Assessments and Tests
Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their championship character.
T. Alan Armstrong
Success in high performance sport has historically been attributed to two main factors:
- the athlete had a predisposition to the sport,
- a coach with a disciplined approach to training supervised the athlete.
For many reasons, this rather simple approach of achieving success in sport at the elite level does not work consistently in the present age of competitive sport.
This relatively simple approach has gradually been replaced by a more systematic process designed to produce higher levels of performance with more predictable outcomes. A process which can be used across all athlete participation levels.
Factors with the potential to influence performance
- Physiological preparedness – Training, Preparation, including Tapering
- Health – absence of medical or injury problems
- Nutrition – appropriate nutritional and fluid regimens
- Inherited characteristics – genetic potential
- Equipment
- Mood state – mental readiness
- Sleep and circadian rhythms
- Management
- Coaching
- Technique and skills
- Opposition
- Home ground advantage
- Environmental conditions (heat, cold, wind, altitude, allergens)
