Direct competition preparation: standpoints Prof. Dr. Harold Tünnemann FILA Coaches Clinic Tokyo November 2006.

Direct competition preparation: standpoints

Prof. Dr. Harold Tünnemann

FILA Coaches Clinic Tokyo November 2006

• One „secret“ of the successes of elite sports in the GDR: at a specific date, the athletes were top fit (top event), i. e., as a rule, they achieved their individual top performance of the year. Among others, the reasons are to be found in the organisation of the direct competition preparation, which had been integrated into a complex concept of performance development and annual planning.

Reasons of performance developments

•Structures of Federations oriented toward elite sport

•Training concept oriented toward world‘s elite

•Performance-motivated athletes / team spirit

• Concentration of the athletes / acceptance of training camps

•Infrastructure which promotes performance

•Team work with partners among other things advanced training science•Training control on the basis of a coaching counselling system•optimal organisation of competition performance

•Optimal design of the last phase of training before the major competition (direct competition preparation)

•Experienced coaches

Counselling system coach-athleteStructure of performance

inventory of means of training

control of training and competition

strategy

tactics

technique

strength

physical condition

endurance

behaviour skills energy

technique/tactics

Structure of training

special strength general strength /endurance

analysis of competition analysis of trainingtest device training tests

Sistema de asesoría Entrenador-deportista

Estructura del rendimiento

Trainingsmittelkatalog

Monitoreo del entrenamiento y la

competencia

Estratégia

Táctica

Técnica

fuerza

condición

resistencia

comportamiento capacidades Energía

Ténica/Táctica

Estructura del entrenamiento

Fuerza especial fza/resitencia gral.

Análisis competencia

Análisi de entrenamiento

Entr. En áreas de medición

Tests

The period of direct competition preparation is the most complicated and most sensitive one during the whole process of preparation for sports competitions. During this period it is decided if a long-term preparation will result in a sporting top performance during the decisive competition, or if the existing potentials are not be used due to errors during this preparatory period..Training-methodical errors or insufficiencies in the annual structure cannot be made up for by an optimum direct competition preparation.

1. Basics

Goals:

•Reaching the highest readiness to perform and performance capacity (athletic top form ) at the moment of the forthcoming major competition •Optimum adaptation to the specific and complex conditions of the competition site and the staging of the competition

Training-methodical tasks (Consideration of performance structure )

•Physical preparation (Development and stabilization of general and specific physical conditional basics)•Technical preparation (Perfection of technique, correction of small technical weaknesses, dynamic stabilisation of competition technique, also taking into account the actual competition conditions•Tactical preparation (precision and stabilization of the competition concept, attention to specific constellation of opponents and possible tactical behaviour positions of serious opponents)

•Emphasis on complex sporting performances (While the aforementioned tasks are realized quite separately and isolatedly from each other, this phase immediately before the beginning of the competition is dealing with the emphasis on the complex competition performance with competition-like exercises ) •Individual psychical preparation (Development of a strong team spirit and of an ambience promoting performance as a whole, mobilization of individual emotional driving forces, strengthening of self-confidence into the own performance capacity and efficacy of the own competition concept, adaptation of specific features of the most important opponents and the imminent competition ambience)

Structure and design of the direct competition preparation The right choice and sequence of the means of training and the right dynamics in training load are decisive for an efficient design of the direct competition preparation. The different impact and the time of conversion of the individual complexes of training and the differentiated dynamics of adaptation of organs and functional systems determining performance must be taken into consideration. When determining the training stimuli, it has to be considered that load components with general impact on the organism require more time for conversion, and that specific load components are converted more rapidly into a higher performance capacity. A correct order of contents and time as well as of priorities of essential training elements is necessary.

The peak loads of the individual components are as follows:+ general means of training 5 to 4 weeks+ duration of training 4 to 3 weeks+ specific means of training 3 to 2 weeks+ intensity of training 2 to 1 weekprior to beginning of competitionThe load maximum is during the 3rd to 2nd week prior to the competition.This way, a high training load is realized over two to four weeks by different means, and by their temporary „overlapping“ or addition a top performance at a defined moment.

One main task of the further development of training methodical concepts is the complex adaptation to the new competitions rules. The temporal shortening of the bouts, the realization of 4 to 5 bouts a day, the increase in standard situations (clinch) and the fact that the number of strong wrestlers per weight category is increasing have an enormous impact on the methodology of the physical conditional and technical-tactical preparation. The organisation of the direct competition preparation, too, is in a very special way influenced by these aspects. In particular during the competitions, measures of fast recovery and aspects of nutrition between the competitions are necessary, which have to be agreed upon with the accompanying team doctor.

