Elements to consider when designing a training session

Health and safety considerations

Considering the health and safety of the athlete is an integral component of effective planning and preparation. Coaches and officials must consider the following health and safety recommendations:

• Environmental factors. Extreme heat, cold, wind, humidity and rain can all have a significant impact on the performance of the athlete. During hot, humid conditions, a failure to appropriately hydrate or wear suitable protective clothing and equipment can result in injury and illness. Likewise, playing and training during extremes of cold without considering appropriate insulation can result in hypothermia. Children in particular are susceptible to extremes in temperatures. Extreme weather conditions may require rescheduling, particularly during lightning storms.

• Clothing and apparel. Appropriate clothing can help counteract the effects of extreme weather conditions. Sunscreen, sunglasses, hats and protective apparel help counteract the extreme effects of heat. Wet-weather clothing, beanies, warm clothing and insulation such as wetsuits help counteract the effects of cold, rain and wind.

• Protective equipment. Appropriate protective equipment, such as mouthguards, shin pads, shoulder pads, helmets, protective footwear, gloves, wrist guards, elbow guards, wetsuits and protective eyewear all minimise the risk of injury.

• Training ground and sporting facilities. Regular checks of the playing surface should be made for glass, holes, exposed sprinkler heads and dangerous worn areas. In addition, the dressing rooms should be kept clean and hygienic, and free from clutter and litter. Additional protective padding to goalposts, adequate lighting and protective fencing should be checked regularly to avoid the risk of injury.

• Injury protection: Effective warm-ups and cool-downs are integral to minimising the risk of injury. Individualised player medical and physiotherapy screening can help expose muscle imbalances, mobility and stability issues, and enable the implementation of personalised pre-hab and strength-training programs for injury prevention. The correct lifting technique and the proper use of equipment help reduce injury risk, while appropriate supervision and the monitoring of players’ training loads all help minimise injury risk.

Providing an overview of the session to athletes

Great coaches are effective communicators and collaborators. They provide a clear explanation of the goals and expectations of the season, and ensure that the players take ownership of the team’s goals and expectations, and that the long-, medium- and short-term goals are regularly planned and evaluated. At the conclusion of the season, coaches review the performances through group and individual meetings, assess the strengths and weaknesses of the team and individuals, and use that information to set team and individual goals and put plans in place to address weaknesses and improve strengths.

Warm-up and cool-down

Warm-up

Warm-up comprises the processes associated with elevating core temperature and preparing the body, both physiologically and psychologically, for training or sport. The warm-up is the first part of any training session or preparation for competition, and should involve active motion activities that progress from low to moderate and eventually sport-specific intensity. A thorough warm-up should cover all muscles and movements specific to the chosen sport.

Effective warm-ups:

• increase core temperature

• increase respiratory and heart rate

• increase range of motion and ease of movement

• increase metabolic rate

• practise/prepare the nervous system for high-powered activities

• practise already learnt skills with high frequency

• prepare further for skill and tactical performance.

Cool-down

The cool-down refers to the gradual processes associated with decreasing core temperature and reducing the neural and physiological state of the body after training or sport. Cool-downs comprise low-intensity activity such as jogging, followed by static stretching. They help remove lactic acid, speed up the recovery process, promote muscle relaxation, reduce soreness and help relax the athlete.

An effective cool-down consists of three to four minutes of light activity to help reduce core temperature. It could incorporate jogging, walking, functional mobility exercises such as lunges, lateral lunges, knees to chest, walking hamstring stretches and/or very light basic skills with the ball, followed by whole-body static stretching.

Skill and Instruction Practice

The purpose of practice is to prepare the athletes for competition. Effective coaches must ensure that skill instruction and practice are designed to ensure this purpose is being met.

Effective skill instruction and practice require considerable planning, organisation and communication. Coaches are responsible for providing clear instruction regarding sports skills, teaching teamwork and cooperation, providing appropriate feedback, helping to improve skills and evaluating the success of the sessions.

Skills should be taught immediately after the warm-up so fatigue is not a factor in limiting an athlete's ability to pick up a new or improved skill. For team sports, skill development often involves practising a skill without any opposition, self-paced and in closed environments.

Once an athlete develops a skill, it is vital for them to practice it in a team or competition scenario. Open, externally-paced and dynamic situations gives the best opportunity for improvement.

Guidelines for effective skill instruction

• Instruction should be brief, simple and clear.

• Ensure the language is appropriate to the age and level of the athletes.

• Be positive and enthusiastic when providing instruction.

• Ensure feedback is immediate and positive.

• Keep instruction time for a specific skill short, so athletes can maximise practice time.

• Use demonstration to support the instruction, so players can see, hear and then feel the movement through practice.

Guidelines for effective practice

• Ensure skill practice is appropriate to the age and level of the athletes.

• Vary practice between individual, partner and group practice.

• Increase the complexity of the skill practice as athletes progress in skill level.

• Move from simple to more complex skill practice.

• Practise skills in short three- to five-minute blocks during the session.

• Practise skills under similar conditions to competition requirements.

Conditioning

In order to effectively integrate conditioning training within a training session, it is imperative that the coach determines the training units to be completed within the training session – for example, warm-ups, skill drills, speed and agility, games skills, aerobic conditioning and cool-down and assigns the appropriate training units in the correct order within the timeframe of the session.

When designing conditioning programs within a training session, the correct sequence of the integration of conditioning components within the training session is as follows:

• Warm-up is the first priority within the session.

• Strength/power, speed/agility and skill/tactical training components should be completed next.

• Aerobic conditioning training is implemented after high-intensity training.

• Cool-down, incorporating flexibility training, is completed last.

It is not uncommon for coaches to incorporate skill/tactical training in between components of conditioning, as this provides an opportunity for players to challenge skills and decision-making under fatigue conditions.

Evaluation

Evaluating training allows the coach to monitor the effectiveness of training and to determine whether the goals, aims and objectives of training are being met. Following training sessions and at the conclusion of blocks of training, coaches use evaluation to:
• collect input from the players to determine the level of training enjoyment and satisfaction

• determine whether training session goals have been achieved

• monitor the success of specific training blocks

• monitor the athletes’ understanding of the training aims and objectives

• monitor player training loads

• assess the effectiveness of training programs with fellow coaches and support staff

• make decisions in relation to future training guidelines

• gather information from parents and guardians regarding athletes’ welfare issues and general training enjoyment

• ensure all players, coaches, parents and guardians clearly understand session times, game venues, playing times and travel arrangements

• identify player and team technical and tactical strengths and weaknesses

• assess the physical fitness strengths and weaknesses of the team

• evaluate their own coaching performance.