Let's have a look at the research findings.

Athlete tracking systems are very common in professional team sports. However, it can be difficult to select the most suitable system and metrics. A summary and critical evaluation of different tracking systems and their use within team sports can be valuable to guide these decisions.

These insights are based on the research of Victoria University - Melbourne Australia, Leeds Beckett University, University of Technology - Sydney & other institutes. Lorena Torres-Ronda, Emma Beanland, Sarah Whitehead et al. published the paper "Tracking Systems in Team Sports: A Narrative Review of Applications of the Data and Sport Specific Analysis" (Full text). Here are the key insights. 👇

For those who like a short text version of the authors' findings, here it is:

Did you know that...

The choice for a tracking system and which metrics to use are very dependent upon the context of the sport?

This has been studied by researchers at Victoria University - Melbourne Australia, Leeds Beckett University, University of Technology - Sydney & other institutes. They conducted a narrative review to summarize and critically evaluate the different tracking systems and their use within team sports.

The result? 3 key points:

1. Data from tracking systems can be used for various applications to support the decision-making related to performance and injury risk.
2. Being critical by considering precision (validity & reliability) and ecological validity of different metrics is advisable.
3. How tracking data can be used is very dependent upon the type of sport and the alignment of technical-tactical and physical data is key.

They also highlighted that:

1. It is important for practitioners to get an idea of what is happening within algorithms and how data are being processed.
2. Practitioners are encouraged to maintain critical thinking, with a healthy dose of skepticism and awareness of appropriate theoretical frameworks.

So...

Researchers, businesses, and sports organizations can collaborate to further improve the use of tracking systems in team sports 

This will result in new insights, leading to better performance and fewer injuries.

Interested?

Reach out to STRN (as a practitioner, researcher, or R&D professional) and we will connect you with relevant partners.