There’s more to the off-season than just “working hard.” Over the...
Fred Duncan@Fred__Duncan
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Jul 19, 2025
~2 min read
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There’s more to the off-season than just “working hard.” Over the years, I’ve seen athletes stall out or regress, not because they lacked effort, but because they made one (or more) of these common mistakes…
1. Too Much or Too Little
Early in the off-season we run a GPP or
1. Too Much or Too Little
Early in the off-season we run a GPP or
2:04
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accumulation phase with higher training volume & less skill work. After that, we typically hit a block of max strength work, deload, and then maybe another 3 wk max strength, before tapering down as sport practice resumes.
It starts general, becomes more specific.
It starts general, becomes more specific.
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But here’s the key, you have to talk with your athletes and understand what they’re doing outside your sessions. Otherwise, you’re in the dark.
2. Lopsided Training
My programs leave no stone unturned…speed, strength, conditioning, acceleration, repeat sprint ability,
2. Lopsided Training
My programs leave no stone unturned…speed, strength, conditioning, acceleration, repeat sprint ability,
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technical development. We train everything, because these qualities don’t exist in isolation, they feed each other.
I use a vertical integration model, where all abilities are trained year-round. What changes is the volume and intensity.
3. Training for the Test, Not the Game
I use a vertical integration model, where all abilities are trained year-round. What changes is the volume and intensity.
3. Training for the Test, Not the Game
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Most test metrics are overrated. And yes, we’ll train them to be prepared for it. But if all you do is practice the test, your development stalls because you’re not improving the limiting factors behind the score.
This is classic Goodhart’s Law, “When a measure becomes a target
This is classic Goodhart’s Law, “When a measure becomes a target
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, it ceases to be a good measure.”
My goal
• Raise your ceiling
• Prepare you for your sport
• Build transferable outputs
If that means mixing in test runs for confidence, we’ll do it. But we won’t waste the off-season chasing a number while ignoring the broader picture of
My goal
• Raise your ceiling
• Prepare you for your sport
• Build transferable outputs
If that means mixing in test runs for confidence, we’ll do it. But we won’t waste the off-season chasing a number while ignoring the broader picture of
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development.
I’m putting the finishing touches on my most in-depth speed program yet. In the meantime, all of my current speed programs, beginner, advanced, and youth are on sale. Hit the link in bio to grab them.
fredduncantraining.com/product/the-ar…
I’m putting the finishing touches on my most in-depth speed program yet. In the meantime, all of my current speed programs, beginner, advanced, and youth are on sale. Hit the link in bio to grab them.
fredduncantraining.com/product/the-ar…