Tactical Periodization

Team Sports: Periodizing a Training Year (Mujika et al. 2018)

- Mujika identified that the biggest difference between team and individual sports is the
competition difference
- NB to note: Team sports overall distribution of intensity is similar pre-season and
in-season
● This is because training loads are higher pre-season and match loads are higher
in-season
- Trends across team sports:
● Pre-season large “load” (skills and conditioning)
● Large reduction in load before season (taper block 2-3 weeks)
● In-season 50/50 training vs match load (maintenance)
● Off-season 4-6 weeks (cross training/ detraining)

NB: The content provided is not my own work, they are based on Dr. de Waals slides (on
SunLearn) and NSCA’s Guide to program design textbook.
Jeanna Kenchington (22273654) please do not redistribute.
NOTE:​ You can see that team sports are quite similar to individual sports in the sense that they
also have general preparation phases etc.

- Tactical periodization is based around 4 moments of the game:

● Defensive organization
● Offensive organization
● Defence to offense transition
● Offense to defence transition
❖ At least 1 of these should always be present when training

- What about “strength” or “resistance” training?

● Muscular endurance
● Hypertrophy
● 1RM
● Power

NB:​ We want the biomotor abilities to match the style of play!

What is tactical periodization?

- Physical​, tractical, technical and mental elements of preparation must be trained
simultaneously
● Every ​physical​ element should have a technical action and a tactical intention
attached to it
- Stems from the concept that every game scenario has a tactical context which requires
appropriate combination of physical, technical and psychological capacity: ​Tactical
awareness is key!

NB: The content provided is not my own work, they are based on Dr. de Waals slides (on
SunLearn) and NSCA’s Guide to program design textbook.
Jeanna Kenchington (22273654) please do not redistribute.
 - Having a clear tactical approach is key - simpligying complexity
● Step 1: Create game model
❖ Needs to be simplified so that the players can understand the game
needed to be played

General to specific and tactical periodization

- Physical and skill development is best done in a general to specific prep and isolative to
complex
● I.e. TP requires basic level of skill and physical proficiency

Game model
- Needs to help players develop a shared mental landscape
- Players need to be on the same page and be part of some decision making
- Should be simple and flexible
- Designed around 4 moments of the game:
● Transition to attack
● Attacking organization
● Transition to defense
● Defensive organization

S&C application
- TP can guide the needs analysis thus it increases specificity and includes style of play

Physical conditioning with TP

- Many sports require well-developed:
● Endurance
● HIT capacity
● Speed
● Strength
● Power
- These biomotor abilities are best developed in isolated training blocks
- Competition structures don't allow for it!
= concurrent development

NB: The content provided is not my own work, they are based on Dr. de Waals slides (on
SunLearn) and NSCA’s Guide to program design textbook.
Jeanna Kenchington (22273654) please do not redistribute.
Rugby scenario
- Strength and hypertrophy requirement for elite rugby can't be stimulated by field training
alone
- But how do we best synchronize field and resistance training?
● Field: Acceleration, deceleration and collisions
● Resistance: Heavy sled tows

Integrating field and gym - Rugby:

- Speed in rugby:
● Needs analysis:
❖ Speed is important
❖ Must train linear speed
● TP needs analysis:
❖ Max speed difficult to improve
❖ Relative / game-specific speed more important
❖ Direction change
❖ Accelerate through contact
❖ Develop through skill and game-based approaches, not linear speed drills

NB: The content provided is not my own work, they are based on Dr. de Waals slides (on
SunLearn) and NSCA’s Guide to program design textbook.
Jeanna Kenchington (22273654) please do not redistribute.
Vertical integration
- Charlie Francis:
● No two days within a given week stress the same physical fitness or tactical
component
● Switched training emphasis for balanced physical development/ recovery
● Biomotor abilities for soccer:
❖ Strength day
❖ Endurance day
❖ Speed day
❖ Recovery day

FIGURE 3:
- Can see there is a mini pater leading up to match day
● I.e. Period of time where intensity is maintained but volume reduced
- NOTE: Where there tends to be a 5 day turn around between matches, the endurance
component falls away. This is because the match played is already the endurance
stimulus which is a major demand of match play and needs adequate time for recovery.

NB: The content provided is not my own work, they are based on Dr. de Waals slides (on
SunLearn) and NSCA’s Guide to program design textbook.
Jeanna Kenchington (22273654) please do not redistribute.
Vertical integration in rugby
- Contact in match play
- As such, must train for contact
● Resultant physical trauma
- >48 hours match play recovery
● Monday on contact work capacity session
● Running demands are lower than most sports
- >24 hours contact training recovery
● = midweek contact training

- Contact demands of rugby:

● 0.56 - 0.89 contacts / collisions p/min
● Overload training session = 1 contact per minute
● Combine acceleration / deceleration in contact sessions
● Smaller fields = more contacts
- Speed demands of rugby:
● 184m +- 28. p/min
● Overload: 200m p/min

NB: The content provided is not my own work, they are based on Dr. de Waals slides (on
SunLearn) and NSCA’s Guide to program design textbook.
Jeanna Kenchington (22273654) please do not redistribute.
Individual session implementation
- Coach shaped training around targeted principles
- 2 main dimensions:
1. Tactical/ technical (moto behaviours / cognitive functioning)
2. Physiological (physical load)
- All Blacks: Tactical demand of training far exceeds matchplay demands

NB: The content provided is not my own work, they are based on Dr. de Waals slides (on
SunLearn) and NSCA’s Guide to program design textbook.
Jeanna Kenchington (22273654) please do not redistribute.
Team work!

