Manipulating performance
In RE V29N12 we looked at the basics of Balance of Performance (BoP), and what things make it easy and difficult to implement. Under the heading ‘Difficult for BoP’ there is one topic that is the hardest of all to manage, and that is sandbagging. In that first feature, I alluded to this warranting a separate article unto itself, so here it is.
Simply put, sandbagging means masking one’s performance capabilities to hide your true potential. Who might you be hiding from? Typically, competitors and sanctioning bodies, but the reasons for hiding performance from each are quite different.
Personally, I prefer to use the term ‘performance management’ as opposed to ‘sandbagging’. The latter has a terribly negative connotation in my mind, as it implies deliberately choosing to do something nefarious. Performance management sounds a lot more boring, admittedly, but it more explicitly defines what this concept actually does. It also takes some of the negative impression away because there are always times in racing when managing performance is a necessity.
Sandbag strategy
Why sandbag? Well, because managing one’s performance can also be considered a legitimate strategy in the development cycle.
Let us consider a marathon runner training for the Olympics. He, or she, has one goal in mind: winning a gold medal. Perhaps the athlete might also want to set a world record while they’re at it, just to ensure everyone knows who is the best marathon runner in the world. In that case, preparing for the gold medal race, the athlete will train to achieve the goal of breaking a world record. Is this marathon runner going to want the competitors to know how fast they are capable of running before the race itself? My guess is absolutely not. They want to keep the competitors guessing so they are surprised (unprepared even) for what the athlete is capable of on race day.
Now, to set that world record the runner has to commit to it right from the start. In a running competition, you cannot decide half way
