As coaches, we are always seeking betters ways to help our athletes achieve their goals. With that being said, we are always on the lookout for new methods that we can integrated into our programs to get that competitive advantage. This is all part of the learning process! You never know if a food tastes good until you try it!

In my opinion, I think there are a couple steps a coach/sport scientist should take when applying a new concept into an already existing program and below, I will share my two cents.

Don’t expect drastic results

Too often I apply a new concept with the expectation that it was the only thing that must have been holding my performance gains back. However, this is often not the case. By no means should applying a new concept drastically change any program’s results. If that is the case, its probably because the program in the first place wasn’t worth a darn. Most of the core concepts of strength training and athletic development already exist, so don’t expect to discover the new sliced bread

Have Patience

Just like any program, if there are results, they wont be immediate. Adaptation takes time and to think a concept doesn’t work just because you didn’t see instant gains is foolish. Give the new concepts time to work and have a truly objective mind when looking at whether or not it was effective

Understand The Concept

It is quite common to see a concept misapplied due to the simple fact the user doesn’t actually understand why the concept exists in the first place. A lot of headaches and user error can be avoided by simply taking the time to understand why this concept/method exists, who is it best applied to and what is the basic science behind it (biomechanics, physiology, neuromechanics etc…)

Measure the differences

When applying a new method/concept it is easy to have confirmation bias. In other words, you are looking for a specific results without removing your own bias opinion. If possible, compare it to other programs/methods, understand the context of the results and go from there. No need to rush the process.

Conclusion

Looking for new concepts and methods to apply to better your athletes is a common trend among good coaches. However, don’t get so caught up in the method that you miss the mark completely. Take your time with the process, have an understanding of why you are implementing it and measure your results