NB: The content provided is not my own work, they are based on Dr. de Waals slides (on
SunLearn) and NSCA’s Guide to program design textbook.
Jeanna Kenchington (22273654) please do not redistribute.
 Tapering
NOTE: LeMeur et al. article for exam!

Introduction
- Top performances characterized by marked reduction in training load (TL) in the days
before competition
- “Taper”: A progressive non-linear reduction of the training load during a variable amount
of time that is intended to reduce physiological and psychological performance - Mujika
and Padilla (2003).
- Many coaches are uncertain / insecure over the taper period

Managing training loads during a taper

- Training loads is the sum of the training intensity + volume + frequency
- Insufficient load = detraining
- Meta-analysis by Bosquet et al. (2007) used:
● Dependent variable:​ Performance change over taper period
❖ Measured performance pre-taper and post-taper
● Independent variable:​ Reduction in either; intensity, volume, frequency, taper,
pattern, taper duration
❖ They wanted to know what is the performance change when they reduce
one of those 5 factors

Findings Bosquet et al. (2007)

- Intensity:
● Reduced intensity = 0.02% decrease in performance
● Maintained intensity = 0.33% increase in performance
- Volume: ​(Most beneficial when reduced during the taper period)
● Reduce volume to 40 - 61% pre-taper volume for maximum performance benefit
● Decrease session duration (not decreasing frequency of training)
- Frequency:
● Difficult to isolate (effects volume and intensity)
● No evidence suggests to reduce frequency
- Pattern of taper:
● Evidence against step taper is not the most efficient way of taper
● Usually could be up to the athlete and what they prefer
● Unclear which is best
- Duration of taper:
● +-8-14 days (the more fatigue and accumulated fatigue you have, the longer that
taper should be)
● Pre-taper training effects taper duration

- Training load pre-taper:

NB: The content provided is not my own work, they are based on Dr. de Waals slides (on
SunLearn) and NSCA’s Guide to program design textbook.
Jeanna Kenchington (22273654) please do not redistribute.
 ● Increased load pre-taper requires longer taper period

Muscular fatigue
- Modalities that enhance rate of recovery from DOMS and exercise induced muscle
damage that may enhance the beneficial effects of the taper to an extension of our
normal recovery period:
● Massage
● Compression
- Muscle soreness decreases with massage but no evidence to suggest that there is no
performance enhancement with massage and similarly with compression

Rebound of autonomic nervous system (ANS)

- ANS is required for basic organ progressing & functioning
- High training loads decrease ANS activity
- Decreased/suppressed ANS activity = decreased performance
- Goal of tapering should include an ANS ‘rebound’
- Can enhance rebound through:
● Nutrition
● Massage
● Cold-water immersion
● Sleep​: Enhances that rebound when you have good quality and quantity of sleep

Hydration and nutrition

- Maintenance of adequate hydration during 48h period pre competition is crucial
● Urine colour is both reliable and inexpensive
- Reduced training load should be matched with reduced energy intake
- Some evidence suggests a “carbo-load” for 36-48 hours can enhance muscle glycogen
storage and increase performance (endurance sports mainly)

Particular aspects of the taper

- Environmental factors can affect the taper efficacy:
● Travel:
❖ Travel fatigue: 24 hours
❖ Jet lag +- 7 days
● Heat acclimatization:
❖ Regular exposure to heat will reduce negative effects during the taper
❖ 1-2 weeks to adapt
● Altitude:
❖ Acute effect is reduction in performance and reduced training load (could
synchronize with taper period)
❖ Performance after return to sea level should be delayed for 15-21 days

NB: The content provided is not my own work, they are based on Dr. de Waals slides (on
SunLearn) and NSCA’s Guide to program design textbook.
Jeanna Kenchington (22273654) please do not redistribute.
Multiple peaks during competitive season
- Period of large training loads reduction (+- 50%) for an estimate of two weeks should be
schedules 2-3 times per year
- Prioritize a limited number of races/ competitions each year (altitude camps could
precede these)
- Minimum 2 month training block between two major objectives
- Short-duration tapers (estimate of 4-7 days) before minor competitions
- Avoid long haul travel for minor competitions

Team sports tapering

- Taper prior to competitive phase and major (international) tournaments
- The pre-season phase is very similar to individual sports training load and taper
- Taper should include high intensity training with reduced volume

NB: The content provided is not my own work, they are based on Dr. de Waals slides (on
SunLearn) and NSCA’s Guide to program design textbook.
Jeanna Kenchington (22273654) please do not redistribute.