While the measurement of performance has been focused upon in this Research Topic, the reliability and validity of match-observation, as well as the observation systems used in performance analysis, were also extremely important with eight articles incorporated.

In particular, the design and validation of observational instruments of technical and tactical actions were examined by Ortega-Toro et al. in soccer and Torres-Luque, Fernández-García, Cabello-Manrique et al. in tennis.

A similar approach was undertaken by Francis et al. b who quantified actions in elite wheelchair basketball, and by Gong et al. who studied the validity of the CHAMPDAS match analysis system in elite soccer.

studied the reproducibility and validity of the stroke effectiveness in table tennis based on game temporal structure; Ibáñez et al. employed a learning and performance assessment instrument in basketball; Colino et al. validated an indoor tracking system that assessed activity distance and time for court-based sports; and Premelč et al.

analyzed the reliability of judging artistic sport danceSport. A novel feature of this Research Topic was the coverage seven studies of the complexity and non-linear nature of sports that required different approaches to control for performance variability under unpredictable contexts.

First, Ribeiro et al. focused their attention on bidirectional self-organizing tendencies in team sports with a specific approach based upon the game model and the principles of play. With this framework in mind, four studies analyzed soccer including: the interpersonal coordination perspective i.

importance of team dyads and task design by Santos et al. with comments by Gesbert and Hauw in their commentary letter; the effect of interpersonal dynamics within 2 vs.

One of the most relevant and important issues in our collection of performance analysis, due to its high applicability, was tactical analysis with the following four studies: i Spencer et al.

analyzed the attacking patterns of elite futsal teams from Spain, Italy, and Russia that also considered the importance of efficiency, offensive organization, match type, scoring first and match outcome; iii Kim et al.

investigated the attacking process in soccer from a goal scoring approach with the establishment of a taxonomy of how teams developed their attack when creating scoring opportunities; and iv Scharfen and Memmert analyzed the importance of cognitive function and specific-related motor skills during different tasks by elite youth soccer players.

A distinctive gender focus in performance analysis was also of importance within this Research Topic. Firstly, Pedersen et al. focused on the gender differences of soccer players based upon physiological and anthropometrical factors.

Specifically, they presented a detailed approach to analyse and tailor-design training and competition based on gender differences. Secondly, Mclean et al. presented a work domain analysis that allowed the modeling of performance in women's netball. This research established the importance of complex relationships between key performance indicators, such as passing and possession measures, cognitive performance, and physical demands.

Finally, two studies focused on the technical and tactical actions of elite soccer female players during the FIFA World Cup Sainz de Baranda et al. and the physical and external loads experienced by amateur women's basketball players Reina et al. The importance of the technical analysis was also reflected in three studies with each focused on a different sport i.

Tjønnås et al. identified the basic motion patterns of cross-country skiing athletes and the need to control for physical, track, and environmental factors that influence these patterns.

Additionally, Yi, Liu et al. studied the technical performance indicators of soccer players over nine seasons of the UEFA Champions league. Their results via Poisson regression and autocorrelation models showed trivial changes for shooting variables and defensive actions, but higher variability of passing and attacking-related variables.

Lastly, Connor, Mann et al. studied the performance advantages of junior cricket batters based upon batting stance, lateral dominance, and type of technique.

Their results highlighted the left-handed advantage and the need to control for these factors during team selection practices. Two studies focused on the importance of contextual-related variables and their impact on players and teams' performance. Firstly, Pino-Ortega et al. analyzed the importance of the situational factors that effected external loads of Under basketball players according to their playing position i.

Secondly, Marszalek, Gryko et al. studied the heart rate profile of elite wheelchair basketball players who were classified according to their functional classification and playing time. Their results identified different performance trends according to the contextual factors of tournament level, game type, and game quarter.

The psychological approach in performance analysis was covered by three studies reflecting the importance of multifactorial analyses as key factors in sports performance.

