Performance Funnels are another way to help to identify whether athletes are on the right path to World and Olympic finals and the podium.
The concept is quite simple: an athlete compares their annual season’s best against the year-by-year progression taken by finalists and medallists at previous major championships.
A “countdown to success”, the funnels for each event (which will be updated every year) enable athletes and coaches to keep on track to the top.
An athlete first identifies a major championship that they are aiming for (year “0” on the bottom axis), counts back to the current year, then plots their own performance profile of annual season’s bests for the last three to four years.
As a result, athletes will have a personal visual path showing where they have come from and where they need to go to turn their potential into world-class performance:
- Potential medallists will typically have a rising performance profile close to or above the top line of the finalist zone;
- Potential finalists (top eight finishers) will typically have a rising performance profile in the middle of the finalist zone;
- Athletes with a low training age and/or a very quickly rising performance profile towards the finalist zone are also showing potential to reach the final and/or medal;
- Young athletes with performances well above the finalist zone should be viewed with caution as performances may be more indicative of overtraining, “hot-housing” or greater physical maturity;
- Barring injury, successful athletes are unlikely to have a flat, or falling performance profile
Of course, this process only shows potential. Most crucially, you have to produce the performance WHEN IT MATTERS! Interestingly, this is another mark of success. Top athletes don’t just have better seasons best’s than their competitors; they are also able to consistently perform at, or close to, their season’s best under pressure.
So, using the example above for the men’s 100m, if “0” on the bottom axis is the 2009 World Championships an individual’s season’s best for 2007 will be marked at –2 years. The season’s best for 2006 will be marked at –3 years, the 2005 mark at –4 years etc.
Each athlete should take time with their coach to plot their own profile.
Men's Event Funnels
Women's Event Funnels
If you are within a funnel and haven’t heard from us already, contact your Talent Development Manager.
For further information regarding Performance Funnels please see the document below:
