On the Limits of High-Performance Support

Abstract

ABSTRACT High-performance sport has experienced increasing emphasis on evidence-based practice and interdisciplinarity facilitated by integrating systems science, business management, and a rapidly expanding sport technology landscape. A major limitation of current approaches to performance support is they unduly constrain the conceptualization of high performance within precise boundaries. In contrast, we explore the notion of parallel incrementalism to guide the pursuit and support of athletic excellence. Given this context, we introduce the idea of performance-limiting factors (PLFs) to complement key performance indicators (KPIs) in informing performance support. Whereas KPIs directly influence or describe performance, PLFs are characteristics that indirectly affect performance in their current state. Considering human performance through the complex interaction of KPIs and PLFs will allow us to continue pushing the boundaries of high-performance sport.