Every athlete gets injured at some point. It’s part of the game. But the injury isn’t what defines your career. What you do while you’re out is. Here’s how to use your time on the sidelines to come back stronger, on and off the field.

One of the biggest challenges of injuries for athletes is mental. After all, what do you do when you can’t do the one thing you dedicate most of your life to? The longer and more severe the injury is, the bigger the mental blocks athletes usually experience. 

Common mental struggles for athletes are:

In sports, especially during injuries, mental health is just as important as physical health. Oftentimes, the mental blocks athletes get during injuries stay long after they have already physically recovered. 

A review of ACL patients found that among athletes who never returned to play, nearly 65% cited a mental reason, not a physical one. The most common was fear of getting hurt again.

And one of the best ways to take care of your mental health during an injury is to find other challenges and passions.

As an athlete, you are constantly improving, always working towards the next goal. When you get injured, that challenge suddenly stops.

One of the challenges of being injured is the lack of feedback. Suddenly there’s no more games and no more trainings that you can use to measure your progress. 

This is why finding other challenges is so important. 

This year Tottenham Hotspur's star midfielder, Xavi Simons, has decided to enroll in Harvard Business School’s crossover program while recovering from his ACL tear. Simons stated that:

“During my recovery, I’ve been trying to use my time in the best way possible… I’ve always been interested in more than just football. I want to understand the business side of the game better, learn from people in different industries and keep developing as a person.”

During a busy season schedule between games and training, it is difficult to find time to actively improve weaknesses. Rehab from an injury is the time to train things you never had the chance to. It is also a chance to strengthen the weakness in the body that may have caused the injury to occur to begin with. 

Athletes who are diligent in their recovery process sometimes come back as an even better player than they were before. Injuries can give you time to improve on areas of your game or body you didn’t have before. 

Watch Film: 

Another great way to improve during an injury is to watch film. Taking the time to study your own film or other players, is a great way to make the most of your time on the sidelines.

The most common mistake athletes make when coming back from injuries is doing it before they are ready. Trying to play the moment they feel better is the easiest way athletes reinjure themselves. 

A 2024 Sports Medicine study of professional footballers found that in the first weeks after returning from injury, players face about double the risk of getting injured again.

Taking return to play slowly and taking a few more weeks to recover fully, is the best way to make sure you stay healthy over the long-term.

An injury takes away your sport for a while. It doesn’t have to take away your progress. Protect your mind, find new challenges, train what you never had time for, and don’t rush the comeback.

Know a teammate who’s injured right now? Forward this to them.

Grow Beyond Sport