This analogy helps explain how your physical qualities are trained, prioritised, and managed across the year. Think of your body as a garden made up of different plants. Each plant needs the right care at the right time.
One of the most important things an athlete can learn is that training isn’t about doing everything, all the time.
It’s about developing the right qualities, in the right order, with the right dose - so you can improve consistently, stay healthy, and perform when it matters most.
At KPI, we use a simple analogy to explain this:
Think of your body as a garden.
Inside that garden are different physical qualities that make up your performance. Training is the process of learning how to grow them properly.
Why Training Changes Throughout the Year
Athletes often ask:
- Why are we focusing on strength right now?
- Why has speed work reduced?
- Why does training look different in-season?
- Why can’t we just push everything at once?
The answer is simple:
Smart training is about balance, timing, and prioritisation.
The Garden Analogy helps explain why training emphasis shifts across the year, and why doing more isn’t always better.
Each Plant Represents a Physical Quality
In your garden, every plant represents a different performance quality:
- Speed
- Strength
- Fitness
- Mobility
- Power
- Movement control
You don’t just have one quality - you have many.
And just like a real garden, you can’t grow every plant equally at the same time.
That’s why training focuses on the qualities that matter most for you, at that time.
Plant Size = What Matters Most Right Now
Some plants are bigger than others.
A bigger plant means:
That quality is the current priority.
Depending on your sport, your position, your injury history, and the stage of the season, certain qualities become more important.
That’s why your training block might emphasise:
- Strength development in pre-season
- Speed exposure during competition phases
- Mobility or control during return-to-play
Priorities shift because performance demands shift.
Plant Life = Some Qualities Fade Faster Than Others
Not all plants behave the same.
Some wilt quickly if you stop feeding them.
In training terms:
- Speed fades quickly without exposure
- Strength drops if it isn’t maintained
- Endurance can last longer with smaller doses
This is why KPI programming never fully abandons key qualities - even when focus shifts.
We maintain what needs maintaining, while building what needs building.
Plant Food = Training Dose Matters
Training is the food.
The right amount helps the plant grow.
But like overwatering a garden, too much training can do more harm than good.
- Too little = no progress
- Too much = fatigue, injury risk, burnout
At KPI, we’re not chasing exhaustion.
We’re chasing adaptation.
Training works when the dose is correct.
Soil = Your Body’s Ability to Respond
Some gardens grow faster than others.
That’s the soil.
In athletes, soil represents:
- Training age
- Injury history
- Movement quality
- Technical competency
Two athletes can do the same session and respond differently.
That’s why KPI coaching is individualised - because the soil matters as much as the plant.
Garden Layout = Qualities Affect Each Other
Plants don’t grow in isolation.
Some support each other.
Others compete.
For example:
- Strength supports speed
- Mobility supports resilience
- Excess fatigue can limit skill and output
That’s why sessions are balanced carefully.
Training isn’t random - it’s structured so qualities develop together, not against each other.
Weather = The Season Changes What’s Possible
Finally, every garden is affected by weather.
In sport, the “weather” is the season.
- Off-season = higher growth potential
- Pre-season = building phase
- In-season = maintaining and staying available
- Congested fixtures = reduced training load
The goal changes across the year.
Sometimes you push.
Sometimes you protect.
The best athletes understand when to grow and when to maintain.
Final Takeaway: Trust the Process
Your training is designed to grow the right qualities at the right time.
Priorities change.
Doses change.
Balance matters.
This approach helps you:
- Stay healthy
- Improve consistently
- Perform when it matters most
