Physical Preparation

What do we understand by physical preparation?

Physical preparation is a series of exercises with the purpose of developing

long-term skills and improving the performance and motor qualities of each
athlete.

It is that part of Training in which the aim is to get the athlete in physical
shape, taking advantage of their natural aptitudes and developing their physical
qualities through systematic and gradual exercises that enable the adaptation
of the body to a specific job and obtain maximum sporting performance.
possible.

Currently, there is no sport that does not require Physical Preparation as a

fundamental instrument to obtain maximum performance. Some sports require
more physical work than others, for example, no one would think that a top-
level football, rugby or basketball player does not need a Physical Preparation
Work Program. But in other sports, where body work is not so intense, we
mistakenly believe that we can do without a Body Preparation process.

This conception is logically wrong, given

that even the least physically active sports
have their Physical Preparation program,
even if it is simpler and less intense.

Conditions

The development of physical condition

depends

1. Development according to age (Child - Adolescent - Adult - Elderly)

2. From the genetic conditions (dependent on the preparation) of the
organs, especially the heart and circulatory system and the muscles.

3. Of the coordinative direction mechanisms of the central nervous system,

that is, the close collaboration between the brain and the nervous
system (reflexes, etc.) and the muscles.

4. Of the psychic abilities (Characteristics of the personalities for the

realization of the physical condition. In sport, these are mainly willpower,
self-confidence, motivation, good disposition, joy, aggression, emotion
(Disposition to perform), vitality and temperament).

5. From the time of the start of training, that is, when the person begins
training.
Stages
Physical Preparation has 2 main stages:
1- General Physical Preparation.
2- Specific Physical Preparation.

General Physical Preparation refers to the development of all physical

qualities, such as strength, endurance, speed, flexibility, etc., necessary for the
practice of any sport; as well as the development of all muscle groups, all
organic functions, energy systems and varied movements.

Through General Physical Preparation, we will obtain the basic, elemental

conditions for a later Special Physical Preparation, because some qualities
developed in this stage, such as strength and endurance, give rise to the
development of other specific qualities such as speed, coordination, flexibility,
skill, etc.

General Physical Preparation must be

carried out during the preparatory period ,
that is, at a stage as far away as possible
from the competition period, because the
body needs an adaptation time to work of
at least 4 to 8 weeks.

Among the functions that General Physical preparation fulfills we have:

Develop, consolidate or reestablish the physical bases that guarantee the

execution of special and competitive exercises.
Contribute to maintaining a high capacity for physical and mental
performance when objective conditions (weather factors, injuries, etc.)
hinder the use of special means.

Actively participate in the recovery process and remove the monotony of

training.

Purify and cleanse the cardiovascular system during the incoming

mesocycles, eliminating harmful substances accumulated in its systems and
devices and possible injuries that may be carried over from the cycle that
has just concluded.

Strengthen the muscles and systems that the specific activity does not
contemplate, avoiding the delay in the functioning of certain organs or
systems, which is why, for example, the work of muscular planes that are
very important for movement and that are generally in daily practice are
not developed to the same magnitude, as are the abdominal and back
muscles.
 Deepen the work on aerobic sources with long-term, low-intensity loads as
a regenerative basis for other energy sources.

The work of general physical preparation has an impact in different directions

on the work of the organs and systems of the athlete's body subjected to
physical work loads of different magnitudes.

As an immediate, delayed or cumulative effect of general physical loads, a

group of biological and psychological alterations are caused in the athlete's
body.

Cardiovascular system

The physiological values of the cardiovascular

system are modified, obtaining patterns in its
heart rate, maximum oxygen consumption, heart
rate and respiratory rate that allow the body to
work with a lower energy cost.
It increases the size of the heart chambers,
therefore the amount of blood in each beat,
improving the possibility of transporting
nutritional substances.

It improves cardiac work, in a general sense, as a

result of its strength, so it can propel blood to further places with greater
speed and economy.

Heartbeats increase during activity and decrease at rest.

Blood vessels increase (in number and size).

Respiratory system

Lung ventilation increases and the body is better oxygenated.

It decreases the respiratory rate (number of breaths per minute) and
increases the depth of each breath.

