How change can help you with sport (and life)!

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to change my beard-shaving routine. I switched from using an electric razor to a standard razor, shaving cream, and all. After 11 years of using the same electric razor, it was time for a change.

To be honest, I was nervous about using the new razor for the first time. I was worried I would have multiple cuts or a large cut with a lot of bleeding. I even thought about being embarrassed while explaining to people that I switched razors. Despite these thoughts, I splashed some water on my face, used some shaving cream I found in the bathroom, set up the razor, and began shaving.

In the end, I did have a few cuts, and some bleeding, but no bandages or ambulance were necessary. Although it took me a while to complete, given it was my first time and I missed a couple of spots, I'm happy I made the switch. My face was now cleaner (in my opinion) than ever before.

The whole premise of this somewhat personal story is about trying something new or changing something you already do for the (potential) better, and the potential emotions that arise.

Trying something new, and changing, occur in sports all the time. For example, a new coach will come into a high-performing club (e.g., first-grade NRL) with the expectations and demands of their players. Your swimming coach might implement a new way of programming different to what you are used to from them. Even your Strength & Conditioning Coach might try a new exercise protocol to test/train you (and maybe your squad/team).

This blog is going to discuss the benefits, risks and how to best utilise trying something new, and change!

Why trying something new & change can be a good thing in sport:

Exposure to different styles/methods of coaching/training

Every race, every team, and every event are going to be different. They will involve (mostly) different terrains, tactics (requiring different strategies), environments, and people. There will be differences in how you approach certain events or games to attain the best result possible for you (and your team).

Some things can stay the same. It could be your warm-up protocols for competitions and games, a recovery protocol, or even the layout of your planned sessions. For example, my Strength and conditioning session layout hasn’t changed too much with my athletes programming in the last couple of seasons, focusing on the fundamentals & foundational movements, with some sports-specific and accessory movements. The exercises prescribed will change across a season, but the layout hasn’t changed too dramatically.

However, different variables in a training program, from exercise selection to training intensities and competitive goals, will need to change as individuals progress through their fitness or athletic careers. For example, a coach would not prescribe 800m specific training sessions in the middle of a cross-country season for a runner who competes in both events throughout the training year. Whilst it would be okay to place micro-doses of 800m work into training sessions, this should not be the focus of training in the example provided.

Having a change in your programming prevents athletes from just “going through the motions” and instead helps keep them engaged and motivated to train! As a coach, this is important in helping your athletes attain success and long-term enjoyment!

Introducing new training session styles and games will assist you and the training group in getting the most out of change!

Your Philosophy will change! And for the better!

As a coach, your approach to programs, athletes, and people will evolve over time. Continued learning and gaining experience in the industry will lead to a deeper understanding of the different variables that can affect your programming and allow you to find more efficient methods to achieve your goals.

As a result, your coaching philosophy will naturally evolve. It is normal for your approach to coaching athletes to change throughout your career. I, for one, have modified my training sessions to reflect my current philosophy, which is quite different from what I prescribed five years ago.

This change in philosophy can stem from various factors such as lessons learned in your coaching environment, and professional development. Further accreditation, coaching different athletes, and observing other coaching philosophies are some examples of what can influence your coaching philosophy.

Sometimes, a change in your own philosophy is going to benefit the athletes (and people) you are looking after by offering a different, and more challenging, training stimulus.

Developing/maintaining your competitive edge!

Change can also help you seek new solutions to the same problem. In the sporting context, the big questions everyone asks themselves are “How can I be better than my competition? What must I do to get to the next level?” Your competitive edge in your sport can be the difference between success and perceived failure, and change is one way to work on this!

What you did last year might not work this year or in the coming years, and this is where change can really help you improve upon your skills. I like to think that each season I complete is another layer to my foundation of athletic performance, what I did when I first started taking up running is completely different to how I am trained now!

This can apply from season to season, or even changing sporting codes. Going from rugby league to AFL can be a massive change, from a 180-degree game to a 360-degree game, and all the differences in muscular power, strength, endurance and other physiological differences are required from both games.

Trying new strategies, methods and types of training is sure to help you retain your competitive edge, and help with your athletic performance, regardless of the code of sport!

The potential consequences of change and how to manage these:

Whilst there are positives to change, there can also be some adverse effects from change. The following outline these potential consequences:

When there are too many fires to put out!

When too much change happens at once, it can become overwhelming and have adverse effects on us. With too many balls to juggle or too many fires to put out, we are likely to stretch our limits and eventually burn out. It is difficult to process and review how all of the changes, both positive and negative, are impacting us when we try to change a lot of things at once. Our minds can only focus on so many things at a time. When we try to focus on too many things, it becomes detrimental to our performance in all aspects of our lively activities.

However, the solution to this problem is quite simple - change one thing at a time, or at most a couple of things at a time! Although this lengthens the entire process of change, it provides us with an opportunity to sit and reflect on what we have changed. For example, if we add an additional cross-training session to our workout routine, we can assess its impact on our body's ability to recover & perform in subsequent sessions.

If there are multiple things that need to change, then I recommend creating a list of what needs to change, with the most important changes at the top and the least important at the bottom, working your way down the list as you progress over a long period of time - an idea outlined in Jocko Willnk’ book “Leadership Strategy And Tactics: Field Manual” (2020).

In addition, it is important not to be afraid to seek guidance and help from coaches and other people who are well-established in their respective fields. If we do not ask for help, we will never know what advice they could offer us. We can learn from their experiences and apply what works for us in our own lives, particularly within a sporting context. By taking things one step at a time and seeking help when needed, the changes we make can have a positive impact on our sport, fitness or athletic aspirations, without overwhelming ourselves.

