The goal of every athlete is to make sure that they are improving in their skills and gameplay as they gain experience in the sport they love. The investment and effort to grow rely on your will to succeed, but you cannot move blindly during your progress. It is crucial for people participating in sports to monitor their progress.
The data can help you figure out if you are on the right track, especially when trying to reach your peak condition. Taking note of your progress can also be a confidence-booster, which is essential to achieving your goals. Fortunately, you can collect quantifiable data in performance improvement in these five ways.
Speed and Power Measuring Equipment
While training in your sport, the techniques you learn can help you improve your accuracy, IQ, and teamwork. Every athlete can grow in those categories, but individual skills separate the gifted players from the average ones. When it comes to measuring your improvement, you rely on two distinct qualities: speed and power.
If you manage to master those skills, you can become a game-changer that your teammates can rely on during pressure situations. Like every aspect of improvement, you can measure the progress of your speed and power. In baseball, you can use a speed pitch booth to help you keep track of how hard you are hitting. In basketball, you can measure your running speed with a timer or a radar speed gun. There are a lot of tools that can help you track your improvement progress in sports. If you want to improve both speed and power, measuring equipment is a necessary investment.
Body Weight
It comes to no surprise that athletes need to maintain their fitness when engaging in sports. If your body is not fit for the physicality and the fatigue, you might not be performing well in the activity. Because of the necessity of fitness, athletes need to go to the gym and maintain a healthy diet. Both of the activities can be a part of your daily routine, but you need an indicator to help you figure out if you are doing enough.
Most coaches set weight loss goals for athletes to help them achieve their peak fitness for maximum performance. Remember the number so you can perform constant checks using a weighing scale. If you are not happy with your progress, you can make the extra effort by exercising more and eating healthier food. Once you achieve your ideal body weight, you can focus more on maintenance than shedding your size. Measuring your body fat percentage can also help determine if you are progressing in the right direction.
Performance Tests
Performance tests will always be reliable tools to track the improvement of athletes. Coaches and scouts use them to determine if a player is fit and skilled enough to perform for their respective teams. You can figure out if you are improving, which can be your goal every time you attempt them. Here are a few performance tests that can help you track your progress:
- Vertical Jump
- 10-Yard Dash
- Medicine Ball Throw
- Cone Drills
- Change of Direction Speed Tests
- Sprint Tests
- Dynamic Strength Tests
- Landing Error Scoring System
- Treadmill Run
- Fitness Tests
If you do not feel satisfied with the results, you can train and condition yourself before taking another shot at the performance tests. They can give you specific goals for improvement to motivate you to push yourself to your limits.
Specialty Recognition
IQ is an essential factor when it comes to sports. If you have the skills in a specific aspect in the game, your coach and team can use them to their advantage. Every athlete in a team-based sport knows that they cannot be good at everything, so identifying their roles is a priority. If you the gift of setting up your teammates for opportunities to score, you can take the role of a playmaker. Your scoring ability can help turn you into the de facto superstar of the team. Once you identify the areas you have skills, you can focus your energy on progressing into your role.
Coach Input
The role of the coach is to guide and train athletes to perform at the highest level. Most trainers have experience in the sport, which makes them ideal indicators of your improvement. Try to get their opinion about your progress, strengths, and areas for growth. Coaches can inspire athletes to become better in every aspect of their gameplay.
The benefits of playing sports can extend past your gameplay and into your approach in life. To help you achieve your long-term targets, you can break them down into small steps using these measuring devices.
