Tactical Periodization is a training methodology that has been popularised by a number of successful and high profile football coaches. More recently it is being used within elite rugby union and by England Rugby Head Coach, Eddie Jones. It differs from the more traditional approaches to training in that the technical, tactical, physical and mental skills are not trained/learned in isolation. On the contrary, Tactical Periodization states that the game has to be trained/learned within the moments of the game. In a game of rugby, there are four moments: attack, defence, transition from attack to defence and transition from defence to attack. For the Head Coach, everything starts with the tactical target, the way you want your team to play. “When we have the ball, I want my team to do this ... When we don’t have the ball, I want them to do this.” This tactical target is your game model. Tactical Periodization states that your game model drives all your training content, physical intensity, recovery sessions and the number and length of training sessions.
In this latest blog Inspiring's Paul Westgate shares further information on Tactical Periodization to help coaches understand, plan and prepare effective training sessions.
Our members can access the research paper and other useful links including a YouTube presentation on Tactical Periodization in the Coaching Practice section of our Members' Area.
