Curious as to opinions on allocating time to rest, training (eg skill lessons or strength & conditioning), practice (team) and playing.

What is the best mix, and how do you rebalance that mixes during the calendar?

Some thoughts:

Spring: Practice is every day after school and games are frequent. This leaves no time for rest and less time for training.

Summer: Playing is intense on the weekends (Thu-Sun) and tournament travel leaves much less time for training and team practices.

Fall: This seems to vary the most by team and org, but certainly no time for rest.

Winter: Best time for rest and training, but HS practices start later in the season.

While there is no doubt that being a college softball player is grueling, the format seems to allow for more emphasis on one or two of the four, versus what happens for HS athletes. (Spring= practice and playing; Summer = rest and training; Fall = training and practices; Winter - training and practices).

What are the best clubs doing? Again, the fall seems to be the most variable. Some teams are playing a tournament every weekend, and others seem more selective.. and those decisions dictate what is available for everything else.