Figure Skater's Seasonal Training at Novice Age: Perspectives of Finnish Professional Coaches
Malinen, Lotta (2023)
2023
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202305037520
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202305037520
Tiivistelmä
Nowadays, well-designed yearly planning and seasonal training have become more significant components in figure skating because the sport demands different physical characteristics to be considered in yearly planning and programming with early specialization athletes at an early age. This research aims to discover from three Finnish professional coaches their perspectives and ideologies through interview results on the importance of yearly planning and programming of training in different training phases during the year. This study is focused on athletes who are at novice age. As a term, Novice athlete - has reached the age of ten but has not reached the age of fifteen in single skating for girls and boys.
This thesis’s theoretical framework describes growth, maturation, development of physical fitness, long-term athlete development, periodization, and sports requirements in figure skating. It also discovers a deeper understanding of sports demands at novice age and previously studied information about seasonal training and yearly planning.
A thematic analysis was chosen as the qualitative study method. The thematic analysis helped to analyze the data by principal themes and make conclusions from the results of the interviews. The study was structured as a thematic interview. The target group was three professional-level coaches in Finland who have had success with their athletes during their coaching careers. The participants were Susanna Haarala, Virpi Horttana, and Berit Kaijomaa. Then interviews were held in January 2023. The study results are presented as a dialogue between theory and collected data to link interviewees' direct quotes into the theory and collected data under the selected themes.
The most important findings of this study present three Finnish professional coaches' approaches, motives, and ideologies of yearly planning and programming training. The findings describe a novice skater’s training on the ice and in strength and conditioning in general-, specific-, pre-competitive-, competitive-, and transition phases during the year. Also, coaches tell their experiences of how they taper with their skaters toward competition.
It was found that all three professional coaches are using yearly planning with their athletes. The participants divided the figure skating season into nine to ten training phases during the year, each phase lasting from four to six weeks. It was found that some of the participants started tapering ten days before the main competition. Also, the participants consider speed, strength, sport-specific skills, coordination, endurance, flexibility, and training athlete’s vestibular system important to train for a novice figure skater nowadays.
This thesis’s theoretical framework describes growth, maturation, development of physical fitness, long-term athlete development, periodization, and sports requirements in figure skating. It also discovers a deeper understanding of sports demands at novice age and previously studied information about seasonal training and yearly planning.
A thematic analysis was chosen as the qualitative study method. The thematic analysis helped to analyze the data by principal themes and make conclusions from the results of the interviews. The study was structured as a thematic interview. The target group was three professional-level coaches in Finland who have had success with their athletes during their coaching careers. The participants were Susanna Haarala, Virpi Horttana, and Berit Kaijomaa. Then interviews were held in January 2023. The study results are presented as a dialogue between theory and collected data to link interviewees' direct quotes into the theory and collected data under the selected themes.
The most important findings of this study present three Finnish professional coaches' approaches, motives, and ideologies of yearly planning and programming training. The findings describe a novice skater’s training on the ice and in strength and conditioning in general-, specific-, pre-competitive-, competitive-, and transition phases during the year. Also, coaches tell their experiences of how they taper with their skaters toward competition.
It was found that all three professional coaches are using yearly planning with their athletes. The participants divided the figure skating season into nine to ten training phases during the year, each phase lasting from four to six weeks. It was found that some of the participants started tapering ten days before the main competition. Also, the participants consider speed, strength, sport-specific skills, coordination, endurance, flexibility, and training athlete’s vestibular system important to train for a novice figure skater nowadays.