Sports Training: Concepts and Methods

Training

Definition

A set of tasks, activities, or exercises designed to improve capabilities and enhance performance. It is a process that develops over time, involves planning and scheduling, and produces physiological changes.

Types of Training

• General Training: Aims to improve overall health and functional capabilities using global exercises and activities.
• Specific Training: Focuses on improving a particular aspect or field, including technical, tactical, physical, and psychological training.

Key Concepts

• Stimulus: A cause that prompts the body to adapt to changing needs.
• Adaptation: The body's ability to maintain a constant balance of its functions in response to external stimuli.
• Load: The physical stimulus exerted on the athlete's body during training.

Adaptation

A change in the athlete's body (morphological, functional, or biological) resulting from training, enabling higher levels of effort. Progressive alignment is the basis of the training process, ensuring the athlete reaches higher performance levels.

Law of the Threshold (Arnold-Schultz)

• Stimulus Threshold: The minimum stress level required for adaptation to occur.
• Limit Tolerance: The maximum stress level beyond which there is a risk of overloading the body.

Warm-up

A set of exercises or activities performed before training or competition to prepare the athlete physically, technically, tactically, and psychologically for optimal performance and injury reduction.

Warm-up Phases

• Cardio-respiratory Phase: Jogging to elevate heart rate and body temperature.
• Joint Gymnastics Phase: Joint mobility exercises with or without displacement.
• Neuromuscular Gymnastics Phase: Localized exercises with increasing intensity.
• Specific Phase: Exercises relevant to the activity.
• Recovery Phase: For racing and psychological purposes (concentration).

Basic Concepts in Sports Training

• Volume: The quantification of training load.
• Intensity: The qualitative aspect of training load.
• Recovery: The pause between sets or repetitions.

Sports Training Methods

• Continuous Method: Applied to automated cyclic exercises, performed at a relatively constant speed.
• Interval Method: Applied to exercises with changes in speed and rhythm.
• Circuit Method: A series of exercises performed at different stations.
• Competition Method: Simulating competition conditions.
• Fun Method: Engaging in enjoyable activities.

Sensitive Periods

Limited stages during which the body is more responsive to specific stimuli.

Strength

The neuromuscular system's ability to produce tension/contraction against external resistance.

Types of Strength

• Static (Isometric): No change in muscle length, but tension is produced.
• Dynamic (Isotonic): Change in muscle length with varying tension.
• Concentric: Muscle shortening produces tension.
• Eccentric: Muscle lengthening produces tension.

Strength Classifications

• Slow-Maximum Strength
• Explosive Force
• Fast Force
• Resistance Force/Relative Strength
• General Force/Special Force

Speed

The ability to react quickly to a stimulus or signal, perform repetitive or isolated movements in minimal time, and cover short distances rapidly.

Types of Speed

• Reaction Speed: The ability to respond quickly to a sensory stimulus. Can be simple or complex.
• Acyclic Speed: The ability to perform non-cyclical movements quickly against minimal resistance.
• Cyclic Speed: The ability to perform cyclical movements quickly.

Resistance

The ability to sustain effort by transforming chemical energy into mechanical energy.

Energy Pathways

• Anaerobic Alactic: Uses ATP and PC stores for immediate energy (2-30 seconds).
• Anaerobic Lactic: Transforms muscle glycogen into glucose and ATP without oxygen, producing lactic acid (up to 5-6 minutes).
• Aerobic: Converts glucose and fatty acids into ATP with oxygen (long-duration efforts).

Types of Resistance Training

• Very Short Duration (Anaerobic Alactic): Efforts under 30 seconds.
• Short Duration (Anaerobic Lactic): Efforts up to 90 seconds.
• Medium Duration (Mixed): Efforts between 90 seconds and 8 minutes.
• Long and Very Long Duration (Aerobic): Efforts over 8 minutes.

Resistance Training Methods

• Continuous Methods: Running a specified distance or time without stopping, at constant or variable speed (fartlek).
• Intermittent Methods: Alternating high-intensity efforts with recovery periods. Includes repetitions, interval training (intensive and extensive), and circuit training.

Flexibility

The ability to achieve maximum range of motion in a given joint.

Types of Flexibility

• Static: Measured at rest.
• Dynamic: Measured during movement.
• Absolute: Maximum elongation of a joint.
• Work: Degree of elongation during movement execution.
• Residual: Elongation level needed to avoid developing stiffness.