Greetings to everybody (and welcome to new readers). With the COVID-19 restrictions gradually being eased many of us are contemplating making a return to ‘normal’ training, including practices and perhaps even competition. As we are seeing in the professional leagues that have restarted after the enforced break, the return to action has been accompanied by a number of soft tissue injuries. Based on discussions I have had with coaches and practitioners involved in various sports around the world from professional to college and high school level, everybody is grappling with how to best manage this transition. So with this latest offering I decided to offer some thoughts for performers on what they need to consider and how they might best prepare for re-entry…
THERE IS NO PLAYBOOK FOR THIS…
As I shared with the staff of a college athletic department that I spoke with recently, there is no universal template we can follow to ensure a seamless return. The present situation is truly unprecedented. The closest we have to guidelines are the models for return to performing following a period out of action with injury.
The trajectory and time course for returning to pre-lockdown levels will differ with each individual. Clearly this poses major challenges for coaches who have a squad of athletes returning to practice. Practically the timelines involved with returning to competition will also tend to force the issue.
From the outset when athletes first report back to training we should expect that all members the group will not return at the same state of preparedness. The recent period with everybody training solo at home has been the ultimate test of commitment for all parties. We have had no option but to take responsibility for ourselves, be adaptable, and find a way to maintain some sort of conditioning with whatever equipment we had available. I have actually been very impressed at the initiative shown by performers and coaches who have taken to using different online tools to conduct virtual skill practice sessions.
Despite our best efforts, returning to practices will be a shock to the system and the degree of that shock will vary according to the individual. Just as individual tolerance will vary, each athlete will also react differently during the early phases. Some will bounce back relatively quicker than others after the inevitable initial shock. Likewise, there will naturally be some stragglers that lag behind everybody else.
YOU MUST STEER OUR OWN COURSE…
To some degree we are all stepping into the unknown. A coach who is responsible for a squad cannot hope that everybody will return at a similar level; and from this uneven starting point they won’t respond at the same rate, so there is essentially zero chance that everybody will return to their pre-lockdown level at the same time.
In other words, as we return the onus will remain on you to listen to your body and make good choices based on how your body reacts and responds once things restart. Whatever training or practices are set out for the group, the parameters and execution will need to be managed by each individual. By definition you are best placed to assess how your body is holding up each day. Each individual will need to self-regulate on a day to day basis (particularly in the early stages) and provide the feedback to guide decisions on how much to ramp things up as the days and weeks progress.
WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY…
As noted, coaches who are trying to cater to a group with varied needs and readiness for progression face an impossible task and so must find some sort of middle ground that works for the majority. Under these circumstances it is important that each performer is empowered to help regulate their own process of returning in order to make the necessary individual allowances.
Clearly this requires a high degree of trust on the part of the coach. They need to have some faith that the individual has a good handle on themselves and they are capable of making smart decisions. Frankly this can be a lot to take on faith, particularly for those in youth sports! Practically, young athletes are likely to need to enlist their parents as an ally in these negotiations but they also need to recognise the degree of trust involved and demonstrate that it is merited.
SOME PRACTICAL COUNTERMEASURES…
The most common injuries seen when competition is resumed are muscle and tendon injuries. With that in mind, there are some specific areas to be aware of.
As you adjust to returning to practice and competition it is highly probably that you will be less elastic due to the extended period of reduced activity. This makes you more predisposed to muscle injuries during high speed movements until your body readjusts. In part this means that coaches need to be careful about letting things get too competitive in practice during the early stages so that athletes don’t go from zero to a hundred. Equally, the need to restore elasticity means that athletes need to be more diligent with their pre-session routine and add some regular standalone mobility sessions. All of which is good news for the yogis out there, whereas the rest of us will need to invest more time than we might normally.
At the other end of the spectrum, one of the main limitations of the solo training we have been able to do under lockdown is that we have been restricted on the degree of loading we have been exposed to. As such, a major priority during the initial return is providing a controlled dose and regulated dose of the high mechanical stresses we will experience under competition conditions. This is known as stress inoculation. Effectively this means intentionally doing the types of workouts that are likely to cause delayed onset muscle soreness in the days that follow!
During the initial week or two we will naturally have to make allowances for the expected soreness that we will experience until we re-acclimate. The quality of other training sessions may be affected and there may be a need to go with plan B workouts during this period. Equally, the athlete once again has a big part to play in how they manage themselves to mitigate the impact.
STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT RECOVERY AND REGENERATION…
Part of the practical strategies that performers can employ at this time include being diligent with self-therapy tools during the pre-session routine to get sore muscles working to some sort of respectable level prior to commencing! As part of this process, performers should aim for an extended warm up prior to all sessions to get everything up to operating temperature and moving as freely as possible. In general it is best to delay any decisions on readiness to train until after you are fully warmed up! Often we will surprise ourselves!
Arguably the biggest role of the individual athlete during this period is how they conduct themselves between sessions. In particular this is the time to double down on sleep and pay extra attention to nutrition. Sleep is critical to physical and mental regeneration, and as such goes a long way to determining readiness to train on successive days. Nutrition is likewise crucial to supporting tissue repair and regeneration. Regular protein feedings throughout the day, plenty of vitamin C and vitamin D through sunlight exposure and dietary sources are important considerations here. Hydration is also a big part of keeping our muscles and connective tissues in good working condition.
Finally, active recovery sessions on the days between workouts and practices are an important part of aiding the regeneration process so you can arrive at the next session in the best state of readiness. Practically this means exercise at a comfortable intensity to get the blood pumping and tired limbs moving. Aquatic therapy is a good complement to this, using whatever you have available close to home - from showers or a warm bath to a dip in the sea or lake, depending how brave you’re feeling.
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