Off-season? There is no off-season for me. Ever since I put on my first pair of shoulder pads my father made sure I knew that I had to work my butt off. He handed me a framed picture that I hang in my locker every season.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]![[Image: tim-notke-motivational-quotes.jpg?w=410]](https://themotivationmentalist.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/tim-notke-motivational-quotes.jpg?w=410)
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I take a few weeks off of the gym always, the body can only take so much punishment and a little rest goes a long way. What that means is I have time to prep my brain, I get all of my game footage sent to me so I can watch it with my pops. I make notes on every player, their tendencies and mechanics. I make notes on teams like what plays they call and when, not specifics but just enough to get a feel for if it will be a pass or a run in certain scenarios. Lastly I watch the other defensive players to see what they do differently than me. If a player runs through me a few times I see how others are stopping him. If a player is putting me on skates semi-regularly I watch other players to see if they have any tricks. It also helps watching your peers get embarrassed, it makes you feel not alone in your failures.
[div align=\\\"center\\\"]
[/div]
I take a few weeks off of the gym always, the body can only take so much punishment and a little rest goes a long way. What that means is I have time to prep my brain, I get all of my game footage sent to me so I can watch it with my pops. I make notes on every player, their tendencies and mechanics. I make notes on teams like what plays they call and when, not specifics but just enough to get a feel for if it will be a pass or a run in certain scenarios. Lastly I watch the other defensive players to see what they do differently than me. If a player runs through me a few times I see how others are stopping him. If a player is putting me on skates semi-regularly I watch other players to see if they have any tricks. It also helps watching your peers get embarrassed, it makes you feel not alone in your failures.
![[Image: LnNkySV.png]](https://i.imgur.com/LnNkySV.png)
