Periodization and planning of psychological preparation in elite combat sport programs: The case of judo

Training theories of athletes stress that training programs should be comprised of three critical phases: preparatory, competition, and transition. Physical, technical, tactical, and psychological preparations are present in each training phase. To achieve a high level of proficiency, an effective interaction among these preparations should exist within each of the critical phases of a training program. In this article a thorough examination of the four preparations within each of the three phases is provided. It is argued that any psychological intervention introduced to elite athletes during their training should reflect the aims of each critical phase of the program, and that psychological preparation should be linked to the physical, technical, and tactical preparations of the particular training practices. The combat sport of judo was selected to demonstrate how sport psychology preparation can be effectively integrated into the physical, technical, and tactical preparations of the training program within the preparatory, competition, and transition phases.