HSC PDHPE____________

Improving
Performance
Teacher Summary
Table of Contents
How do athletes train for improved performance?...............................................2
Strength training......................................................................................................................... 2
Aerobic training........................................................................................................................... 4
Anaerobic training...................................................................................................................... 5
Flexibility trainig......................................................................................................................... 7
Skill training................................................................................................................................. 8

What are the planning considerations for improving performance?............10

Initial planning considerations............................................................................................10
Planning a training year (periodisation)..........................................................................11
Elements to be considered when designing a training session................................13
Planning to avoid overtraining............................................................................................ 15

What ethical issues are related to improving performance?...........................17

Use of drugs................................................................................................................................ 17
Use of technology...................................................................................................................... 19

Improving Performance 1
Improving Performance 2
 What are the planning considerations for improving
performance?
Initial planning considerations

Initial planning considerations Describe the specific considerations

 Performance and fitness needs of planning for performance in
 Schedule of events/competitions events/competitions. How would this
 Climate and season planning differ for elite athletes and
recreational/amateur participants?

Performance and fitness needs

Fitness needs revolve around the components of fitness and should be suited to the
specific sport requirements. Performance needs relate to the specific skills needed
for the sport. They are:

Elite Athlete vs Amateur Performance

Elite Athlete Performance and Fitness Needs

• Elite athletes have detailed, higher-level performance and fitness needs.
• They complete a wide range of fitness and performance tests to determine their needs.
• Elite athletes may need to complete level 20 in the beep test and take marks under opposition
pressure.

Recreational/Amateur Performance Needs

• Recreational/amateur participants have general low-level performance and fitness needs.
• They may aim to achieve level 8 in a beep test and focus on relationship development.
• They may not have detailed, sub-goals.

Schedule of events/competitions
• The schedule of events and competitions must consider the competition period to ensure
players are fit and game strategies are in place.
• Players need to peak regularly and be prepared for training one or two days after
competition.
• Training plans should reflect schedules and ensure players are not underloaded or
overloaded in terms of training volume.
• Intervals of training and rest should be scheduled to allow players to rise to competition
needs on a cyclic basis.
• Elite sports have evolved from controlled competition schedules to non-defined off-seasons,
making optimal performance planning more challenging.
• At lower levels of competition, the length of the competition will be determined well in
advance, and the coach will decide on the duration of the preseason period.

Improving Performance 3
 Climate and season

Climate and Season Planning for Sports

• Seasonal variations and climatic influences are crucial in initial planning.

• Athletes should be prepared for heat, wind, rain, cold, fog, and humidity.
• Strategies include protective clothing, sunscreens, and fluids to prevent heat stress.
• Climate and season determine the type of environmental conditions for sports.
• Summer sports like cricket should be prepared for hot, summer-like conditions.
• Climate considerations include the location of the sport, altitude, and the global
area.
• Tennis, athletics, world cups, and Olympic competitions require specific preparation
based on the climate and season.

How would this planning differ for elite athletes and recreational/amateur
participants?

Consideration Elite Amateur

Data-driven (fitness testing, GPS, stats). General fitness, basic skill
Performance & fitness
Individualised and periodised to peak at development, and enjoyment.
needs
competitions. Minimal data use.
Planned around major events Local/social competitions.
Schedule of
(national/international). Programs Flexible planning around
events/competitions
structured to peak at key times. other commitments.
High intensity and volume, with careful Moderate intensity and fewer
Training intensity &
management of recovery, nutrition, and sessions per week to maintain
volume
injury prevention. balance.
Access to professional coaches, Limited access to support;
Support & resources physiotherapists, dietitians, psychologists, often self-managed or guided
and analysts. by club coaches.
Basic preparation
Advanced preparation (e.g., heat (appropriate clothing,
Climate & season
acclimatisation, altitude training, travel). hydration). No specialised
methods.
Emphasis on fun,
Psychological & social Focus on motivation, mental toughness,
participation, teamwork, and
factors coping with pressure, team cohesion.
social enjoyment.

