Questions about physical conditioning and other preparation for sport. Questions about general physical conditioning can be asked at Physical Fitness SE. Questions must also be tagged for the specific sport.
Training is the physical conditioning and preparation for a sport that many participants also spend time and effort on. It may also be called practice or drilling in some contexts.
Training can involve general physical fitness and capability, specific exercise that emphasises the body action used in a sport, abstracted skills practice, drills that apply one or more skills to a game-like situation, or variations of the sport itself. It less often refers to time spent on strategic, tactical, mental, academic, psychological and other forms of preparation.
The importance and quality of training tends to equate to the competitiveness and skill level of the participants. At social levels, training may be nonexistent or optional, have no specialist coaching or other staff, and does not require much time each week. At the professional level training may be a mandated part of involvement in a team or programme, be composed of diverse specialist sessions focused on key aspects of the sport, and have significant daily time commitments.
Training was historically considered one factor that marked the difference between the amateur and professional participant, as an amateur could not afford the time or resources. Under the extremes of this philosophy, training was a form of cheating, much as doping is considered now. Modern sports involvement does not make such a distinction on the basis of training or the lack thereof.
