Peak performance is a much sought after state by both professionals and amateurs. Whether the athletes are Olympians striving for the coveted gold medals or schoolboys preparing for a soccer match, they seek peak performance whenever possible. The sports science has expanded and there are factors we need to consider when we seek peak performance. They need to adopt a variety of different methods, such as variety, progressive resistance, recovery, goal-specific training and others. It is important for both coaches and athletes to know how to apply these principles practically.
There are a number of technical factors we should consider:
Quality Preparation
The pre-season training session can be rather intensive. In fact, many athletes don’t like it. The training and hard work required can be rather painful and boring. However, this is something that athletes need to prepare, so they can be fully prepared for the rigors of actual competitive phase. They must do various training to improve speed, strength and endurance. The volume of work isn’t the only concern; we should also focus on the actual quality. Athletes and coaches can’t cut corners, because this may manifest later in form of lack of sharpness, injuries and fatigues.
Mastering Individual Skills
There are certain skill sets that are considered necessary and basic. As an example, basketballs players should know how to dribble efficiently and shoot accurately. Tackling and kicking skills are also required for soccer players at varying degree, based on the field positions, such as back, middle and striker. Without good individual skill, coaches will find difficult to form more complex strategy that involves the entire team. If strikers can’t kick balls strongly and accurately, all the hard work of the defenders and midfielders will be useless.
High Fitness Levels
Many athletes reach their peak physical development just under 25 years old. However, the condition for each can be very varied, due to specific individual factors. Coaches should be able to determine the fitness level of each athlete. Athletes with mediocre level of fitness may need to compensate by improving their skill sets and tactics. Players may get tired rather easily at older age, so coaches should also mix players based on their ages to ensure balance through the entire team performance.
Understanding on Overall Team Play
Peak performance can’t be achieved by the entire team if they don’t understand the overall team play. They many not know how to respond well as players on the wing or flanks. Younger players tend to take more direct route to goal and it means that they could bypass several players in the team formation. Coaches should make sure that athletes make proper decision in the field by prioritizing more on teamwork, instead of personal glory. This could give the team a better opportunity in achieving top performance in any sporting matches.
Minimise Errors in Games
Regardless of how fit, skilled and experienced they are, athletes will always make mistake. Errors are more likely to happen on younger players, so coaches should do things needed to minimize errors.