Abstract

The purpose of the study was to use a questionnaire to analyze the education of physical trainers (PT) and the characteristics of planning in elite Spanish men’s teams in handball, basketball, volleyball, indoor football (futsal), football and field hockey. The response rate was 81.8%. The questionnaire was divided into 8 items: PT educational profile, planning model, degree of individualization, training session organization, planning for preparation periods, planning for competition periods and planning for transition periods. 80.5% of the PTs were Physical Exercise and Sports Science graduates, 22% had Master’s degrees and 40.3% were national coaches. Only 5.2% consulted scientific journals (International Science Index). 48.1% planned the season based on the competition schedule. In basketball and football, training conformed to individual competition volume (87%). 71% did physical conditioning work before technical and tactical work, while 7.8% normally did them together. Handball, basketball and football teams (91%) played more than 6 preparation games. The transition period was over 6 weeks in handball, volleyball and field hockey (84% vs. 38%), with 91% doing a training programme. The deficiencies found in the planning of the teams are probably associated with the scientific educational shortcomings identified between the PT.