Improving Performance 4
 Planning a training year (periodisation)

Planning a training year (periodisation) Develop and justify a periodisation

 Phases of competition (pre-, in-, off- chart of the fitness and skill-specific
season) requirements of a particular sport.
 Subphases (macro and micro)
 Peaking
 Tapering
 Sport-specific subphases

Periodisation in Training: Key Considerations

• Planning: Periodisation requires extensive planning, best done on a spreadsheet.

• Solid Base: The plan should establish a general fitness platform, addressing specific fitness
components.
• Progression: A logical progression of activities should lead to set goals, challenging fitness
and skill levels.
• Balancing Volume and Intensity: Different activities should allow for manipulation of volume
and intensity.
• Rest and Recovery: The plan should incorporate variety and relief to avoid staleness,
overtraining, and fatigue.
• Avoiding Injury: The plan should manage loads, expectations, and skill requirements to
prevent injury.
• Individualisation: The plan should be adapted to each athlete's specific needs, considering
physiological differences and positions.
Phases of competition
Pre-season (preparation)
• Pre-season is the period before competition where physical preparation is primarily
focused on body conditioning and sport-specific fitness.
• It involves the development of an athlete's fitness and skill.
• The phase can be divided into the general preparatory phase and the specific
preparatory phase.
• The general preparatory phase develops a foundation of fitness levels in aerobic,
anaerobic, strength, and flexibility.
• The specific preparatory phase focuses more on energy systems, power, and other
aspects of the sport.
• The phase can last from six to 12 weeks or longer, depending on the competition type.
• Training sessions are longer to increase stamina and mental aspects.
• The aims of the pre-season phase include improving fitness, developing technique,
improving performance biomechanics, introducing strategies, and teaching mental skills.
• The in-season phase is characterised by increased intensity and emphasis on
technique, strategies, and tactics.
• By the end of the pre-season phase, physical condition and skill performance should
reach the targeted level.

In-season (competition) – Info here.

• The competition phase varies in duration and focuses on maintaining fitness developed
in the pre-season phase.
• The aim is to maintain stamina, improve tactics and strategies, perfect skill execution,
gain competitive experience, and continue developing mental skills.
• This phase involves supplementary work on fitness components, use of specific skills
practices, continuation of conditioning training, and use of small games, grids, and
resistance work.
• The principle of specificity should be applied more rigidly during the competition phase,

Improving Performance 5
 focusing on activities directly related to competition requirements.
• The number of training sessions required varies based on the type of activity.
• Excessive emphasis on work without ample time for restoration can lead to overtraining.
• The competitive phase has many periods where volume and intensity are manipulated
to provide the greatest gain.

Off-season (transition) – Info here.

• The period after competition, prior to pre-season training.

• Allows physical and mental recovery from training and competition.
• Some athletes may undergo surgery during this period.
• Provides time for general refreshment, allowing both mental and physical abilities to recuperate.
• Characterized by one week of total rest, remaining weeks of active rest, changes in environment,
diet modification, maintenance of strength and flexibility, and work on weaknesses.
• Provides an opportunity to restore mental and physical energy and prevent staleness in the coming
competitive season.

Subphases
Macrocycles:
• Larger training cycles encompassing a year, including pre-season, in-season, and
off-season.
• Depending on the sport, each sport has a unique macrocycle.

Mesocycles:
• Smaller time periods that add together to form a macrocycle.
• Generally four-week periods, each with its own aim and focus.
• Periods of four to eight weeks, providing detailed planning and specific objectives.
• Include information about frequency of training, intensity, duration, volume, skills,
activities, resistance training, plyometrics, and session organization.

Improving Performance 6
Microcycles:
• One week-long periods that add together to form a mesocycle.
• Focus on a small goal that seeks to build towards larger goals.

Competition Preparation:
• Macrocycles are long-term planning frameworks, representing an entire planning
program.
• They include competition dates, training specifics, and maintenance or increase of
fitness components.

