Well it's certainly turned into winter here the past few days in Missouri. Just about everywhere has seen some sort of old man winter. The snow and ice has given some students and teachers an extra day or two of weekend, while others are back working this week or attending college classes. With the Superbowl on Sunday and basketball in full swing many of us have put football officiating in the back of our minds. Soon we'll be getting our ratings and meeting dates from our associations. We'll have to dig our flags and whistles out of the closet. Through the winter season and into spring it's a good time to start thinking about getting into shape before the season. While most outdoor activites aren't possible due to a -5 degree wind chill there are still a few things you can do indoors or at the gym to improve your fitness before the season. Cardiovascular exercises are important for developing stamina that will help you when it's 56-6 with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Some things you can do to improve your conditioning are:
Jumping Jacks
Long Toe Touch
Opposite hand to opposite toe
Straight push-ups
Sit-Ups
Push-Ups using your fingertips
Sit-Ups with knees bent
Pull-Ups
Always ask your physician before starting any training program.
Developing a stretching program is important for flexability on the field, when a quick slant is intercepted and quickly going the other way flexability will help you quickly change direction.
When the weather starts to warm up it's a good idea to start conditioning yourself back into shape. 40 yard wind sprints are a great way to get you back into officiating shape. Besides the fact you wont be so winded after running 80 yards on a kick off return, you'll look more trim, something that evaluators have on their sheets. Just as players are lifting weights, coaches drawing up new plays, use the off season to better yourself for next season.
