Periodization of sports training and its evolution: From origins to current alternative models

Periodization in sports training (PST) is a fundamental area in Sports Performance, and is focused on the state, change, or maintenance of an athlete's level as a function of the results and indicators of the athlete's physical performance (mainly strength, speed, and resistance). The view on periodization of training has changed along with sports. The models analyzed in the present article are Rationalization (1894–1919), Pre-scientific Stage (1920–1945), Traditional Periodization (1946–1972), Scientific Periodization (1973–1992), and Contemporary Periodization (1993–2020). The evolution of PST is addressed in two parts, to establish a thematic thread about the scientific works and the social-political culture from Olympism to professional sports, from the twentieth Century until the present, to finally reach the conclusion, as determined by the aim and means of PST. The history of PST is one of the keys to understanding the evolution of modern sport.