In the sports arena, peak performance in sports has always been a sought-after state by players and coaches of all levels. Whether the athletes are school boys soccer players or Olympians striving for their Gold medals, peak performance in sports has always attracted athletes and coaches alike. In our modern age of sports, where sports science is at a stratospheric level and rising, what are the factors that, when applied correctly, can lead sports participants to peak performance in sports? Are there secrets to sporting excellence? Are these factors easily manipulated for the benefit of the athletes? This article discusses the factors that can lead athletes and coaches to peak performance in sports.

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Many articles and books have detailed principles, programs, success factors, and the like that can lead to peak performance in sports. Many authors have written at length about them, and the principles and elements are universal in many ways. The principles of progressive resistance, variety, goal-specific training, recovery, etc., are all undisputed underlying reasons for athletes to achieve peak performance in sports.

This article goes a step further by exploring these universal factors in a different light. In the process, I hope to give athletes and coaches alike how to apply these principles practically, which are the factors with higher weight in achieving success and peak performance in sports. There are two sets of factors we need to look into. Technical and human aspects. Let us take a look at the former set of factors first;

Contents Summary show

Technical Factors

1. Quality Preparation
2. Mastering Individual Skills
3. High Fitness Levels
4. Understanding Overall Team Play
5. Filling Up Key Positions of the Team
6. Minimize Errors in Games

1. Quality Preparation

The hard work for any sports season begins with preseason training, which is very intensive. Nobody likes this season, as the creation and exercise are often boring and painful. But this has to be done for the athletes to be optimally prepared for the rigors of the competitive phase. The endurance, strength, speed, and skill volumes must be done. Not just the importance of work but how much quality is put into the preparation phase is also vital.

When players cut corners and put in training at face value without their heart and soul, fatigue, injuries, or lack of sharpness in their performance will show up later in the competition. Peak performance in sports cannot be possible under such circumstances. The quality of preseason preparation is even more important in youth sports. In schools, the playing seasons for many sports start almost immediately when the school year starts.

With our children away for long vacations, our athletes often return to school to face competitions with very little training time. Team play, fitness building, and mental preparation are supposed to be done in 2 to 3 weeks, which in the sports world is almost impossible and impractical. This kind of preparation is also detrimental to the development of our children. Under these circumstances, coaches and teachers (and parents, if possible) have a significant responsibility to ensure that our athletes are well-prepared for competition. Training programs for sports ought to be drawn up and implemented at year’s end previously.

Our athletes must understand that their season effectively begins when their examinations are over. With a training program started, coaches and teachers can then instruct athletes about a vocational training program. Each athlete should have one to do something to improve their playing abilities during their break away from school. It could include maintaining a certain standard of fitness through endurance activities like cycling, running, or swimming, playing catch and pitching in the backyard with their siblings, or even individual practices to improve certain skills. The main thing here is to preserve and enhance what has been attained in the preceding season so that athletes do not return to school and start from scratch. Simply planning and training will ensure quality preparation for the sports teams to attain peak performance in sports later.

2. Mastering Individual Skills

In all sports and games, certain skill sets and skills are considered basic and necessary. Athletes must achieve these before they can play at a higher level later. In basketball, dribbling and executing a proper lay-up are crucial. Throwing, catching, and fielding skills are a must in baseball and softball. The push-pass and receiving a pass are necessary skills in hockey and floorball. The list goes on. In preseason training, or at the earliest playing

stage, these essential skills must be known to our young players, and all efforts and time must be spent on mastering these basic skills. Without these skills, a coach will find it very difficult to execute more complex team plays to achieve peak performance in sports. If strikers cannot even control a long pass from a teammate, how can we expect the same player to hold up the ball well upfield against opposition defenders and execute lay-off

passed to oncoming teammates in support? It will be wise for coaches to develop these skills early and also for players to keep improving themselves in these skills even though they might feel that they are good enough already. Even at professional levels, these basic skills for their sports are important for peak performance in sports.

The repertoire of skills required and the intensity of how these skills are performed at the highest levels are even cuter. At the highest levels, where opponents are evenly matched in all areas, one mistake can often win or lose. It is even more important for professionals to master all the skills required of the game or sports, and only under such intense conditions can peak performance in sports be possible.

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