Skill Training Periodization in “Specialist” Sports Coaching—An Introduction of the “PoST” Framework for Skill Development

Abstract

Across sports and movement science, training periodization has been recognized as key for athlete development and performance. While periodization with regard to physiology has a proven history, the structuring and periodization of motor learning and skill development is seemingly less researched and practiced. Despite the existence of numerous theoretical accounts underpinning skill acquisition training and more recently emerging periodization models, a cohesive framework to practically support coaches in the context of "specialist coaching" appears to be needed. The use of "specialist coaches" for individualized, one-on-one or small group trainings displays a growing trend in team ball sports. Despite limiting the replication of game-representative environments (i.e., by constraining the number of involved athletes in training), "specialist coaches" in performance sport constantly aim to achieve marginal gains and refinements in athlete development. In order to support these "specialist coaches" and fill a research gap on skill training periodization, the current paper seeks to review and transfer contemporary skill acquisition training theory (driven by the constraints-led approach) into a practically-applicable "Periodization of Skill Training" framework ("PoST" framework). This framework provides valuable conceptual and practical support for "specialist coaches" in performance sport; which will in turn, enhance, and refine adaptive movement variability for sport skills and manipulate skill training environments (i.e., over the course of macro-and micro-cycles, and for the planning of single training sessions). Practical examples from soccer goalkeeping (i.e., a "specialist coaching" context, often constrained to a small number of players in the training environment) will underline the proposed framework.

Specialist Coaching Integrated into a Department of Methodology in Team Sports Organisations

“…Particularly, coaches' efforts towards developing variable practice designs that complement individualised athlete development strategies aim to enhance the effective DoM functioning. By designing representative tasks, emergent functional behaviours through holistic integration of various movement-regulating subsystems, such as perception, action, cognition and emotion, are targeted [1,2].…”

“…2 displays each GK's average training time distribution throughout the week (i.e., six training sessions leading up to professional competition). All training was planned in collaboration between professional coaches and staff and was based on a unified methodical rationale and overarching (skill) training periodisation principles, including an athlete-environment-centred coaching focus and the notion of co-designing non-linear and representative learning environments [1,2].…”

“…In detail, this coordination between coaches appears critical in order to ensure facilitation of effective training designs (i.e., pre-planned on the micro-level for the week and on a day-to-day basis for single sessions [1]). Whilst football-specific training and the co-design of training sessions (i.e., integrating viewpoints from both coaching staff and specialists) have previously been conceptualised (see [2]), the exchange between specialists and support staff members (see Fig. 1) may warrant further elaboration.…”

When and How to Provide Feedback and Instructions to Athletes?—How Sport Psychology and Pedagogy Insights Can Improve Coaching Interventions to Enhance Self-Regulation in Training

“…The proposed Skill Training Communication Model (see Part C) builds upon a recently introduced PoST framework by Otte et al (2019b) . The PoST framework, at its core, is focused on how skills are taught by specialist or individual development coaches working with single athletes and/or subgroups of athletes and is based on the theoretical perspective of the constraints-led approach (CLA; Newell, 1986 ).…”

“…In terms of skill training planning, the PoST framework displays three broad skill development and training stages that are adapted from Newell’s (1985) Model of Motor Learning; these stages, as presented below in Figure 1 , are labeled as Coordination Training, Skill Adaptability Training, and Performance Training (see Otte et al, 2019b , for the detailed theoretical introduction of the framework). The principles of each skill training stage in the PoST framework are a strong guide for the proposed Skill Training Communication Model for specialist coaches to be able to carefully apply various forms of feedback and instruction at each skill training stage.…”