Peaking
• Peaking is the optimal state of readiness for competition, requiring intense training and
a short tapering period.
• Peaking is crucial for athletes to perform at their best, as high-intensity training can lead
to overtraining and performance decline.
• Athletes aim to peak at key events throughout their season, with team sports managing
peaking differently due to the final series requirements.
• Physical benefits include excellent health, a heightened recovery rate, tuned body
systems, completed adjustments to technical and tactical preparation, and superior
neuromuscular coordination.
• Psychological benefits include heightened self-confidence, motivation, tolerance of
frustration, positive reactions to competition-simulated practices, and mental alertness
and readiness for action.
• The peaking period is a temporary state reached only during the competitive phase of
training.

Tapering
• Tapering is a period of decreased training just before competing in an important event.
• It allows athletes to be fresh and free from fatigue for the event, allowing them to compete at
their peak.
• The aim of tapering is to remove cumulative fatigue developed over a long period of training,
to freshen the athlete, and ultimately boost performance.
• The most difficult psychological barrier in a taper is for athletes and coaches to commit to it,
believing that less is more and believing it will work.
• The benefits of tapering for elite athletes far outweigh the consequences of not tapering at
all.
• Four different ways athletes taper: step taper, linear taper, exponential, slow decay taper,
and exponential, fast decay taper.
• The manner in which tapering is programmed will be different for all sports and needs to be
individualized for each athlete.
• The taper should be carefully monitored to avoid fatigue and detraining effects.

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Sport-specific subphases
• Subphases target specific areas requiring further development, such as technique or fitness.
• Areas of focus include testing, monitoring, evaluation, specialisation, loading, unloading,
volume, intensity, etc.
• Strength, endurance, speed, agility, and skills each have their own subphase.
• Coaches aim to develop these at varying degrees throughout the season.
• For instance, a netball player needs micro and mesocycles focusing on catching, passing,
and shooting skills, along with fitness components of speed, agility, and power.
• Subphases are tailored to the time of the season and the athlete's needs.
• Sports that do not require large muscle mass will not focus on this area.
• Sports dominant in cardiovascular endurance will have more sport-specific sub-phases.

Improving Performance 8
Elements to be considered when designing a training session

Elements to be considered when designing Examine different methods of

a training year structuring training sessions
 Health and safety considerations Design and implement a training
 Providing an overview of the session to session for a specific event. Evaluate
athletes the session by considering questions
 Warm up and cool down such as:
 Skill instruction and practice  Did the activities match the
 Conditioning abilities of the group?
 Evaluation  What was the reaction of the
group?
 How could the session be
modified?

Health and safety considerations

• Setting safe training work loads, including adequate warm-up and cool-down.
• Providing water access and using protective equipment and appropriate clothing.
• Having a first aid kit available.
• Regularly checking equipment and facilities.
• Adjusting to weather conditions, such as changing activities or postponing.

Training Sessions:
• Regular equipment checks.
• Checking the suitability of the training venue.
• Understanding athletes.
• Applying training principles.
• Providing adequate warm-up and cool-down.
• Completing a risk management plan.
• Providing an overview of the session to athletes.

Health and Safety Considerations:

• Injury prevention: Warm-up/cool-down and stretching are safety prerequisites.
• Protective equipment: Mouguards, helmets, face guards, padding, wetsuits, gloves.
• General equipment: Bats, clubs, javelins, poles, springboards, climbing frames.
• Apparel: Comfortable, supportive, protective clothing.
• Environmental hazards: Sunglasses, sunscreens, protective suits, hats, and caps.
• Illnesses: Minimizing risk of illnesses through safe health practices and awareness of viral
transfer modes.

Providing an overview of the session to athletes

Training Session Overview Importance

• Informs athletes of the training session's aims and objectives.
• Enhances training results by highlighting each activity's purpose and its potential in
competition.
• Coaches should provide feedback on previous performances, clear session objectives, and
activity outlining.
• This helps athletes prepare psychologically.

