Why Do Different Timing Systems & Methods Produce Different Times?

How fast are you?

Your answer may be an adjective (ridiculously), a comparison (faster than Jo-Jo), or a number (I’m a 4.5).

If it’s a number, the next follow-up question is: how sure are you of that number? 

Our Founder/CEO Chase Pfeifer provides some answers to frequently-asked questions of why different ways of measuring can produce different results for the exact same sprint or action.

1. Defining the Terms

As a natural starting point…what is time? While it may seem as simple as looking at our wrist or phone, the question is not that simple.

Question #1: As a PhD in Biomedical Engineering, what would you consider the simplest, effective definition of “time” as a foundation of “timing”?

“Time is existence continuing to move forward.”

2. The Why of Variance

Measuring anything moving forward means starting at one specific point and ending at another, which explains the root of some variance between systems—the act of capturing the athlete at a different beginning or ending point.

Question #2: If timing measures the relation between things and those things are being measured in different ways with different tools, how inevitable would you consider variance between different measurement systems?

“If you test multiple laser timing systems on the same sprint, it’s nearly impossible to have that beam hit the exact spot on that athlete as the athlete is not a rigid model.”

3. Choose Consistency

While some slight variance across systems and methods is unavoidable, variance within a system is not—as long as a system is validated and consistent, progress can be accurately tracked.

Question 3: Ultimately, the key for coaches with timing data is reliability and consistency within the system they choose. Using those same concepts and definitions we’ve discussed, how does a timing system go about achieving that benchmark of internal validity?

“It is important for a timing system to perform a structured study to validate both accuracy and consistency.”

4. Compare Carefully

Back to the original question…how fast are you?

Question 4: How would you approach the discussion with a coach or athlete whose main value prop is wanting an irrefutable, “true” time for a 40 or 100 (or any distance)?

“That really comes down to performing the test per industry standards.”