Q&A with Major League Lacrosse All Star Kyle Harrison
We recently caught up with 6X Major League Lacrosse All Star and DonJoy Performance Athlete, Kyle Harrison. See what he had to say about preparing for his 11th season, key training tactics and his advice to young Lacrosse athletes.
DonJoy Performance: As you head into your 11th season of professional lacrosse, what are your thoughts and feelings?
Kyle Harrison: I honestly can't believe I'm entering year 11! It really does fly by. I spent a lot of my off-season working on different parts of my game that I thought needed improvement after last season. Obviously, don't want to give away the new things you've added to your game, and improvements you've made before the season, but, I'm looking forward to getting back out on the field! As far as the training process went during he off-season, it was just all focused on developing the quickest recovery process possible. What do I need to do immediately after a training session or the rest of the day in order to make sure I'm close to 100% the next day as possible? It was a trial and error situation, but I think I've found the right combination heading into the season.
DJP: How has your perspective changed since you won the 2005 Tewaaraton Trophy at John Hopkins?
KH: Naturally, as you get older your perspective starts to change. I'm just so appreciative that I've been able to play as long as I have, and with the exception of my quad & hamstring issue in 2014; I've been relatively injury free for my entire career (spanning back to high school). I've just learned to enjoy the process and have the understanding it doesn't last forever. The film, training, diet, recovery, all of it. I've learned to embrace the process, not skip steps, and maybe most importantly, enjoy it.
DJP: What are some of the key trainings you do to keep healthy over the year? What are some important training elements for Lacrosse athletes?
KH: Keep a strong core (like most sports), is important. All the cutting, dodging, shooting, passing, and defending the ball all start from your core. The difference between the MLL and college is there is a shot clock, so, I know a lot of guys train around 60 second burst (that's length of shot clock). My focus for the last few years has been on refining the recovery process. Everyone trains, everyone plays hard in games, obviously. The important part is who recovers quickly and is able to get right back into training and preparing for the next game as soon as possible.
DJP: What advice would you give to kids playing Lacrosse today that want to take their game to the next level?
KH: YouTube! When I was a kid I WISH I had access to all the film younger players today have access to. Training, drills, nutrition, team concepts, literally EVERYTHING you could need to become a better lacrosse player is at your finger tips. Use it.
DJP: If you could achieve one more thing or major milestone in your career, what would that be?
KH: Winning an MLL Championship with the Ohio Machine would be at the top of that list.
Stay connected with Kyle Harrison by following him on social media:
Facebook.com/Official-Kyle-Harrison-Page
Instagram.com/kyleharrison18
Twitter.com/kyleharrison18