PERFORMANCE PROFILING IN SPORT

02nd Dec. 2021


Introduction:

Performance profiling is a formal technique that can be used to identify gaps and design training programs that will help an individual in their preparation. The same technique is equally effective in individual as well as team performances.

Oftentimes it is observed that a coach asks athletes to maintain a record (a diary) capturing the key attributes of their sport. The coach would then refer to this diary and chalk out a training program to help the athlete improve on areas that need polishing and enhance on areas that work in the athlete’s favour.

Every athlete, elite or casual, aspires to be the best in their discipline and this can only be achieved by comprehending all the different aspects of their sport, their current level of expertise in that aspect and then improving on these areas. When a player achieves these, he/she is more likely to improve in their game and enjoy better success. However, everyone has to realise that this is a continuous process with the following key objectives:
1. Identify areas where the player needs intervention.
2. Ensure adherence to the identified improvement program.
3. Track changes over time.

At a broad level, all the aspects or attributes of the game can be captured in 4 high level categories:
1. Technical
2. Tactical
3. Physical
4. Mental

Let's paint a picture - imagine you are a sports coach and you are working with a soccer player. When you ask the soccer player about some of the key attributes of an effective cricket player at her level, she might come up with footwork, on-field communication, stamina and focus. Each of these can easily fit into the 4 high-level categories we have defined where footwork is a 'Technical' skill, on-field communication is 'Tactical' whereas stamina is a 'Physical' skill and focus is a 'Mental' skill. Each of these attributes would need a specialised training program if the player has to improve over time.

Possible Approaches To Performance Profiling:

There are two approaches that can be followed in performance profiling: First, the Athlete’s perceived level in every aspect is recorded and then the athlete would record the self-assessment for that attribute. In cases where there is a bigger gap between the perceived level and the self-assessment, the coach and the athlete can chalk out training programs and track the self-assessment over time.

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Second, the coach and the player identify the key areas or aspects that they need to create the performance profile. They will both come up with their ratings for each of these. They analyse these two ratings and then chalk out the way forward. In both the approaches the coach and player relationship is much stronger when target areas and goals are mutually agreed.

Creating Evaluations In Scorpad:

Scorpad offers an easy way to create performance profiles, rate them over time and also capture notes that the athlete wants for every rating. Moreover, Scorpad also asks the athlete for the Level they play the game. Every aspect of the sport has a direct correlation with the level at which the player plays the sport. The demands from every aspect change as the level goes up and hence it is a mandatory input for every rating. The player needs to work with their coaches and ensure these evaluations are regularly updated in order to measure the improvements.

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Every athlete should make use of the visual representation of their Performance Profiles available on Scorpad and capture their evaluations with their coaches and trainers on a regular basis. It is a great tool to measure your performance and bring in objectivity into the measurement of your skills. You score it, you track it and you measure the progress at any given time.

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