How an offseason regimen change has helped Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth
Andrew Booth’s problem last year wasn’t anything on the field.
The problem for Clemson’s junior cornerback was staying on the field.
One of the injuries he sustained was a thigh bruise in December that rendered him almost immobile. The year before, as a freshman, Booth had to have surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon. One can’t predict when an injury will or won’t happen, but the Georgia native is taking every precaution necessary to ensure he plays a full season. He’s more mindful of what he puts in his body and has even taken up yoga.
It’s become a popular activity among athletes, which includes Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Los Angeles Lakers small forward LeBron James and the entire Seattle Seahawks team.
Booth practices yoga twice a week outside by himself. He lays out a mat, pulls up a yoga video on YouTube and completes the exercises, though he admits he doesn’t know the names of poses just yet.
“Hot yoga typically opens up your muscles, the heat,” he said. “It opens up your muscles and makes you more, I don’t know, it feels good. You should try it.”
Booth was, more or less, on point with his assessment. According to a medically reviewed article by Insider, yoga improves flexibility, strengthens muscles, reduces stress and aids in weight loss.
Brigham Health Hub also included mental focus as a positive point for doing yoga.
“Many yoga poses are most successful when breathing matches movement,” the article stated.
Booth believes 90% of playing football is mental and 10% is physical. Although he didn’t mention the breathing side of yoga, he did say he’s found taking deep breaths helps him in moments where he needs a mental shift on the field.
“Just think about like, Lord, give me peace,” he said. “Just give me peace. (Takes breath). And then just line up.”
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has taken note of how much better Booth has been so far this fall.
“I’m really excited with what I’ve seen out of Booth the last couple of days,” he said. “He’s really having a good camp.”
Whether it’s yoga or changing his eating habits, Booth’s maturity has increased as he learns different ways to take care of his body. Virginia found out what a healthy Booth can be after his one-handed snag against the Cavaliers, which he said doesn’t get brought up that often.
Still, Booth is hopeful picking up yoga during the offseason will not only help his game, but also keep him on the field to show it off.
“Last season, it was health, staying healthy,” he said. “That was really about it, but now I’m tying everything in together. I’m tying in film, just being (a smarter) athlete out there, mixing in with the athleticism so I’m not just an athlete. I’m smart out there, too.”
