Measureable and Meaningful

In training to gauge
progress we need to have landmarks, either tests or workouts that allow us to
measure progress or lack of progress toward the training and competition goals.
In my experience these measures are often arbitrary because they do not relate
to the individual athlete or team that is doing the training. I know this is
something I have experienced in the training process with programs I have administered.
The challenge then is to make the measurable meaningful. In my experience the
best way to make the measurable meaningful is to relate it to competition.
After all isn't the whole purpose of training to prepare for peak effort in
the competitive arena? Sure it is important to have tests and progress
indicators along the way, but those must be a means to an end and part of the
big picture. Just because an athlete can jump X distance in a standing triple
jump, throw Y distance in an overhead shot throw or bench Z amount does not necessarily
indicate that they are ready to compete. To be meaningful these measures need
to be placed in the context of the training year and the career. Once again it
is not about chasing a number, it is putting all the pieces of the puzzle in place so
the athlete can compete to the best of his or her ability.