Overview of Training Session to Athletes

• Coaches should provide a brief overview of the session at the start to align coach's
intentions with players' expectations.
• This approach allows for specific issues to be addressed, such as recording player presence
or absence, injury assessment, performance discussion, specific goals outline, and potential
special tactics suggestions.
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Warm up and cool down
Warm Up:
• Involves low-intensity movements and stretching to prepare the body for training and
competition.
• Often includes a jog, sprints, direction change, and a ball kick before a small game.
• Aims to increase core temperature, respiratory and heart rate, range of motion, and
metabolic rate.

Cool Down:
• Aids recovery and provides feedback.
• Involves low-intensity movements to bring the body back to rest and remove waste products
from muscle.
• Aids in muscle relaxation, reduces soreness, and helps relax the athlete.
• Usually consists of three to four minutes of light activity to reduce core temperature.

Warm-up and Cool-down Phases:

• Phase 1: General body warm-up until the body begins to sweat.
• Phase 2: Stretching to extend required muscle groups beyond the required range.
• Phase 3: Callisthenics, such as push-ups and abdominal crunches, involving large muscle
groups.
• Phase 4: Skill rehearsal, where the athlete performs routines required later in the game.

Cool Down:
• The reverse of the warm-up but less intense and generally shorter.

Skill instruction and practice

• Skill instruction and practice are crucial in training sessions, often held early to prevent
fatigue and impact skill development.
• Methods for skill instruction include drills, small sided games, modified games, and full
practice games.
• Effective instruction should be concise and clear, with demonstrations provided for
understanding.
• Practice sessions should have ample time for individual, partner, and group practice.
• The instruction should resemble game situations as skill level improves.
• Effective instruction requires prior organization and effective communication skills.
• Instruction should be brief, well-timed, specific, constructive, clear, informative, and
demonstrable.
• Conditioning is an integral part of every training session.

Conditioning
• Conditioning is the process of bringing the body to the desired state for use in a sport.
• It involves developing each component of fitness and the level of fitness required in the sport.
• It can occur early in the session during the pre-season phase of competition or later in the
session to avoid fatigued learning.
• The amount of conditioning depends on the phase of the season.
• High intensity training for speed and power should be done first, as these are most affected by
fatigue.
• Other components can be done after this, with flexibility done during cool down.
• The amount of time spent on conditioning should match the requirements during competition and
the needs of the athletes.
• If the focus is on skill development, conditioning should be done at the beginning, while if it's the
end of the training session, it should be left until the end.
• Fitness training is an integral part of every training session, with most sports having a short
fitness session immediately following the warm-up.
• The fitness session should not be overemphasised in the first session to avoid fatigue.
• Regular testing is crucial for providing feedback and motivation.

Improving Performance 10
 Evaluation
• The coach should re-address the training session's goals and provide feedback to athletes.
• Feedback aids in performance enhancement, goal achievement, and monitoring session
intensity and timing.
• It also aids in improved planning and motivation for the next session.
• Evaluation is an appraisal of performances post-training session, usually conducted during and
after the cool-down.
• It should address performance outcomes, behavioural outcomes, and player opinions.
• The evaluation is followed by a reminder of the next session date, time, and venue, and a
recheck of player availability.
• Special arrangements should be made for individuals with specific problems.
• The final step is an evaluation by the coach as preparation for future sessions, including
analysis of fitness and skills testing results and review of game performance.

Improving Performance 11
Planning to avoid overtraining

Planning to avoid overtraining Analyse overtraining by considering

 Amount and intensity of training questions such as:
 Physiological considerations, eg  How much training is too much?
lethargy, injury  How do you identify an
 Psychological considerations, eg loss of overtrained athlete?
motivation  What do you do if you identify an
overtrained athlete?
 How can overtraining be
avoided?

