Part 1: The Periodisation Paradox - Why Planning Still Matters in a Nonlinear World

By Coach Barry Jones | IIHF Level 3 | USA Hockey Level 3

Part 1 of 5 - From the “Planning the Unplannable” Series: Coaching Women’s High-Performance Hockey Through the Chaos

What’s the Periodisation Paradox?

You need to plan a season… for a game that refuses to follow a script.

In a high-performance sport like women’s ice hockey, everything screams structure:
- Calendars
- Game plans
- Development blocks
- Performance benchmarks

But learning? Learning doesn’t care about your schedule.

Players don’t grow in straight lines.
They loop, regress, adapt, leap forward, stall out… and then surprise you.

And this is where coaches hit the wall:
We’re told to plan everything, but also to coach non-linearly, letting athletes solve problems, and to respect individual timelines.

So how do we do both?

Linear vs Nonlinear: What’s the Difference?

Traditional (linear) periodisation works like this:
- Week 1: Skating technique
- Week 2: Passing
- Week 3: Breakouts
- Week 4: Forechecking

One skill, one week. Tidy. Predictable.

But this model assumes all athletes:
- Learn at the same rate
- Need the same thing at the same time
- Perform best when drilled in isolation

That’s not how the game works, and not how players learn in context.

What Nonlinear Coaching Means

Nonlinear coaching (especially in an ecological framework) recognises:
- Learning is messy, emergent, and self-organised
- Players develop through problem-solving, not repetition
- The environment shapes skills, tactics, and habits

So instead of teaching the movement, you shape the challenge.

So, What’s the Answer to the Paradox?

We stop planning skills. We start planning problems.

This is what I call Thematic Periodisation:
- You still structure your season.
- But instead of “passing week” or “D-zone week” ...
- You build 2–3 week problem blocks (e.g., “Escape Pressure,” “Stretch the Ice,” “Protect the Middle”)

Each theme:
- Embeds multiple principles of play
- Creates affordance-rich environments
- Let’s athletes discover the right solutions, at their own pace

Why This Matters in Women’s High-Performance Hockey

In my experience coaching women’s state and national-level athletes, structure is important, but not at the expense of autonomy or connection.

Female athletes thrive when:
- The “why” behind the work is clear
- Emotional safety allows for failure and exploration
- Learning environments invite, not prescribe, decisions

The Periodisation Paradox isn’t just a coaching strategy; it’s a leadership one.
It honours the athlete as a learner, not a product.

Coach’s Corner: The Plan That Doesn’t Break

In my first three-week block with a women's team, I won't script drills.
I'll script problems to solve.

Theme: Breaking Pressure
Embedded Principles: Support the puck, Delay under pressure
Design: 2v2 corner escape games with variable resets
Cue: “Scan early. Escape late. Trust your support.”

What happened?
Different players found different solutions.
And by week three, without a single line drill, our breakout speed improved, and our decision-making doubled.

That’s the paradox in action. It works if you let it.

Language That Sticks

- “We plan the problem, not the pattern.”
- “This isn’t a drill, it’s a decision.”
- “Chaos is the classroom. Culture is the glue.”

Reflective Questions for Coaches

1. Where in your season do you plan outcomes rather than opportunities?
2. Are your athletes solving problems or performing for you?
3. Can your plan flex without falling apart?

Next in the Series

➡️ Part 2: Principles Over Plays, Building a Game Model Around What Transfers

“Planning the Unplannable” Series: Coaching Women’s High-Performance Hockey Through the Chaos

Part 1: The Periodisation Paradox - Why Planning Still Matters in a Nonlinear World

Part 2: Principles Over Plays - Building a Game Model Around What Transfers

Part 3: Reps That Stick - Habit Building Through Ecological Design

Part 4: Culture is the Constraint - Coaching the Human Before the Skill

Part 5: Designing the Season - Themes, Adjustments, and the Coaching Compass