Strengths & Weaknesses vs. Rate Limiters & Enhancers: A Contextual Lens on Movement & Performance

In the field of athletic development and movement analysis, how we evaluate performance shapes how we train it. Two commonly used frameworks, “strengths and weaknesses” and “rate limiters and enhancers”, can seem similar at first glance, but they reflect fundamentally different ways of thinking about performance.
 
One is rooted in static individual traits. The other embraces a dynamic systems approach, where performance is the product of the interaction between the individual, the task, and the environment.
 
Let’s break down the key differences, and why they matter for coaches and performance professionals.
 
Strengths and Weaknesses: The Traditional Lens
 
The concept of strengths and weaknesses has long been the dominant model in sport and physical development. It frames the athlete as a fixed entity whose abilities are measured, categorized, and improved through targeted training.

• Strengths refer to qualities the athlete already does well.
• Example: Fast linear sprint speed, strong vertical jump, or forceful change of direction.
• Weaknesses highlight areas of deficiency.
• Example: Poor acceleration mechanics, slow decision-making, or limited tactical awareness.

 
This approach is often used in performance profiling and objective testing. While it provides valuable insights into the athlete’s physical or technical capabilities, it tends to focus on isolated attributes, often neglecting contextual factors that influence how those abilities show up in real sport.
 
A soccer player may score highly in a closed agility test, but still struggle to evade defenders in a live 1v1 situation. Why? Because the test measured a strength in isolation, not in context.
 
Rate Limiters and Enhancers: A Systems-Based Perspective
 
The “rate limiters and enhancers” framework originates from dynamical systems theory and ecological dynamics. It considers the interaction between the athlete (individual), the task, and the environment. Rather than asking what does the athlete have or lack, this model asks what is enabling or constraining performance in this specific situation?
 
Enhancers
 
These are factors that support and elevate performance. They can be internal (within the athlete), task-based, or environmental.

• Individual: Effective coordination, force development, perceptual awareness
• Task: A rule set that allows freedom of movement or decision-making
• Environment: Familiar surface, home crowd, ideal weather conditions

 
Rate Limiters
 
These are factors that restrict or challenge performance, and they too span all three categories.

• Individual: Poor reactive strength, limited movement capability, cognitive overload
• Task: A complex rule, limited time or space, or an unfamiliar objective
• Environment: Slippery field, noise distraction, aggressive opponent pressure

 
This framework shifts the question from “what can the athlete do?” to “what is enabling or constraining performance right now, in this context?”
 
Comparing the Two: Why Language Matters

Strengths/Weaknesses&RateLimiters/EnhancersTable by theuofstrength

Why This Matters for Training & Coaching
 
Training based only on strengths and weaknesses often misses the mark when those traits fail to translate into the game. A strength in isolation is not always a strength in context. A “weakness” might disappear, or become irrelevant, once the task or environment is changed.
 
Using rate limiters and enhancers invites coaches to think more dynamically:

• Why does this athlete struggle to change direction in games, even though they test well in a 5-10-5?
• How does the pressure of competition change their movement?
• Are we designing tasks that allow their strengths to emerge, or hiding them?

 
This lens also encourages task design that reflects the real constraints of sport, helping athletes learn to solve problems in messy, authentic environments, not just execute drills in sterile ones.
 
Both frameworks have value. “Strengths and weaknesses” offer a simple snapshot of an athlete’s capabilities. But to truly understand and improve performance, especially in sport’s dynamic environment, we must move beyond static labels.
 
Rate limiters and enhancers push us to consider the bigger picture, how an athlete’s abilities interact with the task and environment. It’s a more nuanced, holistic, and ultimately effective way to shape training for real-world performance.
 
Because in sport, success doesn’t just come from having the best attributes. It comes from knowing how to use them, under pressure, in context, when it counts.
​