Many coaches plan their season in terms of macro, micro and mesa cycles. Most however do this purely in terms of physical preparation. Very few plan systematically for skills development.
The table below sets out one approach to doing this over a fifty two week period.
The basis of the game is Core Skill. You will see from the programme that consists of one hundred percent of the skills programme in weeks one to four before dropping to fifty percent. It NEVER leaves the programme and always takes up ten percent of the session. This in reality during the season might mean doing your skills development during an extended warm up.
Next we look at core skills in relation to positional specific requirements. First in isolation and then in combination. This also NEVER leaves the programme. Many players would choose to do this as “extras” before or after normal training.
Next starting at week thirteen we have unit skills for offence and defence that come in accounting for thirty percent of the time, staying on the programme at twenty percent throughout the season.
Finally “Set Piece” skills which start at twenty percent but move to thirty percent as the season progresses.
This is just a model and overview, other coaches may agree or otherwise in terms of time spent on each area. Player ability, contact time, facilities and the coaching team and their skill set would all impact on any plan and need factoring in. Skill development should not be seen as an alternate to physical development or tactical development. It needs to be seen as part of the bigger picture in developing your players and team.
Haydn
