Examples: Running a 400 meter race; cycling in a 1000 meter sprint; swimming a 100 meter butterfly race; participating in
a goal-line to goal-line move in rugby.
Important Features The alactacid energy system is exhausted early in the event
performance (usually within 10 seconds).
The lactacid energy system breaks down glycogen in the absence of oxygen to form lactic acid and hydrogen protons. Maximum lactic acid values can be reached within 40 seconds and after that performance deteriorates very rapidly. Thus, with activities that last longer than 40 seconds it is not possible to perform maximally for the duration of the event, consequently, some compromise in effort intensity will have to be made to endure to the completion of the task.
The trained capacity of the alactacid and lactacid energy systems will influence performance. The alactacid system can only be improved with marginal consequences (usually no more than an extra two seconds). The lactacid system can be trained to improve by as much as 20 percent depending upon the initial level of training. This means that maximum performances can be extended by no more than about 10 seconds as a result of
physiological conditioning.
The physiological components altered by training are: (a) the ATP and CP stores in the muscles, (b) the amount of glycogen (stored in the muscles and liver) and blood glucose that can be used, (c) the activity of the glycolytic enzymes in the muscles, and (d) the ability of the body to buffer (tolerate) higher levels of lactic acid.
The resistive forces within and external to the body are similar to those incurred in very brief events (described above).
Performance capacities which surround biomechanics and skill learning are timing, skill, and agility. These combine to form a coordinated smooth movement that produces the highest level of skill efficiency and an optimal level of effort while appropriating the limited capacities of the alactacid and lactacid energy systems in the most efficient manner. Each individual action needs to be cyclically performed so that the most efficient and productive movement is repeated. This requires much training of a specific nature so that the evenness of force application is learned at the highest intensity that can be maintained for the event. Since these activities are largely influenced by skill learning, auxiliary training using simple activities (e.g., weight training, rebounding) and unrelated activities are not likely to contribute to any performance improvement value in intermediate or higher level athletes. The amount of exact and specific training that occurs will determine the ability to execute with the greatest mechanical efficiency. From a physiological viewpoint, there should be sufficient training performed to overload the alactacid energy system so that it improves. Training the lactacid energy system is also necessary. Its improvement is best achieved by experiencing 100 percent effort levels at training. However, such training is particularly exhausting and its repetition will be governed by the rate of recovery between training stimuli. In order to experience a sufficient number of skill repetitions so that efficiency of movement can be learned, ultra-short training would seem to be the most appropriate form of conditioning. The ceiling level of training for these two energy systems can be achieved in a relatively short time (from five to seven weeks) so coaches should be very wary of overtraining. Since skill learning is still important as a training emphasis, it would seem to be advisable to condition the energy systems at a rate that is slower than maximal. Such a conservative approach would reduce the possibility of accrued fatigue interfering with skill learning and development.
It is still unlikely that auxiliary simple or unrelated training activities will have any effect on performance improvement in these events. Unrelated activities, if done at alow intensity, could serve as active recovery pursuits and in that role could be beneficial. The development of a general endurance capacity would also increase the ability of an athlete to recover more quickly between repetitions of training stimuli and to perform greater training volumes. However, if that endurance capacity is developed using the same activity as the event itself it could be counter productive (e.g., endurance running reduces the capacity to sprint). Thus, endurance needs to be developed in a multilateral activity (e.g., runners should row, cyclists should run).
The best form of training is specific repetition training and ultra-short training. All types of general physiological training will not be beneficial and could even be detrimental because of excessive general fatigue and the development of inappropriate movement patterns.
The importance of physiological training is greater for brief events than for the two previous performance classifications. Significant functional changes can be achieved by using correct applications of training stimuli. However, the skill of executing the most efficient action for the longest duration is still a learning-determined phenomenon. Thus, the factors that surround skill learning, and the repetition of correct trials should dominate the focus of training for these activities and will be the greatest contributors to performance improvements.