Introduction to Periodization in Football:
Periodization is the systematic planning of training according to a competitive schedule with two intentions: optimize performance and minimise injury risks. Nowadays there is a race for the perfect periodization model attempting to outperform the rest of the teams. But why? Football has become a global phenomenon, consistently raising the stakes in terms of competitiveness as well as the quantity of said competitive matches have increased. This forces teams to adapt in order to meet those demands or in most cases excel at them and thus coaching staff lean on periodization models as well as technological advancements such as GPS or video analysis for monitoring purposes.
Football is of an intermittent nature requiring the maintenance of multiple successful actions (a sprint, a dribble, a pass) over a prolonged period of time affecting players’ performance both from the physiological (including mental fatigue) and the tactical perspective each with a different fatigue intensity associated with them. The demands each factor (tactical, physical, strength) carries onto the final performance will be the driving factor in determining which aspects to reinforce, to recover or to further develop. The right combination of training principles within the session should satisfy the development of both perspectives; always keeping in mind the necessary recovery times and the gym training’s contribution to performance. Therefore, the different ways to plan, and execute load management and tactical development according to competitive demands and the club’s own objectives is what is known as Periodization.
Now the fun begins. There are multiple ways in which to plan every cycle and they will generally depend on the club’s main objectives and strategies to reach them as well as the coach’s training philosophy. Perhaps the club’s main interest is to win the league and not necessarily succeeding on the international responsibilities along the season. This could mean two things; a greater focus on weekly microcycle preparation, an accurate load management of training sessions and recovery times with a maintenance of the other physiological parameters such as strength or power through gym work; and a lesser focus on developing, for example, faster wingers for a specific attacking positional tactic which would be needed to progress in an European competition and would require 2-4 weeks of specific drills prior. Once these two ‘organizations’ have agreed on a common pathway, then the coach sits with the relevant sport scientist or performance coach and start their planning.
There are different periodization models that have emerged throughout the years, in an attempt to understand and support optimal load management covering different perspectives:
Tactical model. This model’s foundation is based on the coach’s tactical vision of its team creating specific match realistic drills as tactical development is the key focus. It prioritizes positioning, decision-making and specific patterns of play over other factors such as conditioning or technical skills which are integrated within the tactical drills. The tactical model’s microcycle has a standard structure of 3 phases: recovery, acquisitive and a recovery-activation phase.
Integral model. This model is based on the principle that load management is controlled by volume or rather the accumulation of those multiple successful actions mentioned earlier. These actions can be grouped into an indefinite number of drills by controlling two common variables: the number of players participating and the space required. Other factors such as conditioning, technical or tactical objectives are a byproduct of the outcome drills.
Structured model. This model’s principle is the development of the athlete as a dynamic figure with integration of the physical, mental, emotional and social aspects thus allowing a personalization and flexibility in designing the training’s volume and intensity. It follows in a general sense the different cycles of the periodization with the aim of reaching an overall physical condition followed by a sport-specific preparation and peaking for competition. There could be up to 5 types of structured microcycles depending on their presence during pre-season, in-season or if it’s describing a two-match microcycle.
Verheijen model. This model has at its core the conditioning aspect of football where it emphasizes the prescription of drills with the aim of developing the team’s match-realistic fitness and can be achieved through small-sided games. It uses gradual progression in terms of load and prevents fatigue accumulation by applying regular de-loading weeks.
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