In triaging, what two factors determine the ordering of faults?

• A. Severity of Deviation from Ideal and Athlete's Capacity Relative to the Task
• B. Length of Session and Coach's Preference
• C. Weather Conditions
• D. Age and Experience

Answer: (A)

When deciding how to triage faults, the priority comes from safety and the impact on performance. The two factors that determine the ordering are how far the movement deviates from the ideal and whether the athlete has the capacity to address that fault given the task at hand.

Severity of deviation from ideal captures how much the fault alters mechanics and increases injury risk or reduces efficiency. A fault that compromises the spine, joints, or balance, or that severely undermines movement efficiency, takes precedence because correcting it first reduces real risk and improves overall performance more than smaller tweaks.

Athlete's capacity relative to the task refers to whether the athlete can safely and effectively implement the correction under the current demands—load, speed, fatigue, and skill level. If a correction would push the athlete beyond what they can safely handle, you adjust the task or scale the movement rather than push a risky fix. In other words, even an important fault might be deprioritized if the athlete isn’t ready to address it without compromising safety.

So you prioritize faults that carry the greatest safety risk and the largest deviation from ideal, and you only advance to other faults when safety and fundamental mechanics are secured. Factors like session length, weather, or a general preference don’t determine the immediate order of faults in the moment; they influence broader planning, not the core triage decision.