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    Standards – Setting the Bar

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    By on Vern Gambetta's Blog

    I am strong believer in having a standard to measure progress and performance. In my system and training methods I set a high standard and constantly evaluate that standard based on my expectations and results. My standard is not determined by what others are doing. I can’t control what they do and I do not want to be influenced by what they do. What I hear quite often today are two concepts that are used to set the bar and measure standards of performance: best practice and benchmarking. Best practice and benchmarking are not standards to measure by if you want to achieve at the highest level. Using those as standards simply means you are doing what everyone else is doing. You have set the bar low. I am interested in standards that are higher than that. I expect more of myself as a coach and more of my athletes than just doing what everyone else is doing. To use the cliché’ I want my reach to exceed my grasp. As I have implored many times in this blog, lead don’t follow, innovate, try new ideas, and new combinations of old methods. Set higher standards for yourself and your athlete’s. Use benchmarks and best practice as a guideline, a reference and in some cases a starting point, but don’t be bound by them. Striving to be the best is not comfortable, you have to aim for a higher standard than accepted best practice in your sport. Innovation and change do not occur by doing what you have always done. You have to look at what you need to do with new eyes and set a standard that raises expectations and demands a higher level of achievement. Get uncomfortable and realize that to be the best demands being uncomfortable all the time. Excellence is not for the faint of heart or dilettante’s.
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    Vern Gambetta

    Vern Gambetta

    Director at Gambetta Sports Training Systems
    Vern is the Director of Gambetta Sports Training Systems. He has been the a conditioning coach for several MLS teams as well as the conditioning consultant to the US Men's World Cup Soccer team. Vern is the former Director of Conditioning for the Chicago White Sox and New York Mets. He has lectured and conducted clinics in Canada, Japan, Australia and Europe and has authored six books and over one hundred articles related to coaching and sport performance in a variety of sports. He has a BA in teaching with a coaching minor and an MA in Education with an emphasis in physical education from Stanford University.
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