Athletes ask me all of the time about how to get ready for a specific event. When there are so many different components that go into their training, it can be hard to know where to begin.
I believe most athletes, especially those in golf, tennis, or individual sports, don’t fully appreciate periodization and how important it is to break out what you work on, based on the goal of peaking for a particular event.
Do you struggle with knowing how to prepare for an event? Unsure of what steps to take and the order to take them in? Want to ease your performance anxiety and have more confidence?
If this sounds like you, keep reading.
I believe most athletes, especially those in golf, tennis, or individual sports, don’t fully appreciate periodization and how important it is to break out what you work on, based on the goal of peaking for a particular event.
Do you struggle with knowing how to prepare for an event? Unsure of what steps to take and the order to take them in? Want to ease your performance anxiety and have more confidence?
If this sounds like you, keep reading.
For athletes who find it difficult to adhere to a consistent training plan, periodization offers a structured approach that can simplify the process and increase discipline.
Periodization also allows you to set short-term goals within each phase of your training, giving you a sense of achievement and progress, which can be highly motivating and help you to maintain focus.
In order to gain a clearer understanding of exactly how periodization can help you peak, let’s use golf as an example.
Say you have a tournament coming up in three months and you want to peak for that event. You’re not gonna want to work on your technique the day before, if you can avoid it. By the time the event rolls around, you should already have everything you need in place to do your best.
By utilizing periodization, not only will you give yourself a fair chance to prepare so that you can do your best, you’ll also eliminate way more stress and potential for burnout by setting yourself up for success, way ahead of time.
If you want to learn more about how to avoid burnout and prioritize your mental health while training, check out this blog.
Periodization also allows you to set short-term goals within each phase of your training, giving you a sense of achievement and progress, which can be highly motivating and help you to maintain focus.
In order to gain a clearer understanding of exactly how periodization can help you peak, let’s use golf as an example.
Say you have a tournament coming up in three months and you want to peak for that event. You’re not gonna want to work on your technique the day before, if you can avoid it. By the time the event rolls around, you should already have everything you need in place to do your best.
By utilizing periodization, not only will you give yourself a fair chance to prepare so that you can do your best, you’ll also eliminate way more stress and potential for burnout by setting yourself up for success, way ahead of time.
If you want to learn more about how to avoid burnout and prioritize your mental health while training, check out this blog.
Let’s quickly break down your training into a few simple, digestible steps.
Here’s how you can use periodization to peak for your event:
First, you’ll have a technical phase, working on your technique and doing what you can to make changes to it.
Then, you’re gonna have a precompetition phase.
This is where you’re doing what you can to take that technical change and implement it into your practice on the course.
The competition phase is the final step. When you’re competing, the goal here isn’t to be thinking about your technique, but rather only the scoring or process of playing a particular sport.
You might have a macro periodization cycle that might last for three months, or you might have a micro periodization cycle that might literally only be three days long.
For example, on Monday you’re working on your technique. On Tuesday, you’re taking those technical changes to the play environment, whether that be the field, course, court, etc. Finally, on day three, you’re actually competing.
By rotating through different phases, you’re less likely to feel burnt out or bored, making it easier to stick to your schedule over the long term.
Here’s how you can use periodization to peak for your event:
First, you’ll have a technical phase, working on your technique and doing what you can to make changes to it.
Then, you’re gonna have a precompetition phase.
This is where you’re doing what you can to take that technical change and implement it into your practice on the course.
The competition phase is the final step. When you’re competing, the goal here isn’t to be thinking about your technique, but rather only the scoring or process of playing a particular sport.
You might have a macro periodization cycle that might last for three months, or you might have a micro periodization cycle that might literally only be three days long.
For example, on Monday you’re working on your technique. On Tuesday, you’re taking those technical changes to the play environment, whether that be the field, course, court, etc. Finally, on day three, you’re actually competing.
By rotating through different phases, you’re less likely to feel burnt out or bored, making it easier to stick to your schedule over the long term.
The best athletes in the world that play on professional sports teams have off-seasons, preseasons, and then the seasons themselves.
We want to treat your training as an athlete in a similar way. Not only do professional athletes focus on periodization, they also train like this and understand the importance of goal-oriented practice.
It can be difficult to break down your goals and the schedule in which you want to achieve them when you play an individual sport, which is why periodization is so important.
Unlike team sports, where structured practices and scheduled games create a natural rhythm, individual sport athletes often have to create and maintain their own training schedules. This freedom can be both a blessing and a curse, particularly if sticking to a routine is challenging.
We want to treat your training as an athlete in a similar way. Not only do professional athletes focus on periodization, they also train like this and understand the importance of goal-oriented practice.
It can be difficult to break down your goals and the schedule in which you want to achieve them when you play an individual sport, which is why periodization is so important.
Unlike team sports, where structured practices and scheduled games create a natural rhythm, individual sport athletes often have to create and maintain their own training schedules. This freedom can be both a blessing and a curse, particularly if sticking to a routine is challenging.
Ultimately, by following a periodized training plan, you’re not just hoping to peak at the right time—you’re making it happen.
Each phase builds on the previous one, ensuring that you’re steadily progressing toward your goal. And when it’s time to compete, you’re not just physically prepared; you’re mentally ready too, because you’ve been building toward this moment for days, weeks, or even months.
By adopting a periodized training approach, athletes in individual sports can overcome some common challenges that they face, making it easier to stay motivated, avoid burnout, and ultimately reach peak performance when it matters most.
Each phase builds on the previous one, ensuring that you’re steadily progressing toward your goal. And when it’s time to compete, you’re not just physically prepared; you’re mentally ready too, because you’ve been building toward this moment for days, weeks, or even months.
By adopting a periodized training approach, athletes in individual sports can overcome some common challenges that they face, making it easier to stay motivated, avoid burnout, and ultimately reach peak performance when it matters most.