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| Peaking for Maximum Performance |
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| by Coach Doug Reese, TTNL Sports Network |
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Peaking is a phenomenon that produces performances at an athlete's maximum ability. It is not a magical effect of luck, but rather the result of months of hard work and training. Most athletes have a point in the season when they are at their best, but it is the coach's job to maximize and facilitate peak performance at the most opportune time. |
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| There are many essential factors that go into fostering a performance peak. To peak, the athlete must be an efficient state where they can handle heavy training, recover quickly, and have near perfect technique. Second, one of the most important factors in peaking is the unloading phase or taper. Unloading is the process of progressively decreasing the stress and load of training to regenerate the athlete's body and arouse his/her mind in preparation for a major competition.
Unloading is usually a two-week process leading up to the targeted competition. An effective unloading plan leads to the overcompensation effect in which the athlete rebounds from the fatiguing effects of hard training and is regenerated.
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The Unloading Phase
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Endurance Sports
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| Intensity drop
Elimination of non-sport specific exercises (i.e. weights, etc.)
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Duration drop
Elimination of all stressful activities
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Speed and Power Sports
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| 50% volume reduction
Long recovery between intense sessions
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Continue reduction
Only one early to mid-week intense session
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Another factor in maximizing peak performance is the balancing of motivation, arousal, and relaxation. An athlete's motivation will be elevated as major competition and expectations of high achievement approach. The coach's responsibility is to reduce this arousal with a relaxed environment to reduce psychological stress. The process of overcompensation, recovery, and relaxation ensure that the mind will be in excellent shape. The mind can maintain an optimal working capacity for about a week. This period is the window of opportunity for a peak performance.
To ensure that all of these factors come together at the time of the targeted competition, a coach must control some things outside of the training. The scheduling of competitions must be done in either a cyclical or grouping approach. The approaches consist of either planning the competitions in a cycle of competitions and training, or grouping weeks of training together followed by weeks of competition phases.
Seven to ten competitions are adequate to prepare for a peak for major competitions. It is impossible to peak for all competitions, and a peak can not be attained quickly. So coaches need to use the seasonal competitions as springboards to peak performance.
Progression to peak fitness can be identified by zones. As athletes improve fitness, their performance should get closer to their best. Zone one is the zone that is within two percent of an athlete's best. It is believed that an athlete can be in the zone anywhere from one to two-and-a-half months. Once in the zone, the coach and the athlete must plan their training and unloading to generate a period of maximum mental and physical capacity around the time of major competitions. This duration of peaking can be negatively altered by too many competitions. If the competition phase is too long there is a danger of a decline in results towards the end.
Peaking is the culmination of a complex process that is dependent on a number of essential factors. hard work, recovery, diet, testing and evaluation, and psychological factors are all critical components that coaches and athletes must integrate into a plan for success.
References:
Bomps, Dr. Tudor. "Peaking for the Major Competitions." Sports: Science Periodical on Research and Technology in Sport, April/May (1984).
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Copyright © 2000-2004, TTNL Sports Network |
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