When planning a training year it is important to use periodisation in order to structure the year well and ensure the athlete peaks in performance at the right time. Periodisation is the process of breaking the year down into smaller time periods in order to structure the training program effectively.

Periodisation has three main subphases:

• macrocycle
• mesocycle
• microcycle

These combine together to create the year-long training year. The training year will often have the three phases of competition, which are used to guide the focus of the training program.

• pre-season
• in-season
• off-season

Furthermore, the development of a year-long training program will utilise the concepts of peaking and tapering to help ensure the athlete is performing their best when it is required. In addition to this, each sport will have its own specific subphase focusing on the relevant components of fitness.

Pre-season: This phase of competition (also known as the preparation phase) is the period before competition where the trainer focuses on developing the basis or fundamentals required in the sport. If the pre-season phase is long enough (6-10 weeks) is will be broken into general and specific mesocycles. 

• Individual sports focus on building aerobic base, general strength and technique
• Group sports focus on team fitness development, tactical frameworks and trial games

In-season: The in season or competition phase can be very short or quite long depending on the type of sport. For example, the tennis competition phase may only last 2-4 weeks during a tournament, while netball goes for six months. During this phase of competition, training shifts its focus to strategy and tactics, while still maintaining skill and sport specific fitness levels. The volume of training during competition often decreases, especially during competitions that have matches every 2-3 days such as a tennis tournament.

• Individual sports focus on competition-specific intensity and peaking for major events
• Group sports focus on regular matches, focus on team strategies and skill refinement

Off-season: The off-season or transition phase of competition immediately follows the competition phase, and focuses on relaxation and recovery. Training volume and intensity decrease, and may even become non-existent for a period of time. This phase allows the athlete to recover from the intensities of competition, before they once again begin to increase training volume and intensity in the pre-season.

• Individual sports focus on active recovery, cross-training and minor technique adjustments
• Group sports focus on reduced load, social games and maintaining general fitness

Periodisation has three subphases: macrocycle, mesocycle and microcycle. These subphases are used in order to break the training year up into manageable chunks that join together to achieve the long term goals.

The macrocycle subphase is the larger training cycle and normally encompasses the whole year. However, the macrocycle can be both larger or smaller than this, depending on the sport. For example, an athlete training to win the olympics will have a four year macrocycle in order to qualify for and then peak during the olympics. Whereas, a tennis or football player will focus on a single year macrophase. Athletes will often set macrocycle goals that they wish to achieve. These are used to guide training and planning in the smaller subphases of periodisation.

The mesocycle subphase is a smaller chunk of time and can consist of a few weeks or a few months. Often mesocycles match up with the three phases of competition (pre, in and off season). For example, one mesocycle may be 4 weeks of general pre-season training. Mesocycles join together to create the macrocycle. The macrocycle goals are broken up into smaller goals that are to be achieved during each mesocycle.

The microcycle subphase is smaller still, often a single week of a training program. The microcycle is often used to focus on a singular aspect that adds together with other macrocycles in order to achieve mesocycle goals which accumulate to achieve the macrocycle goals. Microcycle’s are particularly important for weekly competitions as the athlete or team prepare for their next match. It is the microcycle subphase that works as the building blocks to create the year long training program using periodisation.

General Preparation

• Individual sports focus on aerobic capacity, mobility and functional strength
• Group sports focus on baseline fitness, injury prevention and skills revision

Specific Preparation

• Individual sports focus on anaerobic capacity as well as sport-specific aspects such as race-pace training and stroke mechanics
• Group sports focus on position-specific drills, team formations and set plays

Competition Phase

• Individual sports focus on maximal effort training and tapering before key meets
• Group sports focus on weekly match preparation and recovery between games

Transition Phase

• Individual sports focus on light training, fun sessions and psychological recovery
• Group sports focus on recovery programs, social team bonding and skill games

Peaking is when the athlete is performing at their absolute best during competition. When planning a training year the coach or trainer attempts to have the athlete peak for the most important competitions. Peaking can be difficult though, especially in a sport that has a long in-season such as rugby, AFL, netball, cricket or football.

Peaking requires the athlete to have great general body conditioning, good sports specific conditioning as well as great skill execution combined with strategy and tactics that enable them to perform at their best. Peaking also needs the athlete to be mentally focused and have optimum arousal levels in order to perform at their best.

