From left, juniors Jonathan Cade, Chris Baek and Kevin Ryan take part in fielding drills on Nov. 30 as part of offseason training. | Job Ang/THE CHIMES

Student-athletes remain dedicated to their sport all year long

Athletic teams at Biola spend numerous hours on the court, field, track and weight room during their season to keep in tip-top shape. But as essential as practicing during the season is, offseason training is equally important. During the offseason, athletes maintain and build their strength and endurance and let their injuries heal, showing dedication to their sport.

Most coaches at Biola have an offseason training plan or goals they set for their team members for to prepare them for their regular season

Men’s head soccer coach Bryan Kuderman said that part of the team’s offseason is a time of complete rest used in order “to heal and recover.”

But their time out of season is not just rest and relaxation. The soccer team’s offseason will “focus heavily on weight training and muscle development,” Kuderman said.

The team has eight to 10 weeks of intense training in the spring, following their season which ended on Nov. 12. They practice three to four times a week for one to two hour increments, but team members are also expected to work out and train on their own.

Unconventional tool proves useful for golfers

Golf coach Hank Woodrome focuses on preparing his golfers not only physically, but mentally as well. Woodrome has assigned his team to read “The Golfer’s Mind” by Bob Rotella in order to strengthen the team’s mentality as golfers, a non-traditional tool for off-season training.

“It goes step by step in a round of golf and what you should be thinking about as you approach those steps,” freshman golfer Amy Harris said.

Aside from reading and preparing themselves mentally, Woodrome also expects his team to keep in shape physically.

“Our coaches expect us to keep practicing like we would as if we were in season,” Harris said. “like hit the range once a day for a few hours.”

Cross-country runners have an intense postseason program. According to coach Jonathan Zimmerman, the runners are given either 10, 14 or 21 days off after the season, depending on what the coaches have decided for each athlete. After that, they kick it into gear to begin their indoor track season. These instructions were communicated to the athletes before they even returned from their trip to Vancouver, Wash. for the NAIA National Championships.

Athletes take working out into their own hands

Aside from the team workouts, many athletes across all sports train on their own.

The baseball team doesn’t play their first game until Feb. 3, but the players know they need to take it upon themselves to workout beforehand.

“I go to the gym about four to five times a week and weight lift,” sophomore baseball player Karl Stuck said. “My goal in the offseason is to gain strength and size for the upcoming season.”

Stuck also said that although head coach John Verhoeven expects the team to be playing baseball with a summer team or training in some other fashion over the offseason, he expects his players to come back stronger than before.

Athletes train in the offseason not only to improve, but to strengthen their bodies, recover from injuries and make the transition into the next season easier.