Performance intervention -Theory led intuition validated through trial and error practise or evidence based, objective fact?
Tags: Simple Vs Complex; Coach Vs Performance Led; Perspective; Generalist Expert; Problem Solution; Possibilities and Potential; Coaching Vs Science
There is no magic bullet, no ‘one thing’ that you must do when delivering performance interventions to athletes and as practitioners, immersed in the literature of their field, weighed down with the multiple possibilities of what can be done while being fed with countless strings of data analysis from athlete and events, its hard to know where to start and make sense of the performance problems that need addressed and importantly, how. There is also pressure as a Practitioner to bring to life individual skills, abilities and perspectives and have them thrive in a sea full of other practitioner voices whilst being creative, innovative and impactful problem solvers. When a practitioner does decide on a course of action or has a strong belief in what must be done, they often have to ‘sell it’, convince others to ‘buy in’ and build a narrative that is both understandable and accessible to the target audience (coaches; athletes; others in the performance team).
What tools might we use to make sense of complexity? How can Practitioners ‘unlock’ the chaotic world of athletic performance to enable them to deliver meaningful interventions that can be both objective and impactful? How can we sell ideas in a way that athletes, coaches and colleagues can grasp our concept and buy in. Sometimes, academic journals, objective data and assuming ‘your expertise’ is enough to win the heart and mind of others can lead to disconnects, power struggles and conflict.
It is in our ability to make sense of complexity, investigating the performance problem through lenses, unlocking what the data is telling us before we can decide on a course of action and develop a performance solution. We then have to put forwards our perspective, our ideas and our intentions to those round us in ways that are accessible, understandable and compelling. To avoid swimming against the tide and fighting battles of belief within the team, we have to be able to tell stories that inspire confidence and make our ideas accessible – this, perhaps, is how to have impact beyond the spread sheet and the data that lives within it.
