SEE ALSO:
Navigating Sports Abroad blog post.
Play Abroad 101 for the most accurate preparation in print.
The Pro Player Timeline: Daily
& The Pro Player Timeline: Weekly.
Beyond Athletic Podcast:
How to Train When No One is Looking with Russ Rose
Pro sports are cyclical. What might be a frenzy of hiring in August right before the season starts can occur again in January at mid-season transfer periods. Players coming out of university eligibility are ready to go pro at different times, depending on graduating in December or May.
How you handle the months of your year will vary depending on if you are already signed and with your team or not signed with anyone yet. The first section of this post will deal with "When you are signed," and the second section of this post will give advice for what to do "When you are not signed yet."
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JULY - SELF-DISCIPLINE & PERSEVERANCE
This can be the part of the off-season that gets a little bit long. If you're one of the fortunate players to have already signed a contract for the upcoming season, then you should be using that club's investment in you as your motivation. But if you're one of the athletes who still has yet to find a contract, remember two things: 1) you are not alone, and 2) it's time to crank it up a notch!
Whatever workout regimen you've been using needs to move up to another level while also maintaining consistency. July can be a tough month to get through whether you're already signed or not. But this month is the most important in your preparation, and you are going to find out if you really have the self-discipline and perseverance to do what it takes to become an athlete with a professional contract.
Self-discipline is making yourself do the hard things. Waking up early. Working out twice a day. Finding ways to get reps, even when alone. Creating solutions instead of making excuses. Learning to be self-disciplined will take you a long way in sports, but it will also carry over into the way you manage your time as an athlete abroad. Time management is one of the hardest things for pro athletes, especially when transitioning from college programs where so many minutes were planned out for you.
Perseverance is that focused determination to get you through each and every day, making yourself better and stronger than the day before. You do not give up; you go further. Only you know how badly you want to be a professional athlete, and July is when the separation between the "wanna-be's" and the "gonna-be's" really starts to show.
More inspiration here >>> Live Well 2019: July
When you have already signed...
Extend social media presence by finding people and fans from your future club.Ask your coaches and other players who have played there what kind of adapters, phone apps, and other devices would be best to bring.
Workout and post what you're doing and progress on social media.
Get a workout from your team's fitness trainer to be ready for your team's lifting and conditioning program.
Take on the mindset that you will be the most in shape player on the team from the moment you arrive!
MORE OFF-SEASON IDEAS HERE
When you are not signed yet...
Touch base with your current representation, if any, on the job market and any feedback from teams on why you haven’t been hired yet.Think about the possibility to pursue grad school abroad in places like the United Kingdom and Australia where they have no athletic eligibility rules and you can get partial athletic scholarships. (The level is not high, but it proves you are mentally and emotionally capable of leaving home for a long period of time to pursue your sport!)
Contact Team GLEAS for more options about playing sports abroad for grad school.
Narrow your focus to specific countries/areas and levels based on the feedback from peers, agents, and coaches about where you are likely to have the best possibility of finding a job.
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