Periodisation

The concept of periodisation is to break down the overall yearly programme into smaller, differing periods. Each period will have pre-determined duration and be geared towards a specific goal. As the goals of each period are different the approach, activities and intensity of each period will also vary greatly.

Periodisation is based upon the concept that no individual can remain in their ideal physical, psychological and technical conditions for the duration of an entire year. So periods are created to determine during which time frames the individual should be at their peak.

Generally there are 3 periods that are employed by many sports, these periods are; Preparation, Competition and Transition. To fully understand each period a boxer can be used as an example.
Preparation: This is the period leading up to the boxers fight. They will be physically and mentally preparing themselves for their up-coming fight.
Competition: The actual fight. They should be at their peak for this period.
Transition: This is their time off before they begin preparing for their next fight.

However soccer is a different type of sport to many others. The boxer previously mentioned may only compete 5 times a year, or less. They will then have a longer preparation period and a shorter competition period. Soccer players will be expected to perform week in week out for the season, which in most countries is Mid-August to the beginning of May, just over 9 months. The players will then be granted, at most, 2 months off before being required to return for pre-season. During the season the professional player may undertake 40 games, the elite player may perform in 60 games (club and country), while the keen amateur player may play in excess of 50 games (Saturday and Sunday leagues). As the time frame of the periods and the activities contained within them vary greatly it is proposed that soccer (and similar sports) should adopt a 5 period year. The main periods for a soccer player are:
Prior pre-season – This period focuses on the training that is done before pre-season begins. This training is undertaken by many players so that they return to their club with an acceptable fitness foundation that allows pre-season training to begin at a suitable standard. This period can be enforced by the club but the responsibility generally lies with the individual. Pre-season – This period is when the team begins to meet and build towards the upcoming season. This period will contain a lot of general and position specific fitness work to improve the player’s aerobic and anaerobic levels of fitness.
Pre-competition – There is a smaller period during pre-season where games occur in quick succession. For many clubs this will see the removal of training sessions to accommodate the games. Therefore the period differs slightly from that of the pre-season one, as this period is almost completely match orientated.
Competition – This period is the longest as it is the season. The player’s should be in their peak condition from the first game but that depends greatly on their previous two periods. They will then need to maintain this peak condition for the following 9 months, especially during Christmas and Easter as these are commonly the times when a greater number of fixtures are played.
Off season – This period begins once the final competitive fixture has been played. The players are then allowed time to recover and recoup from the previous season. Adapted from Dr. Istvan Balyi (consultant to UK Sport)

It is necessary for any standard of player to be at their peak to perform so that it is possible that they give their best performance. However even more crucial is the requirement for players to be allowed an off season period and recover from their season. This is even more important in younger players who may experience overuse injuries.
The necessity for periodisation depends greatly on the standard the players perform at. With the number of professional clubs (in England) increasing, as more non-league teams adopt full-time approaches, the number of players within full-time set ups increase. The professional player is the one that is player or training almost all week and therefore will experience the periods more than the average Sunday league player. A few elite players may only be granted a couple of weeks off season, as they may be required to play in international tournaments during the summer months. However that number is minuscule compared to the number of players that play soccer, and an issue that the high proportion of coaches will not have to worry about.

The original concept of Periodisation in Sport is often credited to Tudor Bompa, for further reading please refer to Bompa, Tudor (1983). Theory and Methodology of Training: The Key to Athletic Performance. Kendall/Hunt. ISBN 0-8403-2934-2, as the original concept has been modified for this article.