Increases vital capacity.

Nervous system

Increases reaction speed and coordination of movements.

It favors the elimination of nervous tension and stress, produced by
intense and exhausting loads, as well as the monotony that in many
cases implies long special work sessions and the competition itself.

Volitional qualities, self-control and self-confidence are strengthened,

which arise from the need to face complex and prolonged stimuli.

Locomotor system
  The muscles gain resistance, strength, contraction speed, and intra- and
intermuscular coordination.
 Muscle hypertrophy is improved through exercises with low weights and
high repetitions.

 Muscular aerobic capacity is increased through local muscular resistance

work.

General capacity of the organism

Diseases are significantly reduced, their defense mechanisms are

perfected to unsuspected limits.
By improving the health and perfecting the athlete's work capacity, it
allows higher and higher training loads to be assimilated and the
adaptation mechanism to be accelerated, thus successively guaranteeing
that the athlete assimilates special loads with greater speed of
assimilation and answer.

Specific Physical Preparation refers to the development of physical

qualities, muscle groups, energy systems, organic functions, special movements
and adaptations of work to the particular needs of a specific sporting activity.

Without good General Physical Preparation, it is almost impossible to carry

out effective Specific Physical Preparation, because it is based on the
physical budgets established in the General Physical Preparation.
Specific Physical Preparation is carried out at a stage close to the
competition, and even during the competition period. It is about
developing those special qualities required by the techniques and tactics of
the sport, performing exercises similar to the gestures and movements
typical of the activity that allow the body to adapt to the sporting reality
that is practiced. Here qualities such as coordination, skill, balance, speed,
flexibility, explosive strength, etc. are developed. that allow us to be
transferred and applied to the specific techniques and tactics of the
chosen sport, with greater effectiveness.

Physical Preparation constitutes one of the 5 Parts of Sports Training, and

is essential to be able to carry out the entire Preparation Process of the
athlete.

Psychological Results of Good Physical Preparation

The athlete begins to manifest subjective sensations, general or very particular

to a type of sports specialty practiced, taking into account the individual
development of each athlete. In the case of runners, when they are close or
already in athletic shape, they feel pleasant and positive sensations, it is easier
for them to run than to walk, swimmers' sense of water is sharpened, which
they perceive as "faster and slipperier." Soccer players and basketball players
feel that they do not get tired, that they are owners of the ball, and that each
 time they respond better to the orders
given to them.

The obligation of those who direct and

train is to elevate the athlete to the highest
level based on their predispositions and
physical abilities, but the athlete in these
cases is the one who must contribute a
high quota of daily sacrifice to the hard
work to which he looks subdued. The work within the physical preparation
process, due to its high volume and the exhausting nature of these loads,
requires it.

Physical preparation essentially starts from the development of the individual,

seeking to create the bases of conditional and coordinative motor capabilities,
as a stepping stone that allows for the development and learning of technique
and tactics.

The more solid the physical base is, the stronger the next phase or stage will
be, which allows the development of motor skills to be consolidated to
unsuspected limits.

To carry out physical preparation, the trainer must have a great diversity of
auxiliary means that guarantee working on a greater number of joint and
muscular planes and energy directions that respond to the demands of the type
of load that corresponds to each stage.

Another element that must be considered in the development of physical

preparation is compliance with the principles of sports training, among which
the continuity of the training process must be highlighted, based on the need to
respect the logical order of use of the exercises, tending as a basic reference to
the organic relationship of the exercises from a lower level to a higher one.

General Preparation Exercises

The general preparation exercises are divided into three large groups:

Physical exercises of selective influence towards an energy substrate, or

a group of muscular planes
Exercises with duplication of tasks: for the development of motor
capacities and techno-motor skills.

Active rest exercises.

Physical exercises of selective influence towards an energy substrate,

or a group of muscular planes.
The general preparation exercises of type 1 have a fundamental emphasis
aimed at a functional direction, which will serve as support for the specific
works that allow the development and strengthening of a body sector, an
organic system or a certain functional direction or the combination of several of
these. with a predominant accent in one of them.

