What is the first phase of an annual training cycle?

Transition is typically the final phase of the annual cycle, serving as active recovery after the competition phase.

Off-season is a colloquial term sometimes overlapping with preparatory or transition periods, but it is not a formally defined first phase in periodization models.

The Preparatory phase is the first phase of a periodized annual training plan, designed to build a general fitness base through high-volume, low-intensity work before progressing to more sport-specific demands. It precedes the Competition phase and is followed by the Transition phase, forming the structural backbone of long-term athlete development.

Competition is a later phase focused on peaking performance, not the starting point of the annual cycle.