Today I realised something,
There is a huge difference between giving someone the answers to their athletic development and them actually understanding how to apply the information effectively.
Even when giving the answers to other professionals...
I guess this is why some S&C coaches think that testing might be a waste of time, Personally, I think it’s more likely that those people haven't bothered to take the answers that are right in front of them and apply them effectively.
Maybe they don’t understand how to digest the reports information, Perhaps they are too proud to use the information because it didn’t come directly from them,
Or they are insecure in their training systems' ability to reliably get results using the answers given to them, Surely, they are not afraid of what the numbers might tell them about their training programs. Any of those reasons sound like they are not in the best interest of their athletes…
This all probably needs some context to it,
Last weekend we had the privilege to test over 40 athletes in the South West Region,
Since partnering with the South West Academy of Sport we have travelled down to Bunbury to not only test their athletes but also help bring high-level testing opportunities to the entire southwest region.
This is all a part of our mission to make professional-level services available to everyone!
Our most recent testing was the second time we had gone down and we were excited to see how the athletes, coaches and training providers of the southwest had applied the information.
As part of our testing protocol, we always provide a comprehensive report with recommendations on how they can improve in the future, so naturally, I was excited to see how they had been able to use the information we had given them now they effectively knew the answers.
I was disappointed,
Over a 12-week period, we saw some improvements across the board,
Some of them had gotten better,
But not to the level that I would expect.
This to me was baffling,
How, with all the information being provided to them could they still not see improvements?
We even give the information free to their local providers to use...
This leads me to my moment of realisation,
At Formidable our testing, programming and retesting processes are now so structured and systemised that our coaches understand the information provided to them, can then interpret the information and meaningfully apply it to the athlete's programs so when it comes to their retest we can see meaningful results.
This is because they don't just know what the results say, they understand what those results mean.
By understanding what they need to do in their programming we see fantastic results in the areas highlighted by their initial testing.
This is something that I feel we have taken for granted at Formidable,
We have expected that if people just know what they need to improve that they will be able to do it.
This was obviously an oversight on our part,
Results don't come from just knowing what needs to be done,
But by understanding how to apply what you now know and get it done.
For anyone that desires to not only know what they need to do but wants to understand please reach out and we can organise a consult to go over your testing data and provide you with clarity and understanding around exactly what you need to do.