Performance Enhancement

Understanding Performance Enhancement

There are many factors that contribute to an athlete's performance in sport. Physical capacities like speed or skill may provide an edge over opponents, but performance also relies on other aspects, such as an athlete’s understanding of the game, fatigue, and mental readiness. The resources in this section focus on physical aspects of sport that can help boost individual and team performances.

What is Performance Enhancement?

Simply put, performance enhancement refers to any strategy that helps to improve individual or team performance. As there are a multitude of different approaches and options to optimise performance, it can be difficult to know which is best and where to invest your time. The following are just a few examples of what might fall under the ‘Performance Enhancement’ label:

Nutrition and Hydration

A well-balanced diet is fundamental for fuelling optimal performance and supporting efficient recovery.
Adequate fluid intake before, during, and after exercise helps maintain optimal hydration levels and prevents fatigue.
Supplements such as vitamins, minerals, and protein, are common in sport but should be used with careful consideration.

Rest and Recovery

Adequate recovery (within and between bouts of exercise) ensures athletes can make the most of their training benefits and are primed to perform at their peak!
A strong foundation for recovery relies on good nutrition and hydration, adequate sleep, and use of active recovery strategies.

Mental and Physical Preparedness

Being match-fit and ready to perform at your best relies on a number of physical and psychological factors.
Physically, this involves good training practices and an appropriate warm-up before stepping on the pitch.
Psychologically, this could involve a whole range of mental and emotional strategies, such as talking through tactics, visualising different plays, or going through routines or rituals to manage nerves and get focused.

Sports Equipment and Facilities

From the home-ground advantage to the best stick, grip, or shoes, there are many ways that an athlete's performance can be affected (for better or worse) by the environment they are playing in and the gear they choose to use.

This section of the platform focuses on physical aspects of sport that can help boost individual and team performances, including speed, strength, agility, endurance, and mobility. These components are generally referred to as ‘components of fitness’ and describe the different aspects of physical ability that contribute to physical performance overall. As sport requires a huge range of skills, abilities, and movements, training these components of fitness can help athletes understand and improve their physical capabilities in a controlled environment.