MELBOURNE aims to run mixed training sessions as preparations ramp up for the respective women's and men's competitions.

The Demons will choose workouts that suit their squads, taking into account how far advanced they are with their preparations.

Women's team coach Mick Stinear – who also has a development role with the AFL squad – said there was "genuine interest" in joint sessions focusing on skill development.

The club's head of development, Matthew Egan, recently started kicking sessions with the women, whose skills have been closely scrutinised after videotaping sessions during the squad's first training run in November.

"The first night was (about) getting a handle on where the talent was at, and you can only gain so much from watching games and vision. So we did kicking analysis," he said.

Stinear and his coaches have constantly been tweaking their programs during the condensed pre-season campaign to be ready for the NAB AFL Women's competition starting in early February.

"With such a short time, you can't afford to just have a plan and stick to it. You have to keep assessing, evolving and adapting," he said.

"We're all learning about how to set (a season) up for the first time. There's a bit of the unknown – we don't know how our group is going compared to others.

"We set some goals prior to Christmas. We wanted to get to know the players and understand their capabilities and how to explore opportunities with them."

Stinear said he had seen improvement but also acknowledged the players' output would fluctuate.

"We're still working on technique and efficiency and there has been a real spike in the training load. While they're getting that conditioning, our skills levels are a bit up and down while we try to get that consistency," he said.

"To the players' credit, they've been doing a lot of extra (work) to try to improve."

The Demons returned to training on Thursday, with two weeks of high-intensity preparation waiting for them before a practice match against Carlton in a fortnight.

"(In late December), we played three eight-minute (sessions of match practice) with 14 players a side. From that, there were a lot of questions from the players, which was good for us because the next phase will be around game-play, positional roles and specific skills and development.

"From that (match practice) snapshot, we've got a feel for where the players are and their understanding of what we want," Stinear said.

"It's up to us to build up training so the players are ready for that transition (to games). There will be a jump in intensity and pressure, so the players will have to have their heads around how we want to play."

Stinear said he had been impressed with the development of several players.

"Elise O'Dea (the club's first draft pick) has been fantastic. She has outstanding leadership qualities and has been one of the drivers of standards on the training track.

"She has that balance of hard work on the training track and that caring side with her teammates. She has been really impressive and she's already a quality player," he said.

"Young Sarah Lampard (selection No. 134) has worked really hard on the track. She has had only one year of footy and she has been in our top three in running, understands the game and how we're teaching it."

The squad took part in a camp at Barwon Heads, a seaside town on Victoria's Bellarine Peninsula, just before Christmas, with leadership being the focus of the off-track agenda.

"We're keen for the girls to take ownership of the team and that means really challenging each other. It's really important we don't just hand out titles," Stinear said.

"We need to be pushing each other and holding each other accountable."