The proper development of performance factors in the competitive categories K14, K16, and K18 plays a crucial role in the athletic progression of athletes in track and field, as at these ages the foundations are laid and the first high performances appear.

The effectiveness of the long-term training process is ensured by the existence of a specific training-competitive plan, uniform at the national level. The plan is based on knowledge derived from sports science and the experiences of coaches, including elements of the training process in a coded form, making them useful tools for coaches.

The writing of this book constitutes a long-term and laborious collective effort of distinguished and experienced coaches and sports scientists aimed at the application of a unified training-competitive plan for the competitive categories K14, K16, and K18.

It consists of five sections:

• 1st section: Long-term and annual planning
• 2nd section: Speed and hurdle races
• 3rd section: Middle-distance – endurance races
• 4th section: Race walking
• 5th section: Combined events

With the exception of the first section, which pertains to all events, the remaining sections include for each event the structure of performance factors, long-term and annual planning, technique analysis of the events, development methodology, and assessment of athletic performance.

Detailed examples of microcycles (MIC) and training units (TU) are presented for both the preparation period and the competition period, tables with goals, methodological elements, and training contents for the development of fitness, technique, and tactics, sketches of event techniques, and videos with specific exercises for each competitive category.

Provided are:

• 9 examples of MIC with 36 TU for K14
• 43 examples of MIC with 218 TU for K16
• 70 examples of MIC with 417 TU for K18
• 53 tables with goals, methodological elements, and training contents
• A large number of videos with QR codes and technical sketches

Coaches should not apply the above elements as "recipes," but rather adapt them to the individual characteristics of their athletes, such as training and biological age, individual peculiarities, and specific training conditions.

This initiative aims to cover, with the completion of writing the books for jumps and throws, a significant gap in sports literature on classical athletics and constitutes a fundamental tool for a large number of coaches working in these competitive categories, as well as for students of Physical Education and Sport Science with a specialization in Classical Athletics.