It is based on physical exercises extracted from sports modalities, where people

generally compete individually, which cover cyclical or cyclical structures, such
as athletics events, weightlifting, gymnastics modalities, etc.

This group includes the diversity of forms of long, medium and short duration
races with different speeds of execution, which is why it includes endurance
and speed races, as well as jumps, throws, turns, lifting weights and other
exercises that are performed. They use this group such as work with rubber
bands, isometrics, tractions, planks, stretching with and without help.

This group allows influencing the design

and preset neuromuscular construction
based on the individual model proposed
for each athlete.

This model is based on the specific needs

of the different sports modalities and the
physical development possibilities that
each athlete has.

Exercises with duplication of tasks: for the development of motor

capacities and techno-motor skills.

They are combined structures where the fundamental emphasis has two
directions that are expressed: in the development of motor capabilities and
techno-motor skills.

These exercises guarantee the positive transfer of movements that allow

improvements in general and special coordination capabilities and other skills
specific to the sport such as jumping, receiving, changing direction, dodging,
turning in space, etc.

Among the elements that can be used by the coach are the different sports
modalities of the Sports Games and Combat Sports group.

Depending on the objectives proposed by the coach, when exercises are used,
not only are the advantages offered by sports games and combat sports as a
competitive activity taken into account, which generally have the objective of
achieving the development of the motor capacities and skills that spontaneously
develop with participation in competitive confrontations (for example for the
training of young runners, participation in a 5-on-1 basketball game. 5
throughout the field, as a way for the development of glycolytic and anaerobic
alactacid capacity, and jumpability, or soccer as an expression of activity that
reinforces the elevation of aerobic capacity) but should be proposed as an
alternative and of proven usefulness, for the transfer of habits that allow
enriching the technical-tactical skills of the selected sport.

The execution of special complementary

exercises for each sport, in addition to raising the
technical mastery of the sports used as a means
of physical preparation, constitute excellent
instruments to increase the pool of motor
reserves, which allows a constant positive
transfer of habits and therefore a conversion and
transfer of general abilities as a specific ability of
the athlete.

Therefore, it is remembered that for the use of

these exercises, not only is the time dedicated as
a complementary sport to the competitive
activity, but time must be planned to work with the general technique, for
example:

Sport: Soccer.

Microcycle: Ordinary (O)

Planned time in a unit: 30'

Special Soccer Drills: 10'.

 Reception and kick with the inside of the foot: 5'

 Driving and shooting on goal: 5'

Game 8 vs. 8 in half court: 20' (Aerobic work - glycolytic anaerobic).

Examples of some of the exercises that can be used.

Active rest exercises.

These exercises are fundamentally aimed at the athlete's recovery and can be
used as a means of active rest, which guarantees a decrease in workload.

Among the sports or activities most used as a means of active rest are
basketball, soccer, on normal fields and half fields, volleyball, swimming,
continuous running at a low pace (with heart rates below 160 p/ min.), field
tennis, table tennis, baseball, swimming on the beach, hiking, etc.

In the case of training units, for the pause between special exercises it is
recommended not to perform passive rest but rather active rest, with low
intensity exercises such as throwing, jumping, running at a low pace, etc.

Some North American authors talk about working on opposing planes in the
runners, so that the body sector where the main activity is accentuated rests.
This is not only directed at the muscular plane but also at the energy source
that guarantees energy for each type and duration of the exercises.
movements.

For example:
  Event: 100 and 200 meter dash (Flat speed)
 Method: Repetition.

 Load: 5 repetitions of 150 meters.

 Base time: 16.89 seconds

 Requested intensity: 90%

 Time for each section: 18.57 seconds

 Pause: 7 minutes between repetitions.

For this pause, shot throwing from the front, back, and sides with both hands is
used as a compensatory means, to compensate for the work of the legs and to
lower the level of lactate accumulated in the lower extremities more quickly.

You can see the advantages of these exercises as a means of recovery, which is
why it is recommended that general development exercises be applied during
the course and at the end of the training units, to quickly eliminate the
symptoms of fatigue. Training units that consist of general exercises exclusively
are based on active rest. Fundamentally contributing to achieving a positive
change and planning to eliminate manifestations of saturation that may occur
when training is boring.