The Christian Athlete Guide to Preseason Training
Offseason is over. The long awaited new sports season is here with all of its expectations, dreams, and possibilities. There’s a palpable buzz and excitement in the air. But before the first competition of the season kicks off, athletes must endure preseason training camp.
Preseason training camp comes with many mixed emotions. There’s an energetic hope at the first team meeting when coaches begin laying forth a vision of the season to come. There’s an eager motivation to get back to competition. There’s excitement about reuniting with teammates or joining a new team. But let’s be honest. The emotions are not all hype and positivity. There may also be a sense of impending doom or dread when looking at the preseason schedule which requires long training days with multiple sessions, focusing during team meetings when a nap sounds more appealing, enduring strength and conditioning training, navigating social dynamics of a new team, and managing anxiety that surrounds fitness testing.
Amidst the frantic pace and emotional whirlwind of training camp, how can we faithfully glorify God and experience His presence?
3 Practical Ways to Invite God into Preseason Training
Recognize and Practice God’s Presence
Scripture: “You (LORD) squeeze me in from behind and in front; you place your hand on me. Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension; it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it. Where can I go to escape your Spirit? Where can I flee to escape your presence?” - Psalm 139:5-7
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” - Isaiah 26:3
“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:20
How often do we begin a prayer by asking God to be present? The irony is that God’s presence is always here. It’s a matter of whether or not we stop long enough to recognize it. In Psalm 139, David poetically expresses this reality. It's unfathomable to comprehend the knowledge and omnipresence of God. Furthermore, acknowledging God’s presence brings peace because we recognize who is truly in control. Jesus doubles down on this idea by promising his disciples that they will never be apart from his presence.
Among the hype and excitement of preseason, God is present. During the most mundane and grueling training days, God is present. You cannot escape it, but do you recognize it?
Spiritual Practices:
Identify aFocal Point: Create a visual reminder of God’s presence. This could be one of the Scripture verses above or another meaningful verse to you. Write the verse in shorthand or identify a key word to write somewhere within view. Use it to refocus your attention on God’s presence during training.
Breath Prayers are a simple and effective way to return your mind and body back to God’s presence. This can be practiced at any moment before, during, or after a training session. Breathe In and Pray: “You are with me” Breathe Out and Pray: “Wherever I go”
Consider It Pure Joy
Scripture: “Consider it pure joy, brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” - James 1:2-4
“There is nothing better for people than to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in their work. I also perceived that this ability to find enjoyment comes from God.” - Ecclesiastes 2:24
Joy and conditioning are not often used in the same sentence. The seemingly endless moments of fitness drills are far from enjoyable for many. Most athletes would rather play the sport they love than spend hours training with no competition. However, it’s part of the process.
Preseason training camp can often feel like a trial, and in some cases, it’s meant to feel that way. It’s meant to test your physical condition, your character, your mentality, and the team’s dynamics. But not without purpose, God created humans with immense capacity to grow and develop. Sports can highlight this phenomenal human attribute. So consider it pure joy! Your work is not in vain. It’s for a purpose. There’s much joy to be found in that.
Spiritual Practices:
Gratitude: Ask yourself “what am I grateful for today?” or “why am I training today? For what purpose?” If you can, invite others to answer the questions with you. This simple practice of gratitude and connecting to motivation before a training session has the capacity to transform your attitude.
Journal: At the end of a long day, reflect on your personal growth. Write down ways you noticed God helping you. Write about struggles and triumphs of the day. Write down areas of growth and areas of weakness. Spend time rejoicing in the work God has called you to do this season!
Focus on Others
Scripture: “Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well.” - Philippians 2:3-4
“Love one another with mutual affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.” - Romans 12:10-11
Performance based identity is a term to describe how a person uses performance metrics to define their worth and place in the world. This can be a particularly difficult battle during preseason. It’s inner dialogue fixated on questions such as: “Am I performing well enough to earn a starting spot? Will I measure well enough on the fitness tests to please coach? How can I prove my worth to the team to earn belonging?” These are common questions for most athletes during preseason training. Dwelling too long on these questions often leads to selfish pride and/or all consuming performance anxiety that distracts from experiencing the joys of sport.
The good news is that God invites us to something better, greater than a performance based identity. God gives us a purpose based identity—a sense of self that is grounded in the secure love of God and recentered on the purpose of serving others. It’s an identity we have inherently received—not because of our own effort but because of God’s goodness and grace.
Instead of focusing on your own performance, what would happen if you shifted your attention to celebrating and encouraging your teammates? That is not to neglect your own personal effort, but this should challenge a performance based identity. Placing more energy and emphasis on encouraging, honoring, and serving teammates delivers us from a self focused, self critical perspective. Loving God and loving one another is what we were made to do—that is our true purpose based identity.
Spiritual Practices:
Encouragement: Call out the good you see in a teammate. Be specific. This does not have to be focused on performance. Call out good character, actions, and effort. Try encouraging others especially when you feel fixated on your own performance. Let this broaden your perspective and shift to a purpose based identity over a performance based identity.
Serve: Ask yourself “how can I serve my team today?” This could be in small actions or bigger sacrificial moments. Make every effort to put others before yourself. In doing so, you will be shaping your identity around the image of Christ.
Training Spiritually During Preseason
“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” - 1 Timothy 4:8
Preseason training camp is intentionally designed to prepare athletes mentally and physically. The training you endure now will prepare you to face the ups and downs of a typical sports season. But what if you included a spiritual component to that preparation? Start small and choose a couple of the practices mentioned. As you incorporate spiritual practices into preseason training, God promises to strengthen and prepare you to face the joys and trials to come—for the season and for life.
If you want a simplified print out of this article, you can download our infographic highlighting the three main points below.
