The importance of Needs Analysis in sports science

By breaking down issues into specific components and working from a first-principles perspective, coaches and athletes have a prospective shot at success.

Test to be the best: Deciding on an appropriate battery of tests is important to ensure coaches are implementing effective changes for the athlete. Testing will also allow them to make adjustments as needed to stay focused on the goals. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Imagine you’re a Strength and Conditioning (S&C) professional who has been contacted by young athletes flourishing in their sport and ready to take their performance to the next level. To help them achieve that, they have reached out to you through a referral, say, a team that has been impressed with what you’ve demonstrated on social media regarding your competence in helping athletes achieve peak performance. However, the challenge you’re now facing is, “How do I design a successful interpolation programme for this athlete?”

Needs Analysis is key to design

One effective way to address this challenge is by conducting a Needs Analysis to determine the starting point for the intervention.

What is a Needs Analysis? Essentially, it involves breaking down the first principles related to the individual, their sport, skills, environment, and other variables to understand where to start and what will be an effective programme to implement.

Let’s go through some of these first principles and break them into simple sections, which are the most essential components for understanding the athlete and other variables in order to create a Needs Analysis.

WHO?

What are your athletes’ backgrounds? Have they trained systematically before? What is their age? What is their history of injuries, if any? Do you know their preferred communication or training style? Will other coaches or support staff be involved?

WHAT?

What is the sport in question? Is there published research on training interventions for it? Is there specific footage on platforms like YouTube or educational videos? Can you figure out the type of sport and the physiological systems it involves? What is the level at which the sport is being played? What other resources are available that can help you understand the sport and break it down into skill sets?

WHEN?

When will your athletes be training and competing in their sport? Is it in the morning, afternoon, evening, or night? When will they be able to complete the intervention around these schedules? What influence does the time of day have on your athletes’ physiology and motivation? (Consider circadian rhythms, nutrition, recovery, and any personal schedule.)

WHERE?

Where will your athletes be completing this programme? At home or away ground? Abroad? Will you be monitoring them remotely, or coaching them in person, or will you need to appoint a coach for the location to monitor and collect necessary data?

WHY?

This is a big one. Why are your athletes engaging in this programme? What are their motivations? What is driving their desire to achieve? Are they doing this because they feel they have to, or is there a deeper reason behind starting the training programme? Understanding this is crucial for designing a programme that is effective and tailored to the athletes’ needs.

HOW?

How will you implement the programme, and how will the athletes manage it on a day-to-day basis? Will your approach be hands-on or hands-off? How will you deliver the programme — physically, digitally, or on paper? How will you log and track their progress?

LENGTH

What is the duration of the programme? This will be influenced by many factors, but deciding on an initial timeline will provide a target for the athletes to aim for.

COMPETITION

Will there be competition throughout the programme, or is it structured in a phased manner? Do you need to prepare for these competitions in a periodised manner? Or is this an off-season opportunity to focus solely on preparation without worrying about performance deadlines?

GOALS

What do the athletes want to achieve from the programme? Are these goals grounded in reality or fantasy? It’s easy to say, “I want my 20m sprint time to be X” or “My reactive strength should be Y.” But do they truly understand the effort and energy required to achieve those goals? This is where reality and false promises are revealed for both the athletes and the coach. It’s essential to ask these questions to ensure realistic goal-setting for the athletes.

TESTING

How will you measure the progress and success of the intervention? Deciding on an appropriate battery of tests is important to ensure you are implementing effective changes for the athletes. Testing will also allow you to make adjustments as needed to stay focused on the goals. It’s wise to have one or two solid tests, along with a few additional tests that can help assess other fitness domains. Time and equipment availability will always be factors, so tests don’t need to be overly flamboyant — they just need to measure what you are trying to change.

Concluding thoughts

By breaking down the issues into specific components and working from a first-principles perspective, you have a prospective shot at success.

Programmes and interventions can make significant changes by leveraging the information you gather from the areas above, increasing the likelihood of achieving desired success.