In team sports, the game is possible only if we count on our teammates, if you can achieve high levels of interaction with them and the commitment to an inevitable team participation that should transform the individual meaning of winning. So, the collective culture of the game emerges where the interpersonal relationships are confirmed, identifying different communication codes and emotional links with the team members.
One of the great dilemmas the coach faces in a highly demanding context is distinguishing between the needs of match-by-match performance and those of a team’s general learning. Australian motor performance specialist Derek Panchuk, former NBA player, in an article titled “What a good learning environment looks like?” has tried to find a theoretical middle ground for these contingencies that arise both in the short term (performance) and in the long term (learning) and in whose equilibrium is a virtue.
The correct planning of a strength training program involves the manipulation of variables such as the selection and order of exercise execution, volume, frequency and intensity of the training, speed of movement, and the rest between sets.
Training load is one of the most critical factors in the sports field since it depends on whether we achieve the desired adaptations. The training load is divided by external or internal load, the first being the work completed by the athlete (e.g., distance, number of sprints, etc.). The second, the physiological or psychological response (e.g., heart rate, lactate levels, perceived exertion) imposed by the external load.
Winning a football, basketball, or handball game depends on many factors. Many of them are beyond the coach’s control. An extraordinary performance of the opponent, an unfair referee decision or luck are aspects that can determine a result, and that cannot be trained. That is why we must pay all our attention exclusively to what can be controlled, that is, what depends only on us.
As a coach your aim is to win matches, correct? You want your players to perform their best, don’t you? You need the team to play as if it was one entity, are we talking your language?
Team sports – such as football, rugby, handball, hockey, or basketball – are characterized by alternating short efforts of very high intensity (<10 seconds) with recovery periods at a lower intensity. That is why the ability to sprint repeatedly will be key for the performance of these players.1 In fact, various studies have observed that players who compete in a higher competitive category (for example, professionals rather than semi-professionals) perform better in repeated sprint tests.
Heat has adverse effects on the performance of athletes, so it is necessary to carry out an acclimation process before competing in high-temperature environments.
Carbohydrates are the main energy source during high-intensity exercises. Therefore, it is important to get to the competition with the highest glycogen storage possible.
Human beings evolve, they reconsider some ideas, adopt new habits and learn through stories that are related to their previous experiences, which they frequently listen to and copy in their everyday life.