!
2) don’t neglect the different forms of fitness
Just running out there on the field or the court is not going to be enough to get to you back in form. Everyone will have deficits in their cardio-vascular fitness and endurance, their strength, their agility and their finesse! Train all of these areas, little by little…
3) do everything a little bit at a time
Every physio I know is waiting with bated breath for a bad run of tendon injuries as people return to sport. All tendons respond poorly to changes in load and tendinopathies will peak after a period of being unloaded (ie rested). As with the “return to gym” tips above, take your return to sport slowly and surely. Don’t train every day, and vary how long you train and your type of training. If a tendon is sore, “listen” to it – but don’t stop everything all of a sudden. You’ll need to load your tendon a “teaspoonful” as a time. Have a look at a previous post about tendons if you’re still having trouble.
And remember: we’re not playing for sheep stations!! (good advice for me too!!)
