Antifragility and Complexity in Track and Field Coaching

First off, to understand this concept we have to understand what antifragility and complexity are. Let’s start with antifragility. Antifragility is not robustness as often thought, but rather the process of becoming less fragile through trials and hardship. This can take the form of an economic downturn for a business or exercise in the body. In short, antifragility means that a thing is broken down so it can be built up stronger and less fragile (antifragility).

Complexity is, as you might have guessed, not as simple. Complexity describes the nature of a task, system, or organization. Complexity is one end of a spectrum. The other end is simple, and, in the middle, we find complicated. Simple tasks are something like making a copy. A person puts one paper in the copier to get a copy and outcomes a copy; A+B=C. Complicated tasks often have more steps than simple tasks. There is more that goes into a complicated task, but the outcome is predictable, assuming all information and components are present; A+B(C-D)=E. This is where the difference is obvious between simple and complicated and complex systems. In a complex system, task, or organization, the outcome is somewhat unpredictable. It is not a simple input=output system like the other two. Sometimes A+B(C-D)=E, but more often than not A+B(C-D)=42. Factors can be controlled for, limits can be set, but because of outside factors or uncontrollable internal factors, complex systems produce unpredictable results. Often this boils down to the human element.

Viewing track and field through the lens of antifragility and complexity is an interesting exercise because it made me really think about my own ability to be antifragile and how I deal with complexity. I recently took a position as an assistant college track and field coach after completing two years as a graduate assistant at a college in North Carolina. Coaching is an interesting field because it is unlike any other profession. Track and field is very much a complex sport and we strive to create antifragile athletes, but that means as coaches we have to be antifragile as well. We do this by learning and utilizing the latest techniques and technologies that make us better coaches and in turn, our athlete’s better athletes. Many of these tools, I am learning, are other coaches. Sometimes they are coaches from other schools or sports, but a lot of time, they are the other coaches on your staff.

No two track and field athletes have the same experience. Most do not do the same events, rarely do they train the same, and almost never do the results look the same. Week to week, the outcome is different and there are a lot of factors that go into an athlete’s performance. Coaches have to give them the tools to succeed (training plans, encouragement, health advice, etc.), but it is up to the athlete to put that all into practice, and then on top of that, there are other factors at play. There could be stress from schoolwork or home life, relationship tension, mental health issues, or a host of other things. You could take two identical athletes in the same event, with the same training plan, nutrition, etc., and their results are going to be different because of these outside and uncontrollable factors. This is why we try to teach athletes to be antifragile. They can take all of these things that may be knocking them down and grow even stronger mentally and physically from them, able to better their performance, not in spite of them, but because of them.  

Reference

Seimens, G.; Dawson, S.; Eshleman, K. (29 October 2018). Complexity: A leader’s framework for understanding and managing change in higher education. Educausereview. Retrieved from https://er.educause.edu/articles/2018/10/complexity-a-leaders-framework-for- understanding-and-managing-change-in-higher-education