Navigating The Post Season Blues - Bill Porter

With the year well and truly drawing to a close, many of our athletes are either deep into, or just starting, their off-season. Getting through the rigours of sport year after year can be a grind; however, the off-season is one of the most overlooked and undervalued periods of the year. It’s common for a lot of feelings to come up at season’s end, including a lack of motivation and drive.

Navigating the off-season well can help set the foundation for your strongest season yet. After months of not only the physical grind of challenging training but also the mental grind of continual performance, off-season training can — and should — shift. Over the next month or two, let’s focus on these four things:

Decompression

This doesn’t mean doing nothing. It means shifting away from physically demanding, high-intensity work for a short period and giving the body a chance to settle. It’s a great opportunity to introduce some variability into your training schedule and work on physical qualities you might not have time for during the season (cardio time!).

These types of sessions help you physically reset without feeling stagnant and can also address those aches and pains that may have built up over the season.

Reflect

What worked? What didn’t? What aspects of your season did you really enjoy, and what challenged you? Which habits fell away under stress?

Critical reflection of your own performance — without self-judgement — provides clarity and helps in planning for future success. Identifying strengths and shortcomings allows perspective: a clearer understanding of ourselves and our athletic tendencies.

Rebuilding Foundations

In-season training can be a time crunch. With the pressure of continual competition, we often don’t have adequate time within training blocks to consistently build the physical qualities required for improvement.

After a period of decompression, identify which physical qualities you need to succeed. Once mentally ready, get to work. This might look like building a larger base of strength or improving aerobic conditioning.

Enjoyment

Perhaps most importantly, the post-season is an opportunity to reconnect with why you love your sport. Try new things, train with friends, and enjoy the process. When the pressure is off, this is your chance to restore motivation — not drain it.

Let’s be realistic: not every session during the season is enjoyable. We grind through them because the reward of self-development is worth the effort. Reconnect with the joy in your training, and you’ll enter 2026 primed to push yourself further.

Handled well, the post-season isn’t a break from progress. It’s your reset button — ensuring you return fresher, stronger, more resilient, and with a clearer mind and broader perspective on what you want to achieve in your next season.