Christian Cook, New Jersey Pride, Receive 2002 Warrior Trophy for MLL Defenseman of the Year from MLL Founder and CEO Jake Steinfeld

First of all, I’d like to wish everyone a very Happy Holidays. This is the time when we tend to get a little lazy with our workouts and start eating a little more . . . usually combined with too much partying. While that is certainly fun and it is very important to spend time with your family and loved ones, it is also time that good players use to get great and great players become world class.

Now is the time to buckle down so that you’re in excellent shape come springtime and pre-season. Personally, I like to use this time to maintain my strength – I don’t do a lot of heavy lifting or look for big strength gains. However, I do look to improve my cardiovascular fitness through cross-training. I like to get out and play basketball with my buddies, or play squash or any one of a number of sports that work your overall fitness level combined with some quickness and footwork training (albeit indirectly).

If you are a player and are on the bubble of making the team, of making varsity, of starting or of being an All-America – what do you choose to do during your winter break could make the difference. Being a great player and being a student athlete requires that we make sacrifices – if that means we stay home on a Saturday so we can get up early on a Sunday to workout, so be it. Each person must ask themselves what is most important to them.

With that in mind, none of this should come at the expense of family – include your family if you can – but more importantly make the time to work-out and see your family and loved ones. They are there to support you and want you to do well.

Personally, I am using this time to work on my fitness level so that I can hit the ground running in the spring when I start to gear up for the third season of the MLL. I spent my time this fall playing in several tournaments to keep my game sharp (as well as to see some good friends) and maintain some focus – not to mention the fact that I just missed playing.

If there are some box leagues to play in, I would recommend it to young players. Many box players have the greatest sticks I have ever seen. Box is a good way to improve your stick-work in tight quarters while also working on your footwork – but be careful; it is easy to get hurt if you don’t keep your head up!

I wish you all the best of luck and I look forward to reading about many of you in the spring.