A Needs Analysis is an Externalization of Key Training Principles

A needs analysis is the externalization of two training principles. It entails zeroing in on the specific components of your athletes' sport. Those functional abilities that are most important and/or limiting their individual performance. We must also zero in on those components with appropriate consideration towards context. Therefore, specificity and individualization are the principles at the heart of a needs analysis.

Specificity entails designing training that is like the sport. This doesn't mean it has to look exactly like the sport. I'll talk more about that later. Identifying the specific components means finding the sport's "fixed factors." Those biological factors that don't change. For example, sprinting requires high levels of rate of force development. That doesn't change no matter the context.

Identifying these fixed factors is as simple as asking the following questions. First, what are the biomechanical demands of the sport? Second, what are the bioenergetic demands of the sport? Last, what are the most common injuries involved in the sport?

Likewise, we want to identify the important biomotor abilities (or physical capacities) for our sport. For example, muscle size isn't a mechanical factor as much as it is a capacity. Yet, if we know that concussions are common in the sport, then neck size is a physical capacity that we want to train. Other examples of these would be absolute strength, power, strength endurance, etc.

We must also consider the principle of individualization in a needs analysis. Now we become interested in the "random factors." Those contextual modifiers of the individual athlete. These factors influence how we attack the fixed factors.

In practice this involves asking some more questions. First, what is the dimensional data of this athlete (or athletes)? For example, training age, sex, position, injury history, etc. These are things that don't change at all or change little over an extended period. Second, what are the strengths of their athlete profile? Last, what are the weaknesses of their athlete profile? This assumes you've analyzed your sport and determined key metrics to track. We will talk about this another time.

It's that simple. At the heart of a needs analysis are two training principles. Specificity and individualization. A needs analysis is externalizing our analysis of those principles to our sport and athletes. The answers to these questions help to guide us through our programming decisions.

In the future we will go into more detail on the practical application of this concept.