Modeling of the Olympic cycle based on the interconnections of individual components of athlete training (on the example of field hockey)

The purpose of the study is to identify stable interconnections among the components of training highly qualified hockey players over three Olympic cycles and to utilize them as the foundation for model characteristics. Research methods: expert qualitative methods, pedagogical observation, analysis of annual training plans, and mathematical statistics methods including the calculation of the Pearson paired correlation coefficient. Research organization. The study was conducted over a period of 13 years in preparation for the men's national field hockey team of Russia for the Olympic Games held in Beijing (2008), London (2012), and Rio de Janeiro (2016). Research results and conclusions. The interrelationships between components of athlete preparation (the structure of the annual cycle, competitive and training loads) and the results of official games have been identified. Expert assessments of the results of official international games indicated a direct correlation with their quantity and a negative correlation with the games of the national championship and the Cup, which may be attributed to improper planning of the national championship calendar. Aerobic training loads were closely correlated with the number of control and friendly matches. Among the three researched blocks influencing team preparation and the final competition results, competitive loads, which encompass the entire volume of friendly, control, official all-Russian, and international games, exhibited the greatest number of reliable correlations. The established interrelations of the structural meanings of the annual cycle, competitive and training loads, and their influence on the results of official games allow for the use of the acquired data in modeling the construction of the Olympic cycle for athletes in team sports.