Physical Preparation

Of the essential parts of athletic preparation, physical preparation is the most extensive and comprehensive part. It consists of physical exercises intended to improve physical (motor) abilities such as strength, endurance, speed, flexibility, and agility. These motor abilities are based on corresponding physiological prerequisites, which are also subject to improvement¹.

There are fundamental criteria to consider when programming and organizing the physical preparation training.The physical preparation coach, as well as the technical-tactical coach, must thoroughly understand the following criteria if the athlete/team is to attain the height of human performance specifically as it relates towards improving competition results:

• The sport structure (biodynamic and bioenergetic)
• The philosophical and tactical approach to competition (if coaching team or combat sports)
• The systemic function of the human organism
• The temperament and physical condition of each athlete
• The mechanisms of improving the required physiological and biomotor abilities

Sport Structure

It is only logical that the coach possesses a scientific understanding of the sport in which their athletes participate. The sport structure is characterized by two primary subdivisions: biodynamics and bioenergetics.

Biodynamics encompasses all geometric and movement related factors associated with the execution of competition maneuvers. These factors are consistent with the Principle of Dynamic Correspondence²

• Accentuated regions of force production (where in the amplitude/range of motion are the greatest forces produced/incurred)
• Amplitude and direction of movement (range of motion and direction in which resistance must be overcome)
• Dynamics of effort (the nature of the motion specific to the movement with and without consideration of the forces involved)
• Rate and time of maximum force production (how fast and for how long is the maximum force generated)
• Regime of muscular work (type of muscular activity ergo overcoming, yielding, sustaining, explosive/ballistic, reactive/elastic, etcetera)

Bioenergetics encompasses all energetic related factors associated with the execution of competition maneuvers (the fuel sources which mobilize human movement). These factors are specific to the biodynamics + the work and rest intervals associated with the execution of the competition activity and are realized via the development of the alactic, lactic, aerobic, or mixed systems as required by the sport/positional/tactical/philosophical structure.

Philosophical and Tactical Approach to Competition

In the case of team and combat sports, the philosophical and tactical approach to competition will have a direct ]impact on the biodynamic and bioenergetic structure of competition. Tactics encompasses governing strategic principles and objectives; whereas philosophy more directly relates to the commitment to specific strategic principles and objectives.

For example: in American football there are a multitude of tactics used in the execution of offensive, defensive, and special teams maneuvers. Each tactical approach is characterized by a specific biodynamic and bioenergetic structure.
Furthermore, each team or unit’s offensive, defensive, and special team’s philosophy will more specifically define/emphasize certain aspects of the tactical approach; and as a consequence, further impact the biodynamic and bioenergetic structure of the competition maneuvers.

The Systemic Function of the Human Organism

The human organism is a complex biological system. Its structure and function are fundamental to understand for all coaches. Each biological system of the human organism possesses different adaption rates and stress tolerances. To program the training yet not understand these adaptation processes, as any type of coach, is akin to playing Russian roulette.

Void of sophisticated diagnostic machinery, it is logistically practical to assess the state of the athletes’ cardiac, neuromuscular, central nervous system, and autonomic nervous system via rudimentary performance testing, heart rate monitoring, conversation, and monitoring their daily performance. In doing this, training loads may be adjusted according to each athlete’s readiness during that particular session.

The significance of possessing the knowledge/awareness required to understand human anatomy and physiology and assess athletes readiness lies in the concept of individualization. In order to obtain the desired training effect of any single session, training week, training block, etcetera, each session’s training load must be appropriate for each athlete. While a generalized approach to assigning training loads is typically more effective and appropriate for athletes of a
low training age, as training age advances it follows that the training load must become tailored to meet the needs of individual athletes.

The Temperament and Physical Condition of Each Athlete

If each athlete’s specific competition maneuvers are to be enhanced to their individual human performance limits it is critical that their sport and physical preparatory coaches have an intimate understanding of their temperament and physical condition. In the practice and training environment it is these two factors that ultimately determine the
productivity of the day’s events.

Athlete Temperaments³ may be characterized as follows: All athletes have different temperaments: (or a combination of these)

• I Choleric
• II Sanguine
• III Phlegmatic
• IV Melancholic

People of these temperaments differ in their ability to work, activity level, and mental agility.

Different types of athletes:

• I Easily learns technique but habits are not stable.
• II Easily learns and retains habits.
• III Slowly learns and retains habits.
• IV Slowly learns but doesn’t retain habits

For each of these groups the coach must develop a specific approach to training. We have to take into account height, weight, etc. (Example: Because athletes of the same coach have different size and body proportions, each will do the same technique slightly differently). The athlete’s physical condition encompasses a great deal of factors to include:

• Injury history
• Tolerance to CNS intensive stress
• Recovery ability
• General Physical Preparation (speed, power, strength, mobility, coordination, stamina, suppleness)

Special Physical Preparation ( the degree to which the athlete’s GPP becomes directed towards the sport/positional/tactical/philosophical structure)

The Mechanisms of Improving the Required Physiological and Biomotor Abilities

It is useful to distinguish training objectives into physiological and biomotor abilities from the standpoint of training organization. Physiological abilities, in this context, characterize the bioenergetic (energy system) training:

• The development of the Alactic, Lactic, Aerobic, or mixed systems as required by the sport/positional/tactical/philosophical structure.

Biomotor Abilities, again in this context, characterize the training of abilities more directly rooted in motor efficiency (speed, power, strength, relaxation, suppleness, and coordination). The same as the development of all other sport training criteria it is critical that the physical preparation coach takes the safest and most orthopedically sound approach towards improving the required physiological and biomotor abilities of the athletes.

Website and Lecture DVDs available here: www.powerdevelopmentinc.com

1 Issurin, Vladimir B. Principles and Basics of Advanced Athletic Training. Michigan: Ultimate Athlete Concepts, 2008.
2 Verkhoshansky, Yuri V. Programming and Organization of Training. Moscow: Fizkultura i Spovt, 1985.
3 Zaitchouk, Boris Evolution of Improvement in the System of Periodization. Colorado Springs, CO:
Coaching Education Level III Seminars, 1998.