Self-Organization.
Variability.
Attractors and fluctuations.
These are all important, yet oftentimes controversial terms in sport performance. They have been hot topics of discussion and the root of many debates. With this, it can be a challenge to make sense of it all and understand the application to your daily practice.
I think we can agree that health and performance underpin our profession and quality of movement is critical to both, but how might we factor this into our coaching?
For me, it has been helpful to think in terms of technical models and the upcoming anchor analogy.
Much has been discussed in terms of the pros and cons associated with various technical models. On one hand, they can help guide our decision making and bring clarity to the complex. On the other, they often ignore individual nuance – an important aspect of high-performance sport.
It can be easy to rely too heavily on technical models – to the point at which they begin to cloud our judgment of what is optimal, efficient, and correct on an individual basis.
Just as we can’t fit a square peg into a round hole, we can’t fit every athlete we work with into the same technical model of a particular skill or movement.
Lets take sprinting as an example.
A well developed technical model of sprinting can be extremely useful for coaches of athletes of all sports, not just track and field, as it can help to improve performance and decrease the risk of injury. The nuance though comes from determining how to utilize this model amongst unique athlete populations and throughout various times of the training year.
To begin, recognizing thedifferences between style and technique, and allowing them to co-exist, can help us better understand the appropriate utilization of the technical model.
This quote from John T. Powell (1960) defines each and shows how far back this delineation goes…
“Style is purely individual…it is the person’s own interpretation of the performance, limited by mobility, power, speed, strength, balance, and endurance plus the mental ability to adjust to the situation. Technique is the generally accepted composition of the event…conditioned by certain restrictive rules, and is the best way within these rules to apply basic principles of force and work.”
Style is a product of the various constraints (task, learner, environment).
Technique is the model.
This is typically where a couple common questions arise…
The analogy of a boat’s anchor may help to understand how this can be put into practice.
If we put the technical model under a microscope we will uncover the ‘anchors’. These anchors, and the accompanying analogy, can help shed light on the answers to the aforementioned questions and provide a framework for the application of the sprint model to team sport.
The sprint model provides us with anchor points from which individual freedoms will extend – just as an anchor allows for some movement of the boat it is paired with.
The anchor prevents the boat from floating away and there are some key constraints that will dictate how much freedom the boat has. In times of perceived safety, when the weather is calm and the distance between obstacles is plenty, there may be a long chain connecting the boat to the anchor.
With a storm rolling in, or when anchoring within a marina or high-traffic area, the increased threat means we tighten this chain and keep the boat near the anchor. We need to ensure we are in control of the controllable.
If we think of the boat as an individual athlete and the surrounding context (weather, location, etc.) of where we are anchoring as the performance environment – we have a perfect analogy to help understand the application of technical models.
Just as it is the captain’s responsibility to make the appropriate decision regarding how much freedom is allowed around the boat anchor, we as coaches are responsible for deciding how much we allow the athlete to explore around the technical model anchors at any given time.
In times of perceived ‘safety’, for instance, when intensities are relatively low and movement quality is high, greater exploration around the anchor can be encouraged.
During times of uncertainty, we will want to shorten that chain by limiting the exploration and staying in closer proximity to the anchor point.
Is today the first real high-intensity, max velocity session of training? Shorten the chain.
Is it the end of an intense training week and the athlete group is under considerable mental and physical fatigue? Shorten the chain.
Is it a low-intensity technical session with a focus on learning? Allow for some exploration around the anchor points.
Consider this scenario for a moment:
It is the end of the first week of a new training cycle. The athlete group has been exposed to new stimuli and the data, rather subjective or objective, is pointing towards the week being more challenging than you had anticipated when you wrote the program.
One athlete in particular is reporting excessive fatigue and low energy. Their GPS training load is greater than you had intended and their insert monitoring tool of choice (HRV, Whoop band, etc.) is showing a compromised ability to perform.
What do you do?
Shorten the chain.
The susceptibility for soft tissue injury may very well be increased for this particular athlete. We may be able to lower this risk profile by ensuring their technical execution stay inline with the anchor points that make up the technical model. We allow no room for exploration in this session and when said athlete ventures too far away from these anchor points we will adjust or end the session.
On the other hand, taking advantage of sessions where athletes feel energized and are moving well can be instrumental to their long term growth. If they arrive to training reporting a great night’s sleep, limited soreness, and eagerness to train then you may consider lengthening the chain.
Allowing exploration in the technical execution can be a profound learning opportunity for the coach and athlete alike. In these instances we can focus less on the anchor points and more on exploration of the learning environment, or we can push the boundary on volume or intensity.
We must be prepared to take in all the information at our disposal and make an informed decision in the moment.
As coaches, we must understand technical models.
We must understand the role of individuality.
And we must be intentional with when and where we prioritize technique or style.
…
Take a moment to consider any models you may use in your practice. Can you identify the anchors that exist within that model?