Theory of Constraints Handbook - James Cox Iii [727]
The final core problem is the most difficult to overcome in my opinion, and it leads to many negative effects of my current situation. I am afraid to suggest a different type of training to my coaches because I do not want to show disrespect for their scheduled workouts. However, I feel as though their workouts were exactly what I needed up until this stage of my swimming career. When I do not communicate with my coaches about practice, then I work on the wrong things. If I work on the wrong things, then I am not improving in my swimming. If I do not improve, then I do not reach my optimal performance. Furthermore, if I am working on the wrong things (such as aerobic base), then I lack the necessary power I need for the 200 meter freestyle (the event which I feel I have the most potential). If I lack the necessary power for the 200 free, then the first half of my race is going to be slow. When I am too slow in the front half of my race, then I get caught behind the other swimmers’ wake and have a difficult time passing them in the second half of the race.
These negative effects can be eliminated if I could effectively implement a plan to change my core problems into positive actions. Before developing an implementation plan, I have constructed a Future Reality Tree (Fig. 38-8) to see the effects of making the core problems into positive actions. The ultimate result is a reverse of the negative effects in the Current Reality Tree. One comment I must make here is that the Future Reality Tree indicates that I will reach my optimal performance. I cannot be guaranteed that my optimal potential performance will take me to my goal of improving my world ranking to the top eight. Furthermore, I must be careful that inertia does not set in. I could focus too much on training for a power base and completely ignore my aerobic base. I am aware that my aerobic base will be lost if I neglect it; therefore, my training will always include adequate work in this area.
FIGURE 38-8 Future reality tree of Sheila’s swimming.
The Evaporating Clouds in Figs. 38-9 through 38-12 mainly challenge the assumptions by which coaches and swimmers have always lived. The conditioning of an athlete includes many different objectives, including physical and mental training. A plan of action is necessary in order to measure how effective the training schedule is during the different times of the season. The key to success lies in developing an intelligent plan of action which breaks away from the old paradigm that the more yards/meters a swimmer does, the better that swimmer will be. A coach and swimmer must develop the plan together in order to have input from both sides.
When the assumptions of the clouds are understood and managed in a beneficial way, I must begin to plan the actions to take in following through with my goals. The Transition Tree and Implementation Plan at the end of the paper outline the steps to take to achieve my plan. A few obstacles which I may encounter are identified in the Prerequisite Tree (Fig. 38-13), but I have developed another set of objectives to overcome those obstacles. I feel that everything in my plan is feasible and will help me to reach my goals. See the I/O map in Fig. 38-14. The interesting part of all of this is that I will be willing to bet that the negative actions which I have been doing require more energy than do the positive actions.