Using ratio data in strength and conditioning: component parts hold the key

In strength and conditioning, ratio data are made up of more than one component part and are now commonplace in both research and practice, with an abundance of metrics from strength and jump testing being used as part of the ongoing monitoring process. Given these data have been utilised for many years, their inherent issues may not be obvious to all practitioners. However, ratio data often exhibit greater measurement error than their individual component parts. In addition, monitoring alterations in ratio data also presents challenges, given there is more than one way that the resultant test score can change. This brief review provides some practical examples to illustrate these challenges, but also some viable solutions to guide practitioners on how the concurrent monitoring of ratios and their component parts can help guide decision-making in day-to-day practice.