{"id":8733,"date":"2021-08-12T10:10:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-12T10:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/?post_type=article&p=8733"},"modified":"2025-12-15T05:11:47","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T05:11:47","slug":"what-performance-practice-would-you-keep-from-the-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/what-performance-practice-would-you-keep-from-the-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"What Performance Practice Would you Keep from the Pandemic?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n\t
\n\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t
\n \n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n 12 Aug 2021 <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>Articles<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

What Performance Practice Would you Keep from the Pandemic?<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n \n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n
Share <\/div>\n Facebook<\/a>\n Twitter<\/a>\n Email<\/a>\n Copy Link<\/a>\n
https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/what-performance-practice-would-you-keep-from-the-pandemic\/<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n \n \n \n
\n

Are there any performance practices that you\u2019ve changed because of Covid that you would like to keep once the world returns to normal?<\/h4>\n
\n

By John Portch<\/h6>\n

This question was posed by Kevin Currell, the Director of Science and Technical Development at the English Institute of Sport [EIS], across Zoom to Phil Hayward at Leaders Week Live Abu Dhabi in March, when Hayward still served as Director of Performance and Sport Science at LA Galaxy.<\/p>\n

Hayward suggests that technology could yet play a more prominent role in athlete monitoring. \u201cWe\u2019re using our athlete management systems probably more than we were previously with the players because we haven\u2019t got as much face to face communication with them,\u201d he tells Currell.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re using messaging services and apps through their phones to get some information out of them and do some self-reporting, which perhaps we would have previously done in person by asking them through some of these athlete management applications. Although face to face contact is preferable, there are some things which allow you to become much more efficient.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wellness monitoring was often done onsite, whereas the pandemic has seen data sent remotely. \u201cThe fact that we\u2019ve got them into these good habits and now that they know that before 8.30 in the morning they need to send in their wellness scores and then we as a staff get them at 8.45 and can start to act ahead of our morning meetings. That\u2019s something that\u2019s been of a benefit. That\u2019s a habit now and we\u2019d like to continue with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hayward also speculates that technology could also change how and where game plans are discussed. \u201cIn the future, maybe there is some scope now where people are not in a hotel but in their home environment. [A coach might say] \u2018there\u2019s a Zoom call at 7pm, let\u2019s talk about the plan for the game tomorrow with some video, some clips from the team that\u2019s coming up tomorrow\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of that said, I think 80 percent of the stuff we\u2019ve had to do during the pandemic has been detrimental to the dynamic and I\u2019m looking forward to seeing the back of it, to be honest!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hayward and Currell convened on the virtual stage to discuss topics including the traits of modern athletes<\/a>, the \u2018buddy system\u2019<\/a> Hayward oversaw during his time working at Wolverhampton Wanderers, and, here, where each has been looking for performance gains.<\/p>\n

Five-year cycles and Big Brother<\/strong><\/p>\n

The EIS works closely with British athletes, many of whom have just delivered one of Great Britain\u2019s best performances at an Olympic Games on foreign soil in Tokyo. In a matter of weeks, the nation\u2019s Paralympians will have their chance to match their exploits.<\/p>\n

These Games, of course, have been delayed by 12 months, meaning that this cycle became five years and, as Currell highlights, the Paris 2024 cycle is now just three. This has, as he says, been a challenge but one that afforded the EIS some opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the areas we\u2019ve been looking hard at is the psycho-social space,\u201d he says, adding, \u201cWe\u2019ve taken an engineering approach in the Olympic and Paralympic world where you\u2019re looking at the minutiae of performance where you can start to use data and everything that brings. We think there\u2019s opportunity in the psycho-social space.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe brain is an incredibly powerful organ and the emotions that sit around it are incredibly powerful for performance. Also our wellbeing, so we\u2019re exploring that space. There\u2019s been some fascinating research, not necessarily coming out of our system. Things like having a dual career as an athlete can actually help them with their performance. An athlete can study for a university degree alongside their training and, rather than distract, it actually helps their performance. Also, we have been asking how do you create that high-performing teams environment, that psychological safety for everyone to thrive? I think there\u2019s a real opportunity to take that hard science, data-driven, evidence-based approach and marry that with the emotional side of things. The two of those together could reach new frontiers in performance.\u201d<\/p>\n

For his part, Hayward feels the opportunities lie in educating athletes about the wearable technologies many are being increasingly asked to use. He says: \u201cI think there are some opportunities there to capture some detailed information to help with your recovery through those kind of tools, but the real difficult thing is getting players to want to engage with it and not feel as though you\u2019ve got this Big Brother-figure monitoring what they\u2019re doing when they\u2019re not at the training ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

That comes down to communication. \u201c[It\u2019s about telling them] Why you\u2019re doing what you\u2019re doing and, also, how is it going to benefit them in the long run,\u201d he continues. \u201cIf you\u2019re asking them to wear a watch every night when they\u2019re in bed, [you need to tell them] \u2018this is the information we\u2019re going to get from that and this will help us decide what we\u2019re going to do for the coming days and the idea of that is that it makes you feel fresher on a match day\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think if you can have those conversations to enable the players to understand how you want them to do these things, you can get a high level of buy-in. We know what\u2019s available, we know what we like to do in terms of the tools we\u2019d like to start to use more, and the next stage is now drip-feeding some of that information into the players and perhaps saying to them, \u2018we\u2019ve only got one game a week now, let\u2019s try this watch. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday evening you\u2019re going to wear this watch so we can get some information from it and it\u2019s us learning what\u2019s right for you\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the first four or five weeks of using it, we\u2019ll have gathered that information and seen what we can interpret, \u2018this is what we\u2019ve seen, the trends and patterns, this is what we should try to do differently because of the data\u2019 and, at this next stage, we\u2019ll start to implement some of these changes because of the information we\u2019ve got and then, hopefully, then by the time you get to this big block of matches from July onwards, we can say to the guys \u2018you\u2019ve started doing this sleep monitoring, we\u2019ve learned now how we\u2019re going to use the data\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully, by educating them in that slow, gradual way, we\u2019ll get the buy-in we want so that when we\u2019re ready to implement it everyone\u2019s already comfortable with it and it\u2019s not a shock to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

To wrap things up, Hayward asks if there are any differences he has noticed between individual and team-based athletes in terms of application and professionalism. \u201cI sometimes feel like team players don\u2019t need to be 100 percent on it all the time in terms of things like recovery, nutrition and lifestyle choices because they know that there\u2019s another game coming in a few days\u2019 time or the rest of their teammates can dig them out of a hole if they\u2019re not quite at it on any given day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Currell suggests Olympic or Paralympic athletes are aided by having clear targets or goals: a race or competition at the end of a (usually) four-year cycle. \u201cIt gives them the opportunity to periodise throughout those four days and also through each individual year,\u201d says Currell. \u201cNo doubt you\u2019ll have a world championship at some point for most of those Olympic and Paralympic sports on an annual basis \u2013 or at least an event they want to peak for.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt allows that greater periodisation, which means there are times when if they\u2019re not on their recovery or their food or maybe their training load, that\u2019s OK \u2013 and there are times when they have to focus. That allows them a sense of freedom to a certain degree to change their behaviours appropriately over the cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Download the latest Performance Special Report, Staying Agile: Managing Disruption and Optimising Preparation During the Pandemic –<\/strong> detailing the work of the English Institute of Sport with its teams and athletes.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n