PRINCIPLES OF TRAINING
The basic training principles help coaches to design programmes that
are specific and safe for an individual athlete. The training principles
outlined below will appear to focus mostly on fitness training but the majority
will also apply to technical, tactical and psychological training.
·
Individual differences- Performers respond differently to the same
training. This is due to factors such as the individual’s state of training,
the characteristics athletes have inherited from their parents, their personal
commitment and their level of physical and mental maturity.
·
Adaptation- Is the way the body responds to the training programme. The parts of
the body that are active stressed during exercise adapt to those stresses,
leading to an increase in performance.
·
Overload- For the body’s systems to make these adaptations, they must be
overloaded. Just taking part in an activity will not cause any improvements in
fitness, as the body will not be stressed to a greater extent than normal.
·
Progression- The overload imposed on an athlete must be progressive. If a training
programme stays at the same intensity for a whole year, adaptations will only
be evident at the beginning, as after this the body will no longer be
overloaded.
·
Reversibility- The adaptations that take place as a result of
training are all reversible. Adaptations to endurance training can be lost more
quickly than it takes to achieve them while strength gains are lost more
slowly.
·
Specificity- Is the least complex training principle. In order for a training
programme to be effective it must be specific for the sport and position of the
performer.
·
Recovery- Is one of the most overlooked principles of training. It is during the
recovery sessions that the adaptations to training take place. Recovery
sessions may not necessarily mean complete rest. Periods of lower intensity
activity will allow the body to adapt without increasing the stress placed on
it. These periods are excellent opportunities for work on technique and tactics.
·
Variation- if training programmes are repetitious, athletes can soon become bored
and lose their motivation.