Velocity-Based Training works best when athletes and coaches understand what the numbers actually mean and know how to respond to them in real time. That is easy enough with one athlete, but it becomes much harder when a coach is trying to manage velocity data for an entire team at once. When dozens of athletes are lifting at the same time, the challenge is not just collecting the data, but turning it into something that is simple, actionable, and useful on the floor. If you collect data and never use it, why collect it in the first place?
That is what makes the VBT chart Mike Oziomek from Cuyahoga Falls High School put together so valuable. The goal of the chart is straightforward: give athletes a clear way to see where they are, understand their target velocity zone, and make the correct weight adjustments on their own. Instead of waiting for a coach to interpret every rep, the athlete has a reference point right in front of them that helps guide the session.
At its core, the chart is designed to remove guesswork from Velocity-Based Training and give athletes a clear understanding of the purpose behind each session. Built from established VBT research and published velocity zones, it takes concepts that often live in research papers or coach spreadsheets and turns them into a practical tool athletes can actually use in the weight room. By clearly showing target velocity zones and how bar speed should influence load selection, the chart helps athletes know when to add weight, take weight off, or stay where they are. Just as important, it creates more athlete ownership by helping them connect intent, output, and load, making each session more efficient while giving them a better understanding of why they are doing the work.
The chart was also customized to make tracking in Tully more efficient. By building the calculations and percentages around a format that athletes can easily record, the process becomes more tangible and consistent from session to session. Instead of trying to interpret raw velocity data on the fly, athletes can use a simple reference that converts bar speed into the percentages and targets they need to log. That makes the data easier to understand, easier to track, and ultimately easier to apply.
For coaches, the biggest benefit may be scalability. VBT can feel overwhelming when one coach is responsible for a large room full of athletes, each moving at different loads and velocities. A chart like this helps bridge that gap. It gives athletes enough structure to self-regulate within the framework of the session while still keeping the training organized and purposeful. That means less time spent answering the same questions over and over, and more time spent coaching movement, intent, and execution.
In the end, tools like this are what make Velocity-Based Training more practical in a team setting. The technology matters, but the system around it matters just as much. If athletes do not understand the numbers or know what to do with them, the data has limited value. When the information is simplified into a chart that they can reference and apply on their own, VBT becomes much more than a measurement tool. It becomes a way to create better intent, better decision-making, and better training sessions.