Athlete perspective - the risk of injury!

When it comes to the athletic and sporting industry, the risk of injury is always a concern. However, predicting the likelihood of injury can be incredibly difficult and unpredictable, particularly when changes are made. In my opinion, changes can increase one's risk of injury when significant changes to volume and/or intensity are made. In addition, other external training variables such as changes in training surfaces can also contribute to an increased risk of injury.

While change is necessary for an individual or team to succeed, it is essential that any changes made are planned out in a manner that minimizes the risk of injury while still providing the full benefits to the athlete or group. It's important to find the right balance between enhancing performance and avoiding overuse and overexertion which can lead to injuries. Therefore, coaches and trainers must carefully evaluate each athlete's unique situation before making any changes to their training regimen. For example, if there is more of a focus on neural recruitment in your programming (for example), then adequate recovery protocols and rest between sessions must be accounted for.

As I have mentioned above, changing one or two things at a time will help minimise this risk of injury to your athletes. What is important to note is that injuries cannot be eliminated, their chance of happening can only be minimised. Without going into too much detail, injuries related to sports performance can either come from under-preparing the athlete, such as inadequate strength of a muscle group, resulting in a tear or damage sustained to the muscle group, or overloading them and resulting in overuse injuries, such as tendinopathies or stress reactions/fractures (in some cases).

Not all people like change

Change is good, but many people can oppose it or don’t think it is necessary. The quote “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” often comes to mind in these scenarios. We like having set routines or structures for how we like to get things done, and if these changes disrupt what is already in place it may leave people frustrated or confused, believing that the way things currently are works for them or the group they are associated with. If we look at change within groups, this can easily disrupt the flow and potentially result in negative attitudes towards the change.

A clear example I can think of is when a new coach comes into a sporting organisation for the first time. They have their own standards, ideals, philosophies, training methods, etc. that will be different from the previous coach(es), and athletes may (or may not) like this change. Athletes may not like the way this new coach gets everyone to warm up, the way the session is run, the repetitions prescribed, the criteria for you to be in the training squad (if any).

The most important task to complete when dealing with people who do not like the change is to explain as clearly as possible why you are incorporating a change, discussed heavily in the books written by Jocko Willnk and Leif Batum in “Extreme Ownership” (2017) and “The Dichotomy of Leadership” (2018). Having a why gives purpose to your change(s) and a sense of direction for the playing/training group - as a leader of a group (e.g., an athletics coach) this is imperative. If you cannot see your reason/s for changing, then how can you expect the people you are leading or under you to change with you? Be sure to explain why so you can provide an explanation for the change, and how this will help you (in your sport) or your team!

Other tips to best utilise change:

Focus on what you can control!

When introducing change, there are going to be setbacks, risks and/or negative consequences related to the change. There will be things out of your control that will happen as a result of the change being implemented.

This is ok.

There are two things I recommend to do here:

1. Write down what happened, and reflect on why this might have occurred.

2. Focus on what you can control to mitigate the impact of these potential setbacks

Both of these recommendations should be completed in the simplest way possible, such as using an established debriefing template. Again, these strategies are part of the underlying themes in the books mentioned above, I highly recommend you take a look at these!

What stage of the Transtheoretical Model are you in (or the people you look after)?

The transtheoretical model (Prochaska & Velicer, 1997) is how I like to describe the cycle of how change is thought of and implemented for an individual and group. The image below best shows the steps in the Transtheoretical Model:

Stages of the Transtheoretical Model. Taken from Wayne & LaMorte (2022).

The biggest question you need to ask before thinking of implementing change is: What stage of the model is the group (or myself) at? Are we at the pre-contemplation stage? Or does everyone in the team think change is necessary?

Where you (or your group) are on the Transtheoretical model is going to influence how you discuss the change, implement it and monitor its progress. For example, it is easier to help change those who are in the contemplation or determination stage than those who are in the pre-contemplation stage (Prochaska & Velicer, 1997). It would require more work and very good reasoning to convince someone in the pre-contemplation stage to think of changing. Remember, people will think “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”

However, by engaging with your group well and thoroughly explaining the reason(s) for change, to the point that everyone understands and is on board with it, the change(s) will be implemented successfully!

Reflect on why you are doing this!

This has been mentioned throughout the post, but I cannot stress it enough.

Why does change need to occur? How will it benefit you? Why, will it benefit you?

You need to be fully aware of why change needs to occur, and your plan to change! If you are changing for the sake of changing, it will not be a meaningful change and most likely will not help you on your journey of fitness, sport or athletic success. Do not change because it is the current trend - change because it will help you on your journey to become a better person!

Purposeful & meaningful change is the best form of change!

Yours on the field, on the track & in the gym,

Paul

Lead Coach & Owner

References:

Prochaska, J. O., & Velicer, W. F. (1997). The transtheoretical model of health behavior change. American journal of health promotion, 12(1), 38-48.

Wayne W. LaMorte, MD. (2022). The Transtheoretical Model (Stages of Change) [accessed in electronic format 22/8/2023]. Retrieved from https://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/mph-modules/sb/behavioralchangetheories/behavioralchangetheories6.html

Willink, J., & Babin, L. (2017). Extreme ownership: How US Navy SEALs lead and win. St. Martin's Press.

Willink, J., & Babin, L. (2018). The dichotomy of leadership. Macmillan Publishers Aus..

Willink, J. (2020). Leadership Strategy and Tactics: Learn to Lead Like a Navy SEAL, from the Bestselling Author of'Extreme Ownership'and'The Dichotomy of Leadership'. Pan Macmillan.