Planning to Avoid Overtraining in Athletes

• Overtraining is caused by excessive training loads, intensity, or inadequate recovery,

resulting in decreased performance.
• Overtraining can be prevented through effective planning and monitoring.
• Training should be individualized to cater to different training backgrounds and tolerances.
• Recovery sessions should be scheduled into the training week and athletes should have
adequate rest between seasons.
• Athletes should be advised against competing in overlapping back-to-back seasons and
encouraged to follow a sound nutritional plan.
• A good rapport between coach and athlete is essential for identifying athletes susceptible to
overtraining and managing non-training stressors.
• Measures to prevent over-training include proper nutrition, adequate rest and recovery,
monitoring training loads, varying exercise intensities, monitoring physiological changes, using
psychological strategies, and keeping a training diary.
• Over-training damage can take weeks or months to undo, requiring a significant decrease in
training regimen or complete rest.
Amount and intensity of training
• Overtraining is primarily caused by excessive training, requiring adjustments to the amount
and intensity.
• Factors such as personal factors, medical conditions, sleep, drugs, nutrition, environmental
stress, and general health should be considered.
• Periodisation charts can help prevent overtraining by establishing training volume and
intensity projections.
• The intensity level should vary from activity to activity and session to session.
• Recovery strategies should be integrated into training, focusing on strategies, skill building,
team talks, or opposition play videos.
• Volume or training can be varied by manipulating frequency and duration of sessions.
• Optimal performance is achieved through training balance, periodised recovery, variety, and
individual differences.

Physiological considerations
• Overtraining leads to poorer performance due to a combination of physiological and
psychological factors.
• Lethargy, characterized by feelings of slowness, tiredness, and lack of energy, is a common
symptom.
• Overtraining can result in bone breaks and pain, affecting performance and endurance.
• Injury can occur in training and games due to poor warm-up, accidents, and excessive load.
• Routines like using taping, protective equipment, and balanced periodisation plans can
minimize injury risk.

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Physiological Symptoms:
• Excessive sweating.
• Elevated resting heart rate.
• Menstrual irregularities in women.
• Early fatigue.
• Increased sickness.
• Weight loss.
• Disturbed sleep.
• Decreased performance.

Psychological considerations
• Overtraining can lead to loss of motivation, enthusiasm, and competitive desire.
• Symptoms include increased nervousness, poor concentration span, irritability, anger,
emotional sensitivity, and depression.
• Strategies to improve mental well-being include training reduction or cessation, active rest,
relaxation techniques, routine and environment changes, and positive reinforcement.
• Prevention involves limiting stress tolerance and adapting training volume and intensity to
individual needs.

Improving Performance 13
 Analyse overtraining by considering questions such as:
How much training is too much?
Training becomes too much when intensity and volume exceed the athlete’s ability to recover.
Overtraining occurs when high-intensity training is done on top of existing fatigue.
Individual tolerance differs — factors like sleep, nutrition, stress, and health impact how much is
“too much.”
Signs include staleness, constant fatigue, recurring injuries, and declining performance.

How do you identify an overtrained athlete?

Physiological signs: elevated resting heart rate, frequent illness, lethargy, injuries, loss of
appetite, insomnia.
Psychological signs: lack of motivation, irritability, poor concentration, anxiety, depression.
Performance signs: decline in results despite training harder, lack of improvement, slow
recovery.

What do you do if you identify an overtrained athlete?

Reduce or stop training to allow recovery.
Implement active rest (light activities such as stretching, cycling, swimming).
Use recovery strategies: sleep, nutrition, hydration, massage, relaxation techniques.
Change training routine/environment to reduce monotony and pressure.
Provide positive reinforcement to rebuild confidence and motivation.

How can overtraining be avoided?

Careful planning and periodisation of training loads.
Vary training intensity and volume; not every session should be maximal.
Build in regular rest and recovery sessions.
Use monitoring tools (heart rate, wellness surveys, performance data).
Ensure adequate nutrition, sleep, hydration, and mental health support.
Adjust training to individual tolerance levels.

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Improving Performance 15