Performance profiling
Richard J. Butler · 2020
It remains an axiom that the athlete and coach view performance differently. An athlete will generally observe events from &s;within&s;. Typically a poor performance is attributed to incidents beyond their control and usually external to the athlete. A below par performance is generally attributed by a coach to circumstances within the athlete&s;s control such as lack of effort, loss of form or not sticking to a pre-determined plan. Performance profiling evolved as a method of increasing coach&s;s awareness whilst acknowledging the importance of the athlete&s;s perspective. It is embedded in a psychological model, personal construct theory, which emphasizes each individual&s;s unique way of making sense of the &s;world&s;. Performance profiling thus leads to a more active participation on the athlete&s;s behalf in decision making. The steps required to develop a performance profile are: identify the qualities or attributes the athlete thinks are necessary in order to achieve a top performance, and encourage the athlete to rate themself on each quality.