What Goes into Developing a Tailored Program for an Athlete?

Part 1: The Needs Analysis

The first thing that is done is a Needs Analysis which is a process that is used to determine qualities that are important for the athlete and sport.

This includes a Sport Analysis. Here the S&C coach identifies the demands of the sport including the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). This requires knowledge of the sport, including the demands of the sport and a deep dive into the literature.  

3 Questions that a coach asks when doing the needs analysis:

  1. What are the metabolic demands of the sport?

  2. What are the biomechanical movements of the sport?

  3. What are the common injuries observed in the sport?

 

From here the coach needs to determine the athletes current status which is achieved by doing an Athlete Analysis. This includes profiling the athlete, performance testing and goals.

Next the coach needs to determine what is required to bridge the gap between the current status of the athlete and what they need to do to achieve their goal - i.e. the Gap Analysis

From here the coach can implement the plan based on the Gap Analysis.

  

Part 2: The Yearly Training Plan (YTP)

First, the coach needs to take a look at the big picture in terms of competition schedule and the entire season. This requires the coach to develop a Yearly Training Plan (YTP).  A YTP is not only done by S&C coaches, but should also be done by the sport coach too; for developing technical and tactical skills specific to the sport.  When major tournaments are placed in the calendar the S&C coach can work backwards to develop the program.

 With the KPIs in mind, the plan can be written to make sure that the athlete is developing the right attributes to peak for the major competitions.  Coaches will use periodization, which is the systematic planning of long- and short-term training programs.

Periodization

The YTP with major competitions in mind, can be broken down into macrocycles, mesocycles and microcycles where the specific training sessions are designed, working to develop specific athletic abilities within the larger picture of the current training phase.

Strategic periodization involves intentional peaking for matches or events based on their perceived greatest priority or difficulty throughout a competitive season.  This is accomplished by the deliberate manipulation of training loads and recovery in the lead-up to targeted matches.

It should be noted that during the season, coaches need to be flexible, because schedules often change. However the YTP serves as the primary framework that guides the training season.