HMS, TIP 2016 HSC 30b

Position Statement

• Essential training session elements are crucial for maximising performance outcomes and enhancing competitive capabilities.
• Health screening, warm-up protocols, skill instruction and evaluation components provide systematic frameworks for achieving optimal performance improvements.

Health and Safety Screening

• Pre-session health screening proves essential for optimising performance capacity by ensuring athletes can train at maximum intensity without physical limitations.
• Evidence supporting performance benefits includes athletes achieving notably higher training loads when injury-free compared to those with minor restrictions.
• Identifying fatigue levels enables coaches to adjust session intensity for optimal adaptation responses.
• For swimming training sessions, screening shoulder mobility ensures full stroke efficiency and power generation throughout the session.
• This screening maximises training quality by preventing performance decrements from undetected physical limitations.

Warm-up and Preparation

• Comprehensive warm-up procedures demonstrate critical performance enhancement benefits through improved neuromuscular activation and increased power output capacity.
• Progressive intensity increases enhance muscle contraction speed whilst optimising oxygen delivery to working muscles.
• Research confirms that structured warm-ups increase sprint performance by approximately 10% compared to inadequate preparation routines.
• Dynamic stretching and sport-specific movements prove essential for achieving peak force production and movement efficiency during main training activities.

Skill Instruction and Practice

• Systematic skill instruction provides fundamental performance improvements through enhanced movement efficiency and reduced energy expenditure during competition.
• Clear demonstration and corrective feedback enable athletes to achieve optimal technique patterns that maximise force application and speed development.
• Skill progressions from simple to complex movements ensure progressive performance gains whilst building movement confidence under competitive pressure.

Session Evaluation and Feedback

• Post-training evaluation proves vital for maximising long-term performance development through identification of training adaptations and performance improvements.
• Performance data collection enables coaches to quantify session effectiveness and adjust future training for continued performance gains.

Reinforcement

• Evidence overwhelmingly supports incorporating all elements systematically to create performance-focused training experiences.
• Such experiences deliver measurable competitive improvements whilst maintaining training consistency.