There are two "Olympic cycles": the Traditional Olympic Cycle and the Olympic Campaign Cycle. A four-year Olympic cycle or "Olympiad" is the actual time period between Olympic Games competitions. When people talk about the Olympic cycle, they are commonly referring to this four-year period. However, an Olympic Campaign Cycle is the time a coach and athlete may take to plan and prepare for success at an Olympic Games competition. This could be six, eight or even 10 years in duration as it takes considerably more than four years to develop the physical, mental, technical, tactical, strategic, self-management and holistic athletic-lifestyle skills and capabilities required to be a serious contender in Olympic competition. The question is, how do coaches and athletes plan for success for major events like the Olympic Games six or more years in advance? What is the process a coach can put in place to help their athletes plan, prepare and ultimately perform when it really matters in major international sporting events?
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