How to Prepare for the Athletic Transition from High School to College

​Congratulations to the class of 2021 athletes who recently signed their Letter of Intent! Signing your Letter of Intent is a huge accomplishment that you will cherish forever. It is now time to prepare for the transition from a high school to college athlete.

All the qualitative work that brought you to your current destination today must now get quantified. The tempo, size of athletes, mental expectations, and collision impact are much more daunting at the college level. Leading up to your report date, you should focus on over-preparing instead of under-preparing. If you are not properly prepared, then you may never play a down of college football. Here are ways to ensure you are physically and mentally prepared for the transition into College Football.
 
1. Conditioning (RUN!!)
Seems pretty simple right? All athletes run, so why is there an extra emphasis on this key point? I urge you to ask any former or current college athletes about the difficulty of their initial college conditioning run. Watch how their eyes light up from the terrible memory. College conditioning is more difficult than most high school programs. It is important to make sure you are properly conditioned even before you arrive on campus. Remember, you always want to make a good first impression. Conditioning is a coaches first opportunity to assess a player’s ability to be a contributor to the team. Ask your college coach for a list of conditioning workouts for you to perform at your own leisure to ensure you are fully prepared.
 
2. Lifting & Stretching
Athletes at the collegiate level are much bigger, faster, and stronger than any of the athletes at the high school level. What does this mean? The amount of impact you will feel in a practice or game will be greater than you have felt during your entire high school season. It is important that your body is physically prepared for the brunt force you are about to experience. If you are not lifting, then you need to start as soon as possible. Stretching is equally important as lifting. Daily stretching will help prevent injuries from high impact hits and awkward movements. Here are ways to start improving lifting and stretching ability:

• Stretch before and after each workout (at least 10-15 minutes);
• Lower body movements > Upper body movements (weighted and body weight squats);
• Soft tissue manipulation (PVC pipe/ Lacrosse ball rollouts).

 
3. Sleep (recovery)
Giving your body proper rest will always be the most important thing you can do to prepare for the physical requirements of a college athlete. Operating on 4-5 hours of sleep is not healthy for your body. The more deprive yourself of sleep the less you will develop as an athlete. Your body needs the recommended 8 hours of rest to repair and strengthen your muscles from previous workouts and practices. Your future coaches and teammates are your biggest resource to help you adjust to the schedule of a college athlete. Get acclimated early to your school’s schedule. If your school has 7am workouts on weekdays, then prepare your body to wake up early. Don’t delay! Start planning now. Use that to gauge how much rest you need to be able to compete to the best of your ability.
 
When you step foot on campus, you must be ready to prove to your coaches and teammates that you are ready to be a contributor to the team’s success. To ensure that you will be ready the preparation must begin now! Be on the lookout for future blogs informing athletes how to prepare for the upcoming season. For any questions about conditioning and lifting options email [email protected] or visit our website below for registration details.