The big take home is that humans create noise because we have bias. That bias leads to statistical variance which is called ‘Noise.’ This is important because what we do still has a lot of human decision-making, which can lead to increased noise.
On the front end of knowing, we are influenced by our own bias in implementing strategies to reduce noise. One of the big keys is creating ‘Rules’ in which we are regulated within vulnerable areas that could create noise.
The focal point was looking at decisions of Doctors or Judges, or subjective human decision based jobs. We can make parallels to what we do on a daily basis as coaches. It comes down to understanding when we are most susceptible to making decisions with bias.
Programming is first to come to mind in areas where we need to apply rules. For instance, is your program actually based on principles (Progression, Progressive Overload, Specificity, Individuality, Reversibility, Diminishing Returns)? I see this as a rule constantly broken which in turn creates a ton of noise.
If there is no Progression from one training block to the next, how can we be certain motor patterns are developing in a sequential manner? If there is no Progressive Overload, how do we interpret rates of adaptation? If there is no Specificity, how can we assure we are moving to a related outcome? If there is no Individuality, how can we be sure we are accommodating individual differences? If there is no Reversibility, how can we incentivize year round training? If there is no Diminishing Returns, how can we build a fail safe if what we are doing is counterproductive?
Other rules for programming would be structural balance and work to rest ratios inter and intra training sessions. We must have rules for actual coaching. For instance, do we have a standard of movements? If there are no standards, how can we correct something that does not exist? Or what rules are in place to explain the goal or focus of a program?
In the end, creating rules is creating a system. A system is a sequence of events that lead to a predetermined outcome. In a sense, we can look at rules as components of an interconnected system. A system’s main purpose is to reduce noise so we can get as close as often as possible.
The ability to reduce noise or variance is a game changer for a coach. Fortunately, the way to reduce noise is not difficult. The hard part is being willing to challenge your bias or preference and rely on rules. If we cannot comply with rules, we will have a bunch of noise. Our natural response if we choose to not reduce noise will be to deny that it ever existed in the first place.