Sometimes, you've just gotta throw TSB out the window?

TAKE HOME MESSAGE

Sometimes training just has to ask questions.

For Coaches

An appropriately placed, challenging session is worthwhile.

For Athletes

You have to know where your limit is. There is only one way to find out.

"What's their TSB?" (Cue grinding of teeth).

Despite it's relatively short lifespan, TSB has become ingrained so quickly in our processes that the original meaning of this common acronym has been lost and I’m certain some people don’t even know the unabbreviated form (Training Stress Balance). Whilst like many, I use the 7/28 Acute Load:Chronic Load calculation as a sort of radar for future training projections, as a mentor of mine said to me, "isn't that just what we used to call progressive overload?".  

It certainly has helped visualise the prescription of training load to coaches and players.  It’s another tool I use to plan and I think it is useful.  It facilitates buy-in from players - that's where all those RPE's and GPS numbers go (there's two more acronyms). However, in our desire to maintain the "sweet spot", have we missed out on the benefits of spontaneity and "dark places"?  

I'm fortunate to be surrounded by wonderful practitioners.  Another mentor was reflecting on a change in training direction with his senior squad when he said, “BA, sometimes you just have to throw the science out the window and take people to dark places". I will protect his identity as my players may seek retribution for putting ideas in my head.  At first.

But not if they consider what they learnt about themselves and each other during those sessions in “dark places”. Yes, the “TSB spiked”, and yes, I may have been holding my breath for sessions post.  But we will always remember that session. What we learnt about ourselves. What we are capable of. How much we can push ourselves. That the team were in there together doing something really, really tough. 

But there were a few important factors when planning the session.

First, the players weren't returning from an off-season.  That return phase (or a post-comp recovery window) are quite vulnerable periods.  Our players were in the midst of a solid block and I felt they were well-conditioned - I was very happy with their ability to tolerate a "one-off" spike.  We chose the mode of the session carefully, and the placement in the week to minimise risk.  We accepted that there was a risk.  But we also knew, like my colleague, that there's more to training than physical adaptation and technical development. That session in particular has a name (let’s call it “Pine Walk”) and the players and coaches will talk about it during tough training periods or even in game scenarios.  We look back at that session now with “fond” memories (ok, I look back with fond memories. Players give me filthy looks when I mention it).  But for that hour and a half it was horrible and the benefit huge. 

And not that we want to recreate those memories again mind you.

But we will. 

And we will hate it. 

And we will be glad we did it.