While the phrase “garbage in, garbage out” illustrates that an informed decision requires accurate information, decision-making without any input — or even with limited input — is simply guessing. The appropriate use of assessments by coaches and fitness professionals provides quality data that can inform the decision-making process.
For example, a coach might notice that the athlete is noticeably slower toward the end of a soccer match and assume that this fatigued state is caused by a lack of aerobic conditioning. With this snap judgement, and without knowledge gleaned from a general fitness profile, the coach may select a course of action involving additional aerobic exercise that would take up valuable technical training time or extend the duration of an existing training session.
However, periodic assessments, including those related to aerobic capacity or self-reported exertion/fatigue measures, might indicate that the individual was slower due to accumulated or residual fatigue and actually needed decreased training time or extended recovery.
While aerobic capacity data evaluated at this point might be influenced by the fatigued state of the individual, preseason aerobic capacity measures and subsequent training focused on addressing any identified issues would allow the coaching staff to be confident that the athlete was properly prepared and not likely out of shape. Daily (or even weekly) assessments of perceived exertion or fatigue would then help to identify when training sessions could be adjusted to address these types of issues.
Whether the focus is on general management, performance, education or health, the aim of most coaches is to see progression in the individuals who put their aspirations or development in our hands. The intersection between these areas of focus and the use of the scientific method is complicated and sometimes problematic. This is made clear by the collective groans produced during coaches’ meetings when a new evaluative approach is mentioned.
Coaching can and should be viewed as an art form; however, without periodic quantitative feedback, the aforementioned progression may become stagnant. Particularly, in activities that have a storied history (think martial arts), change does not come easily, and there is an inherent “stick to what we’ve always done” mindset. However, just as we would expect reflection on the part of our athletes during periods of change, we should aim to evaluate our practices and be flexible with our approach.
While the art of coaching extremely important to coaches themselves, real progress can be made when showing assessment outcomes to informed individuals.
Illustrate Progress And Support Decision-Making
Assessment data is particularly useful when working to educate or provide feedback to athletes and other relevant stakeholders (family members, teammates or other coaches) on a particular topic.
Early on in our lives, our parents or guardians are exposed to crucial assessment data in the form of basic anthropometric measurements (height, weight, body mass index, etc.), which is compared to normative data presented as growth charts. This information is meticulously tracked by health care providers and family members to make sure that normal development is occurring.
Ask most parents or guardians about statistics and you will get a blank look, but they will most likely be able to tell you what percentile of height and weight their child was and how big their child was supposed to get.
In a similar manner, we can use assessments, including anthropometric data, to illustrate progress and to support the decision-making process. This is particularly helpful when working with those same stakeholders (parents or guardians) and educating them on why we train the way we do and what the next step might be.
That said, we need to be aware of not only the assessments we’re using, but also how those assessments are designed.
Does Assessment Design Affect Performance?
A simple example of this potential issue is a handgrip strength device, which was one of my first purchases as a new exercise science researcher. This particular model allowed me to record force production over time, and with my background in combat sports, particularly judo, I was excited to set it up in the lab.
I had not considered the potential need for adjustability, and the design of the device (shaped sort of like the handle of a baseball bat) did not allow for it. What if I wanted to test youth athletes with small hands or elite basketball players with much larger hands? In the context of judo, the question I had to ask myself was, “Do the athletes get to pick and choose the size of their opponents and the specific design of their uniforms?”
Ultimately, we decided that, for the purpose of assessment, we did not want hand size to dictate our results. Interestingly, the available options for handgrip devices with the specific capabilities that I was looking for at the time were somewhat limited. Luckily, most of the standard handgrip strength devices that would be used in the field are adjustable … but they still might be too large for children!
Coaches and fitness professionals must determine if a one-size-fits-all device is appropriate or if any alternatives, either individual sizes or adjustable options, are available.
This is an excerpt from Assessments For Sport And Athletic Performance written by David H. Fukuda and published by Human Kinetics. Fukuda, PhD, CSCS,*D, CISSN, is an associate professor and head of the division of kinesiology at the University of Central Florida. He was previously an assistant professor at Creighton University and a research assistant at the University of Oklahoma, where he earned his doctorate in exercise physiology. His research interests include the development of performance-based testing methodologies, the analysis of physiological profiles in athletes, and the assessment of adaptations to exercise training and nutritional interventions for various populations.
Fukuda is certified as a strength and conditioning specialist with distinction through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and is certified as a sports nutritionist through the International Society of Sports Nutrition. He was awarded the Terry J. Housh Outstanding Young Investigator Award in 2016 by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Fukuda is a fourth-degree black belt in judo and for the past 20 years has been involved in the sport as a competitor, instructor, coach, and referee.
