The previous units in this course have laid the foundation for successful training management in professional football. This unit will now take a more detailed look at training management and provide concrete insights. Different aspects of training management will be covered in order to provide a comprehensive overview. This includes distinguishing and differentiating between the various planning aspects of training management in professional football.
In training management, a fundamental distinction is made between macro planning and micro planning. The main difference between these aspects of training management lies in the time perspective and the level of detail of the planning.
Macro planning in training management refers to planning the long-term development targets of the players and the team. Here, long-term training plans for longer season periods are created to prepare the players for the challenges of the upcoming period and to enable better planning of the training management process. Macro planning could also include identifying development areas for the whole team and setting rough training objectives.
In contrast, micro planning in training management refers to the design of individual training sessions. Here, specific exercises and activities are developed to improve the technical, tactical, physical, or mental aspects of the game. Micro planning can also include the adaptation of trainings based on the current condition of the players and their needs.
First of all, this unit will focus on macro planning in training management. Macro planning can, for example, include the following activities:
- Periodization of the season (for example pre-season preparation, season opening, or winter break)
- Planning of training phases to depict events such as training camps
- Definition of rough training objectives for training phases to set training focus
- Development of working concepts for this phase
- Long-term player development by looking at training management occurrences
These activities will be described in more detail in this unit. You will also learn clear how the macro planning process for training management can be depicted and managed in SAP Sports One.
This sample structure of a team's macro planning includes rough training objectives and illustrates how this can be used to set a focus for each training week within this training phase.
