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What is your purpose of training?

The correct answer is: to improve your athletique technique, skills, tactics and self-development.

Training is extremely important and should form an integral part of all elite athlete’s daily routines. Training allows the body to gradually build up strength and endurance, improve skill levels and build motivation, ambition and confidence. Training also allows athletes to gain more knowledge of their sport as well as enabling them to learn about the importance of having a healthy mind and body. In terms of physical effects of training, regular exercise increases muscle tone, facilitates good circulation, improves strength, agility and flexibility and improves the rate of waste product disposal. Regular training also speeds up recovery time following physical exercise; this enables the body to cope with the demands of training more effectively and makes it more resistant to injury and illness. Training also has benefits for mental health as it improves concentration and increases self-esteem.

There are several different types of training; common examples focus on speed and strength training and endurance training and include interval training, circuit training, fartlek training and plyometric training. The training method will depend on the individual’s sport; they may use a number of different methods in order to enhance all areas of their performance.

Experts recommend training is varied and tailored to specific individual or team needs; this helps to keep players motivated, establish individual and team goals and improve cohesion. Athletes should take care to rest fully between training sessions; this will help to prevent overtraining, which can have negative effects on performance and contributes to injuries. Training should be serious and demanding but it should also be enjoyable; this will boost morale and help to keep players interested and relaxed. Sessions should not be too easy or too demanding; they should be pitched at the appropriate level to facilitate improvement but prevent injury and a lack of self-confidence.

They mean that training activities must closely simulate the specific nature of each athletic contest. For example, training for basketball is very different from training for marathon running because what it takes to be great for each is very different. Intermittent bursts of speed for basketball vs. long-term sustained running tap different energy sources.

The benefits of physical training for athletes include: less fatigue and quicker recovery, reduced muscle soreness, ability to practice longer, fewer injuries and faster recover from them, and greater confidence.

Strength-targeted training improves joint stability, increases muscle size, and contributes to power development. Cardio-based programs develop: (a) more efficient use of oxygen, (b) improved use of fat for energy, (c) increased muscle size to exert greater force,(d) improved blood flow, (e) greater lung capacity, (f) increased size of the heart to pump more blood in one stroke, (g) better coordination, and (h) stronger bones, ligaments, and tendons to reduce injuries.

Ideally, there is enough time to develop a periodized program with several phases and cycles that allow more time for the athlete to make substantial improvements. To further boost each athlete's success, individual differences also require appropriate adjustments as the coach identifies the athlete's strengths and areas for improvement.

While a primary focus of any fitness training program is to generate sport-specific changes within the muscles and support systems of athletes, fitness activities should also improve psychological preparation, sport skill development, and other qualities that will transfer to sport performance.