Transition Phase

The specific preparatory phase is the transition phase from general to sports specific exercise and training. The aim in this phase is to still increase the players working capacity but do so by focusing on more sports specific activities (Bompa and Haff, 2009). For example, running in the general preparatory phase might be low intensity over a long distance to build the engine of the player while during the specific preparatory phase the game related high intensity interval training discussed in the previous module could be implemented. In this phase, the volume is starting to reduce while the intensity is gradually increased. The coach wants their players to be able to handle the intensities for a competitive game and so the training intensities must rise to prepare the players as the competitive season gets nearer. The diagram below (Turner, 2011) is a good representation of the relationship between volume and intensity as the season progresses. It also shows that the focus on technique and skills rises as the competitive season draws closer.