The following total structure in a direct competition preparation over several weeks has proved successful:

Phase of regeneration – Duration approx. one weekShort active and above all psychic regeneration particularly after a hard competition season Means: general means of training, recreational sport, physio-therapeutic measuresLoad: average: average extent of training, small intensity

Phase of recovery – Duration approximately two to three weeksMainly realization of physical-conditional, technical and tactical separate tasks Means: specific physical-conditional, technical and tactical exercisesLoad: larger extents of training at medium training intensity

Phase of emphasis on performance - Duration approx. one to two weeks Emphasis on complex sporting performance, at the beginning under home conditions, and later on under specific competition conditions Means: mainly competition exercises – general exercises to compensate Load: competition-like intensity of competition exercises, little to average load in the exercises for compensation

Competitions, particularly test and training competitions, have a particular function in the direct competition preparation. They are meant to check individual factors determining performance, to stabilize technique and the tactical concept of the realization of the competition, they serve to develop the complex competition performance and to adapt to the expected competition rhythm.

Preparation and adaptation to the concrete competition conditions As a result of the communication society and the medial upvaluation of high performance sport, international championships are held on all continents and under the most various conditions (also under high altitude conditions). In order to minimize negative influences due to varying competition conditions, comprehensive adaptation measures are necessary. They constitute a complex of training-methodical, sports medical, bio-scientific and technical-organizational measures indicating an interdisciplinary approach:

Adaptation to a changed day and night rhythm Time lags of five to six hours require an adaptation time of four to five days on site. The undermentioned options for adaptation exist: Arrival five to seven days before the beginning of the competition An immediate adjustment of life and training regime to the new local time is linked with it. As for training load, the adjustment reactions during the first three to four days have to be considered. •Step-by-step adaptation by stopovers on the way to the competition site This form requires more time and holds a certain risk as during stopovers, special training conditions can often not be ensured sufficiently.

Adaptation to extreme values of temperature and humidity

As a consequence of the different climatical factors at the competition site, specific demands to competition clothes, to the realization of the competition, nourishment and the individual behaviour of the athletes before, during and after the competition.Options for adaptation:•Simulation of the expected climatic conditions still being at home (sauna, hardening measures, stay and training in climatic chambers) •realization of parts of the preparation under competition- like or similar conditions• early arrival at the competition site

Adaptation to medium altitude(2000 to 3000m AMSL)

The reduced oxygen partial pressure at altitude has a detrimental effect on energy supply processes, and thus it reduces performances in those sports where aerobic energetic metabolism plays a decisive role (endurance sports, ball sports, combat sports).

Opportunities for adaptation to medium altitude conditions:

• Accentuated and intensive endurance training under sea-level conditions Lack of oxygen training under sea level conditions has similar effects like altitude training (increased resistance against hypoxia, effective oxygen exploitation) • Training under simulated lack of oxygen conditions below sea level, in barochambers, with breathing masks and with systems with adjustable air mixtures • Training under similar natural altitude conditions• Early arrival at the competition site

Training under hypoxic conditions, by the addition of training stimuli and acclimatisation, means a higher load than under sea level conditions. Therefore, during the first phase of acute acclimatisation (the first 8 to 10 days) training load should be reduced (decrease in intensity in endurance sports, longer breaks between the main load exercises in other sports).

Individual adaptation ability scatters considerably. The optimum stay at altitude between 18 and 21 days is a compromise between the extent of physiological adaptation und psychic tolerability of new conditions.

Adaptation to the general competition atmosphere

For some athletes, the behaviour of the audience and of the local people, the media, of the referees and judges, partial ignorance of the rules and other peculiarities may be unusual. Preparation for these circumstances is possible by:

•Transfer of corresponding knowledge by means of conversations, images, videos and CD-ROM.•Training and training competitions under simulated conditions (e. g. questionable referee decisions)•Direct acquaintance with the atmosphere by previous participation in competitions at the future competition site.

Concise tips regarding arrival at the competition site:

•When competitions take place in the home country, when one knows exactly the circumstances of the competition and when distances are short, arrival can be one day before the beginning of the competition or on the competition day.

•Arrival at competition sites, which do not require any temporal or climatic adaptation and which do not mean big travel strains, should be 3 to 4 days before the competition.

•Arrival at competition sites, demanding a modification of the daily rhythm or adaptation to climatic conditions, should be 5 to 7 days before the competition begins .

•Arrival at competition sites at medium altitude additionally linked with an adjustment of time, should be between 7 (speed-strength and technical sports) and 14 to 18 days (endurance, combat and ball sports) before the competition begins. Preceding acclimatisation can can ease this process and reduce adaptation time.

Concluding the subject „Competition site“, the doctors‘ recommendations regarding special measures of nourishment, hygienic norms and eating habits as well as behavioural measures as for psychic concentration toward the competition shall be mentioned.

