However, the emphasis of a modern pre-season is now as much on skill development as it is on pure fitness, a fact attributable in part to advances in sports science and technology over recent years. This shift has led to the implementation of the programme which is currently in place at the Sydney Swans.
Pre-season means three main training sessions per week, and each of these is recorded to videotape in its entirety; the video is then reviewed by all of the coaches in conjunction with Skill Acquisition Consultant Ben Moore.
The focus of this review is on skill execution, game plan and decision making, and from this analysis comes a brief video package which is shown to the playing group in order to provide a particular focus for the next training day.
On alternate days, the focus becomes even more individualised, as the development group players are put through their paces under the watchful eyes of development coaches Stuart Maxfield, Daniel McPherson and Stuart Dew. Again, each session is recorded and each player then reviews and discusses the session with his individual coach.
So whilst running and fitness remain a key focus of a pre-season training programme, there is also a substantial emphasis placed on improving players’ skill execution and understanding of game plan through the use of technology.
