Periodization is a concept, not a strict model, though it has been portrayed as

a strict model. As a concept, periodization is an educated attempt to predict

future performance based on evaluation of previous competitions, training
results, and scientific facts about the body’s adaptive response to stress. It is
achieved through planning and organization of training into a cyclic structure
to develop all global motor qualities in a systematic and progressive manner
for optimal development of the athlete’s performance capabilities.
Application of the principles proposed here is more suitable for a sport system
that encourages tailoring training regimens to individual needs. Conversely,

Strategies for chapter 5

performance Training
AThlETIC DEvElopmEnT
adherence to a strict periodization model was encouraged, if not required, in
the more tightly controlled sport systems in socialist and communist countries,
where such training was conceived and implemented along with what many
believe was a systematic doping program. To be more effective and applicable,
the focus needs to shift to the process of adaptation and the underlying concepts needed for achieving
optimal adaptation through the use of a systems
approach to planning training. This means that everything must fit into the
context of a larger whole. Changing one part of the system changes the whole
system. Everything is interconnected. The elements of the system are viable
only because of the relationship between the parts.
Planning is essential to sport performance regardless of the level of competition. The traditional focus
has been on the long-term plan. It has been
my experience that the longer the period for the plan, the less applicable
the plan will be. To be more effective, the long-term planning should focus
on global themes and training priorities based on competition performance,
training, and testing data from previous years. Think of it as the table of
contents of a book. It directs the reader to each chapter for more detail. The
detailed planning of the microcycle and the individual training sessions is
where the focus needs to be in order for planning to be more effective.
We live in an entirely different sociocultural environment than when
the concepts of periodization were first articulated and systematized. The
following contemporary issues underscore the need to reevaluate the traditional concepts:
• Decline in physical fitness. There is a serious decline in basic physical
fitness levels and fundamental movement skills at the developmental level.
Even elite athletes do not have the broad base of movement skills that the
athletes had when I began coaching in the late 1960s. This necessitates a
remedial emphasis throughout the athlete’s career because it was not incorporated in the foundation.
This not only serves to enhance performance but
also helps to prevent injury.
• Extended competitive schedule. The reality and demands of the
extended competitive schedule that exists in many sports today make longterm planning difficult. In
classical periodization, the competitive schedule
was strictly controlled, and it was possible to plan for peaking for major
competitions. Today, because of frequency of competition in most sports,
it is much more unpredictable. There was also a defined off-season. That
is not a reality today. It is typical for a professional soccer player to play 70
matches in a season. At the youth level it is the norm for a baseball player
to play more than 100 games in a year. This reality forces a revision of the
classical ideas of periodization. This competitive schedule will not change,
so we must adapt the planning to this reality.