More on Random Numbers

Pete Leonard posted the following comment on yesterdays post on
Random numbers: “To me, those numbers and units mean nothing without context.” Bingo, Pete you are right on and that is my point, but here is the
problem as I see it. In a search to be scientific I see more coaches and athletes
paying attention to random numbers and forgetting to watch the athlete perform.
Heart rate and lactate are great examples. Heart rate alone and lactate alone
do not tell me much. I need to factor the phase of the training plan, the
actual training session, time of day, the training age of the athlete along
with a myriad of other factors to have those numbers be meaningful. The distance
of 11,568 meters is another great example of a random number often quoted out
of context as justification to do slow aerobic work with soccer midfielders
because that is the total distance they cover in a match. Without considering
the intensity zones and the types of movement this is a meaningless figure. It
looks good on television for Hamburger Man sitting in front of the TV drinking
a beer who could not imagine moving 11,000 meters in a week. Coaching
implications are minimal. Don’t get me wrong I think we need to be scientific
but we can’t forget we are working with human being beings, numbers alone are
only part of the big picture. Coaching requires a combination of art and
science. It is important to know the science and use it as a reference, but not
be limited by it. We have the same problem with Sport Medicine Physicians today
who over rely on diagnostic imaging to the exclusion of clinical evaluations. If
you go to an orthopedic surgeon under 45 years of age they will probably not do
any kind of clinical evaluation much
less watch you move, they will order an MRI (Many reason for this beyond the scope of this blog). Let’s not lose sight
of the big picture, don’t get caught up generating random numbers and then
spend time trying to figure what they mean. Look at the athlete, watch the
workout, listen to their talk before and after practice, watch who drinks and
who does not and then put it all together. Coaching is much more high touch
than it is high tech.