With the BUCS season drawing to a close for a lot of teams and 13 Bristol teams having already won their respective leagues, 6 teams have been preparing for their upcoming Playoff Finals, in the hope of being promoted to the next league. Our Lead Strength and Conditioning Coach Calum Conway explains how the University’s Strength and Conditioning team have helped prepare them for the big games.
As coaches, we prepare as much as possible to have the perfect year. Planning around a competition schedule, identifying peaks and troughs in the calendar year and applying basic scientific, technical and tactical principles to the clubs that we have in front of us. One very exciting prospect when planning the perfect year is playoff time. Making sure teams peak for their biggest games is important and we try to reflect that importance in our coaching and programming.
Step 1️⃣: Decrease the volume and intensity of training
Yes, you read that right. Essentially, we are aiming to slowly decrease the volume and intensity of training the closer we get to competition. If done correctly, we will see a decrease in accumulated fatigue and an increase in physical outputs like power. Players feeling fresh and ready for games comes with effective programming. Doing this for one or two big games over the course of the year takes a great deal of foresight and planning. It should also be considered that many of these big games are happening just before, or even during, an incredibly busy exam period – possibly adding a level of mental fatigue. If we can alleviate some of this stress with a feel-good programme and atmosphere, we believe we can have a massive impact on an athletes game.
Step 2️⃣: Get the balance right
Having said this, another threat to performance is doing too little training. From training and playing twice per week during the BUCS season, to only training twice per week means some players are suddenly missing out on half of their original workload. Whilst this may seem good, a sudden drop in workload can actually put a player at a higher risk of injury. In Sports Science, this is often referred to as a players acute:chronic workload ratio. To combat this, many coaches have organised friendly fixtures to maintain a consistent workload and also used it as an opportunity to mimic opposition tactics that the teams are likely to face.
Striking the balance of training load at this point of year is a critical component to successes in these matches and one we hope we’ve gotten right!
Step 3️⃣: Mental preparation
Another piece of the jigsaw is how we can mentally prepare players to play in high pressure scenarios. A number of teams and coaches have worked closely with Connor Grant, our Sports Psychologist, around mental fitness principles encompassing challenge and threat. Having players regulate their emotions and channel energy into accurate technical and tactical decisions will no doubt put teams in a good position to win games.
It’s difficult for teams to have the perfect year. Over the next few weeks; however, some have that opportunity, starting with Women’s Hockey on Wednesday 26 March. Few the full fixture list below and come and support the #WeAreBristol teams 👇
Wednesday 26 March 2025
Hockey 🏑
Bristol Women’s 1 vs St. Andrews Women’s 1
3 pm | Upper Astro, Coombe Dingle Sports Complex
Fencing 🤺
Bristol Men’s 1 vs Essex Men’s 1
4 pm | Studio 1, Indoor Sports Centre
Netball 🏐
Bristol Women’s 1 vs Cardiff Women’s 1
5 pm | Sports Hall, Indoor Sports Centre
Wednesday 2 April 2025
Badminton 🏸
Bristol Men’s 1 vs Surrey Men’s 1
6 pm | Kingsdown Sport Centre
Wednesday 9 April 2025
Football ⚽
East London Men’s 1 vs Bristol Men’s 1
1 pm | Parsloes Park, Dagenham
Tennis 🎾
Details coming soon.
