The Athlete’s Performance Profile

Performance on the Radar

After a Deterministic Model for the sport is determined, the most important factors that can predict performance can be measured. Results from performance tests can be complicated to understand. Also some tests are usually undervalued than another. For example mobility tests are usually less wanted than power and speed tests.

For coaches to able to see the big picture and how each factor influence performance for a given athlete, a radar plot (or spider net plot) can be used (figure 1).

Figure 1- Radar plot of performance for a hockey player.

How to build and interpret a radar plot

The athletes' scores in selected performance capacities are plotted on a single radar graph to visually represent their profile relative to the normative values found in the literature for each sport. This way the athlete’s overall performance profile can be easily visualized, compared to elite athletes. Athlete’s weakness and strengths can be identified and training can be targeted to improve what it's needed the most.

For example, the plot for athlete in figure 1 is skewed towards agility, showing that this athlete has great capacity to react and change direction. However, upper body and stamina is below optimal.

A different athlete from same sport can have a totally different performance plot, as seen in figure 2.

Figure 2- Performance profile of a different hockey player

Hockey player #2 shows a totally different performance profile. Endurance and velocity values are close to optimal, while power and leg strength capacities are poor.