It’s A Numbers Game
Enhancing performance by tracking the right metrics
In today’s world of Sports Performance, data and analytics are all the rage. There are departments completely dedicated to collecting, tracking, and interpreting data across athletic departments or organizations at all major levels. Analytics are even used to make crunch time decisions on the field or court — going for it on 4th down, 2-point conversions, pitcher and batter matchups, etc.
In strength and conditioning, collecting numbers is just as important and does not have to be as high-tech. There are tons of software programs that can take it to the next level, but pen, paper, and google sheets can get the job done just as well for most. The important piece here is what you are measuring and being consistent!
NUMBERS TO COLLECT
The data that you collect can depend on a multitude of factors — sport, position, season, age (training level), programming philosophies, and principles… the key here is that you can utilize the numbers to evaluate the athlete and your program. The data should be used as feedback for improving sports performance. This means that it is not always maxing out or trying to replace the cards on the all-time leaderboards. We want the numbers to show progression in athletic attributes that will aid in the athletes' ability to perform their skills in sport.
For a middle school athlete, this may mean we are tracking something as foundational as a perfect push-up while the high school athlete has progressed enough that we are measuring a multi-rep max on bench press over the course of 6–8 weeks. We can also measure and record data throughout a training block using various strategies such as — reps in reserve, rate of perceived exertion (RPE), plus sets, 5–3–1, and more. This allows athletes and coaches to track progress on the same exercise weekly with immediate feedback. This is also not limited to the weight room. We want to track speed through timing sprints and agility exercises as well as measuring jumps such as vertical or broad jumps. Something as simple as a med-ball throw for distance can provide numbers to track progress over the course of training.
FOR THE ATHLETE
Numbers drive buy-in and intent! An athlete that can see self-improvement quickly will typically focus in and train more intently on a day-to-day basis. Likewise, an athlete who sees another athlete performing better will drive competition and work ethic. When athletes are aware of their metrics they are much more likely to make specific, attainable goals that will also drive their attitude and effort. Without feedback, training turns into ‘working out’ and lacks the intent and purpose.
Last spring, we timed our middle school athletes flying 10's weekly. The smallest decrease in time would light up these young athletes' faces and you would instantly see an increase in focus in all areas of training. The times also made sure that athletes were running at full speed as opposed to just sprinting to complete the rep. The slower athletes now were in a battle with themselves instead of comparing where they were finishing in a typical group sprint.
In the weight room with our high school athletes, we utilized reps in reserve. I had baseball athletes that one week were reporting lower numbers in reps in reserve compared to a previous week at the same intensity. After having a conversation with the athletes, we learned they had been up late studying and completing homework the night before which caused them to sleep later and rush out the door without properly fueling themselves for the training session that day. These guys were able to connect the dots with how recovery and preparation leading into the training session affected their performance. This type of feedback can be eye-opening for young athletes and now they can be better prepared for the next training session or even competition by understanding the importance of sleep and nutrition day to day.
FOR THE COACH
Numbers provide an evaluation of your programming! Are the athletes improving? With measuring and recording in both the weight room and in movement, you can evaluate, modify, and adapt your program to best serve your athletes. This can be both small and significant changes that need to be made to the program. Consistent tracking allows a coach to recognize how certain volumes may be hindering performance which can be changed immediately. Looking at longer stretches of numbers, the coach can find areas where athletes are not improving as much as they are in others. Maybe strength numbers are off the charts, but speed is lacking; from there, a coach can make some give-and-take decisions to improve overall performance at a greater scale.
As a sports performance coach, you will always be adapting to the needs of the team, the athlete, and the sports coach. This is a continual pursuit of knowledge and self-evaluation to make sure that you are delivering the best programming possible for your athletes in your situation. Number chasing and record-breaking isn’t always the goal, but they do provide necessary value to the athlete and coach and cannot be ignored!