In order to get an athlete to peak for a competition, match or series there are a few things that occur. First the athlete will undergo intense training to ensure their body and the relevant components of fitness are at their highest. They will undergo a large volume of high intensity training that also seeks to develop their skill execution and the characteristics of skilled performer. Just before the competition, match or series, training will taper down in order to allow nutrient levels to be at the optimum levels and in order for the athlete to fully recover from training before the competition.

Peaking is often short lived but has a number of identifiable characteristics:

• aesthetically pleasing movements
• speedy recovery
• optimum fitness performance
• great tactical awareness and predictability
• self-confidence
• mental focus and toughness

When all of these are present, the athlete has peaked and is ready to perform their best.

• Individual sports focus on clear peaking for major events (e.g. state titles).
• Group sports rarely incorporate full-season peaking; may peak for finals.

Tapering is the reduction of training volume and intensity just prior to competition in order to allow peaking to occur. The high volume and intensity of training that helps bring an athlete to their best physical condition also causes impairments in performance. High intensity training, especially strength training and plyometrics cause small muscular tears, which result in the muscles producing less force and power. Tapering allows the body to repair these normal small “injuries” by reducing training volume and intensity. This helps the body to recover fully in order for the athlete to perform their best.

Coaches or trainers will taper training 2-4 weeks prior to competition. This allows the body to repair itself, while at the same time not causing such a large decrease in training that there is a reduction in training benefits, such as cardiovascular endurance.

Furthermore tapering allows the body to completely replace nutrients required for competition. Each training session depletes these nutrient stores, which are then replenished during the rest period. During times of high intensity and volume of training these stores never fully replenish. It is therefore, important that the athlete have enough rest during the tapering period for these stores to fully restore. Such nutrients include, carbohydrates, fats, protein, as well as vitamins and minerals (particularly the B-vitamins).

Tapering thus allows for a full recovery allowing the athlete to perform their best.

• Tapering for individual sports reduces training volume (not intensity) to maximise performance.
• Tapering for group sports may occur before key matches, and is often shorter.

Sport specific subphases refer to the selection of what is focused on during the subphases of competition in order to cater specifically for the relevant sport. Subphases refers to the meso and microcycles that combine in order to achieve the larger goals of the athlete or team. Each sport has specific components of fitness, skills tactics and other variables that need to be focused on throughout the year of training. 

For example, a triathlete will always have a larger focus on cardiovascular endurance than a 400m sprinter, or a basketball or netball player. This is because it is more specific to the sport. A netball player will need to have micro and mesocycles that will focus on the skills of catching, passing and shooting, along with fitness components of speed, agility and power. These differences in sports require sport-specific sub phases to be developed by trainers and coaches in order to best prepare the athlete for competition.

Sport-specific subphases will change throughout the year as training moves through the different phases of competition. During the pre-season there is often a general conditioning mesocycle that will focus on cardiovascular endurance for most sports as well as strength and size for sports that require it, such as rugby league. As the year progresses in the specific preparation phase, the differences in sport requirements in training grow and sport-specific subphases are developed. 

This is further emphasised during the competition phase, as sports such as football will maintain cardiovascular endurance, speed and agility, while focusing on skill development and team strategies and tactics. A rower may still spend plenty of time further developing their cardiovascular endurance and need spend only a smaller amount of time on synchronisation with other rowers and stroke technique. Differences also arise as each athlete is catered for within their sport. Each athlete may have their own sport-specific subphase in order to develop aspect of their game or skills that are lacking compared to others.

Fitness components

• Individual sports typically emphasise aerobic or anaerobic endurance, strength, flexibility and precise movement control
• Group sports require a balance of agility, speed, strength, endurance and coordination depending on positions

Skill requirements

• Individual sports focus on the refinement of technical execution, control and consistency in isolated performance
• Group sports focus on teamwork, decision-making, positional skills and execution under pressure.

Yearly training programs (also known as periodised plans) are structured to optimise performance across a season. While both individual and group sports follow similar phases, their design varies in focus, delivery and monitoring due to the nature of the sport and competition structure. Individual sports focus on peaking for specific events through carefully timed tapering and targeted skill refinement. In contrast, group sports manage performance across a season of regular competition, with emphasis on team strategy, adaptability and consistent performance.

See table below.