The importance of a yearly plan can not be stated enough. There must be a large overall plan before you can get into monthly or weekly planning. This yearly breakdown allows athletes to know what is expected of them during each “season” and allows the strength and conditioning coach to maximize results. The year is broken down into 4 seasons, Off Season, Pre Season, In Season and Transitional.
4 Season
Off Season
Pre Season
In Season
Transitional
Off Season - The Off Season is defined as the time when the athletes are not playing their sport. This season is where an athlete's focus should be on strength and conditioning and working on becoming a better overall athlete. The Off Season is a great time for strength and conditioning because during the In Season their focus should be on playing their sport to the best of their abilities. This is the time to get stronger, faster, more powerful etc.
Pre Season - The Pre Season is when athletes are returning to their sport. Ideally this season would consist of speed, power and conditioning training. But the truth is it tends to be more about recovery and injury prevention.
In Season - All the focus to become a better athlete during the Off Season and Pre Season are done. The focus shifts to using these new skills to play their sport. The emphasis shifts to Maintaining Strength and Power, Injury Prevention, Game/Practice Readiness (Priming), and Recovery. Eccentric load is carefully monitored in this phase.
Transitional - The Transitional Season is the off weeks from the end of In Season and transitioning to Off Season. This time should be used to relax and heal up. Athletes can still train but it should not be serious. Playing other sports is encouraged during the Transitional Season to help develop new skills, even if it’s not a competitive sport and only for fun.