• Examination of individual load effect and load processing of training days by the analysis of serum- creatincinase- and urea activities during direct competition preparation as well as of selected blood parameters (haemoglobin and haematocrit) and of the resting pulse frequency in altitude training with the target to find out individual and group-typical load courses within the respective mesocycles for the purpose of current control and medium and long term deepening of knowledge for the optimization of the training process.

Training control

• Examination of the effect of general and wrestling-specific means of training by determination of concentration of lactate for the purpose of finding out the direct load effect of the used means of training as well as of the realized individual extent of load.

• Individual analyses of performance and development in technical-tactical field by means of video-assisted analyses of training competitions .

• Medium and short-term preparation for competitions by analyses and presentation of videos of major competitions as well as by computer-assisted analyses of opponents.

2.Training control of physical-conditional abilities

creatincinase (CK) as control parameter

The muscle-specific enzyme serum- creatincinase (CK), which is responsible for the separation of creatin phosphate and the resynthesis and whose escape from the muscles into the serum is proved as a consequence of the energetic demand on the muscle cells, is considered to be a reliable parameter for the diagnostics of sporting loads also in combat sports.

10 EC’98 men 9 85 98

11 JWC’98 juniors (u20) 5 50 114

12 JEC’98 juniors (u20) 7 57 148

13 EC’98 men 10 88 106

14 WC’99 men 8 87 116

15 JEC’99 juniors (u20) 8 75 116

16 EC’00 men 8 73 94

17 OG’00 men 6 60 98

18 JWC’00 juniors (u20) 7 70 182

total men 78 736 1073

total juniors 58 508 1212

total total 136 1244 2285

Examination pool and extent

Nr. DCP age group number of number of number of

athtletes CK determ. lactate determ.

Average CK- excursions during one training phase of direct competition preparation

0

5

10

15

20

25

16.09. 17.09. 18.09. 19.09. 20.09. 21.09. 22.09. 23.09. 24.09. 25.09. 26.09.

MW

S1

S2

0

5

10

15

20

25

beforeHLD1

after HLD 1 before HLD2

after HLD 2 before HLD3

after HLD 3

CK

(µ

mol

/L)

265 % 181 %

144 %

Comparison of average values of CK-excursions before and after high load days during direct competition preparation

(men and juniors /n=117)

0

5

10

15

20

25

before HLD 1 after HLD 1 before HLD 2 after HLD 2 before HLD 3 after HLD 3

women (n=38)

Men (n=65)

men under 20(n052)

Comparison of average CK-excursions before and after high load days in men, juniors and women

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

CK

(µ

mol

/L)

speed strength type

endurance type

Comparison of CK-excursions of different muscle types during one direct competition preparation with identical

training contents

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

RAN (n=459) TWK (n=902) SB/ STL (n=96) BT3max (n=399)

Lak

tat (

mm

ol/L

)

MWs1s2

Comparison of average effects on metabolism of selected means of training in judo

Summary :

• The realisation of individual top performances at the top event requires a high performance capacity at the beginning of the direct competition preparation („starting performance“). Neglected performance development during the whole training and competition year may not be made up for during the direct competition preparation.

• The direct competition preparation should last a minimum of 10 days.

• During the phase of direct competition preparation, three peak loads should be done. Their contents should mainly consist in competition-like means of training pushing the athletes toward their breaking point. The conditions of the respective load tolerance are created during the previous macrocycle, i. e. there are very close relations between the organization of this macrocycle and the directly following direct competition preparation.

• The organisation of the optimal course of load allows enough recovery between the days of high load as well as a far- reaching regeneration of individual performance capacity. The pause between the days of high load is 2 to 3 days. In addition to training-methodical measures (distinct reduction of load), passive (sauna, relaxation basin) and active physiotherapeutic measures (massages) are integral part of the regeneration processes.

• There are not any examinations concerning the optimal duration for the pause between the end of the preparation and the top event. On the basis of empiric experience and taking into account the best competition results so far, 12 to 14 days are recommended. Within this period, training has a stabilizing character regarding the before realized main points.

3. Training control of technical-tactical abilities on the basis of

individual fight concepts

The control of technical-tactical performance capacity is a steady focal point of the preparation and remains part of the competition concept. Here, a stronger orientation toward the athletes’ individual fight concepts must be established.

Individual fight concepts are strategic decisions for the application of technical-tactical actions against strong opponents. Studying the opponents‘ strengths and weaknesses by video are essential for strategic decisions. The detailed analysis of videos is an integral part of the technical-tactical training during the direct competition preparation and during the competition itself. Individual psychic characteristics of the athletes must be taken into consideration especially in the preparation for the forthcoming opponent. In the following slide we will show one example of the video-assisted analysis of the opponents. There are lot of other examples in the USA, Japan, Spain, Serbia and Canada (www.ucancoachwrestling.com)