One way to think about training is to put it onto a spectrum. On the right side of the spectrum, you have intensive training and on the left side you have extensive training.
In an ideal world, athletes should train both ends of the spectrum and have a good balance of both ends. At different parts of the season, athletes will lean more toward one side of the spectrum to accommodate the training effect they are trying to achieve. For example, coaches might prescribe more extensive training in the off-season and then shift toward the intensive side as they get closer to the start of the season, or vice versa.
The difference between the two:
Intensive training is any activity that will require at least 24 hours to recover from, while extensive training is activity that you can do everyday because it requires little to no recovery. This is all relative to the athlete, depending on their age and the level that they are at. Intensive training tends to be shorter in duration but much higher in intensity, while extensive is longer in duration but lower in intensity. The point of extensive training is to increase the total amount of volume in your workouts while improving your work capacity, which will then be used in your intensive training to improve power and explosiveness.
If you have any questions on how to implement this into your own training, go ahead and email me at: jonathanvalentini@gmail.com
Thank you for reading!