Three

Other
Principles
1 2 3
1. Principle of Individualization

2. Principle of Variety

3. Principle of Active Involvement

Principle of Individualization

 TheIndividual’s response to Training

Factors: Heredity
Developmental Age
Training Age
The Individual’s Response to Training
 Each individual is unique. Each individual brings to
athletics his own capabilities, capacities and responses
to training.

 Different athletes will respond to the same training

programmed that will produced optimal results for
everyone.

These factors include heredity, developmental age and

training age
Heredity
 Athletes inherit physical, mental and emotional
characteristics from their parents.

 These inherited characteristics should be recognized

by the coach.

Many of these characteristics can be modified by

systematic training, but the extent to which they can
changed and modified will be limited by the inherited
potential.
Developmental Age
 Our Knowledge of growth and development tells us
that young athletes of the same chronological age can
be at very different levels of maturity.

 Individuals of the same chronological age can often be

up to four years apart in their developmental or
biological ages.
Training Age
 Each individual athlete has a different level of fitness
and experience. The length of time an athlete has been
training will affect their fitness level and capacity for
work.

 Training age must be considered and is simply the

number of years an athlete has trained.
 Chronological Age Biological Age Training Age
11 9 1
11 13 3

Athletes of the same chronological age, but very

different capacities of training.

Chronological Age Biological Age Training Age

12 13 2
15 13 2

Athletes of different chronological ages, but similar

capacities of training.
Principle of Variety
 Training is a long term process and loading and
recovery can quickly become boring for the athlete and
the coach.

 The successful coach will plan variety into the

training programme to maintain the athlete’s interest
and motivation.

 In training for athletics a change is often better than a

rest.
 This change and variety can come from such things as
changing the nature of the exercise, the environment,
time of day of the session and the training group.
Variety is an area in which the coach can be at his most
creative.
Principle of Active
Involvement
 The performance of an athlete is a result of the
combination of an athlete’s efforts and the coach’s skill.

 The most important principle.

 The principle of active Involvement in training means

simply that for a training programme to be fully
effective the athlete must want to actively and willingly
participate.