These articles focused on: analysis of self-control during pressure situations of penalty kicks in soccer Navia et al. However, post-match analysis offers a more detailed evaluation of performance using more accurate data sources such as video footage, manually collected events, and optical tracking data collected by cameras installed inside the stadium.

These data are complex to analyse due to their large quantity, errors, and the need for proper mathematical and statistical techniques. Nevertheless, they provide valuable insights for coaches and players to improve their performance.

We provide the necessary data collection, data manipulation, analytical and video analysis skills to allow clubs to take advantage of the vast amounts of information, to receive those key elements in a clear, timely and concise manner. At SportAnalytics we deliver innovative data analysis solutions that turn numbers into deep and actionable insights, by applying the cutting-edge Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence techniques.

The objectives of performance analysis in sports include improving athlete performance, developing game strategies, enhancing team performance, identifying talent, and evaluating player and team progress over time. Virtual and augmented reality can be powerful tools for cognitive training in sports.

By using virtual reality headsets, athletes can train their technical-tactical and motor skills in a personalized manner, regardless of time and place, and against chosen opponents or scenarios.

These types of analyses can be applied both at the individual level for single players and at the collective level for teams to provide coaches with a comprehensive evaluation that considers technical, tactical, athletic, and cognitive aspects of performance.

The field of Performance Analysis is evolving fast. Different sports are at different stages. In particular, a holistic and multidisciplinary perspective such as the Grand Unified Theory analyses GUT, see Glazier, has been suggested to be fundamental for sports performance.

This approach, provides a framework to examine the inter- and intra-athlete's behavior dimensions under the environmental and task-related ecological factors that affect the performance. Additionally, Woods et al.

Subsequently, the use of interdisciplinary research designs would provide clear and well-described rationales, powerful data collection and analyses, resulting in robust findings.

Innovative sports performance analyses that incorporate new technologies to understand individual's behaviors within real-based and ecological contexts would provide a greater understanding of how players and teams act and react for greater performance development and application Bertollo et al.

In fact, as Robertson argued, the development of professionalism and data gathering in sport had lead to a new scenario for coaching staff, athletes, and performance analysts where adaptative tools are essentially required to understand the needs of sports performance e.

This special issue was initiated to gain a greater insight of current sport performance theory considering analytics and a wide range of sport disciplines e. Of note was that this special issue drew immense attention resulting in the publication of 65 articles and one corrigendum improving the research knowledge of the following topics: performance profiling 18 articles , performance measurement 13 articles , reliability and validity of coding systems eight articles , non-linear performances seven articles , performances of females four articles , tactical analysis four articles , gender analysis three articles , technical analysis three articles , psychological aspects of performance three articles , referees' performance two articles , coaching issues two articles , contextual variables two articles , and new technologies in sport two articles.

A focus on performance-related variables within sport has been the key issue studied for performance analysis. In particular, the use of fundamental indicators to model performance and establish performance profiling has provided the basis with high applicability for coaching staff to manage performance during training and competition.

This approach was widely acknowledged in this Research Topic with 18 studies published. The analysis of soccer was presented in five studies from different perspectives and included the importance of technical indicators in the Big five teams of the UEFA Champions League Yi, Groom et al.

The analysis of other team sports showed the importance of multifactorial benchmarking and longitudinal performance in Australian football McIntosh et al. a ], the positional, in-match running demands in rugby union Donkin et al. Individual sports were also investigated from different approaches including the relative age effect of track and field athletes Brustio et al.

and the pathway to succeed in elite swimming Yustres et al. Lastly, dual sports were studied with Torres-Luque, Fernández-García, Blanca-Torres et al. examining squash performance profiles of the top two players when considering the opponent's performance.

Measurement of performance analysis in sport was another main feature presented within this Research Topic with 13 articles covering different approaches and variables.

Specific articles focused on postural skills and body related measures associated with sport expertise Paillard , anthropometric measures Eriksrud et al. Additionally, articles focused on physical fitness measures and performances in junior tennis players Colomar et al.

and academy soccer players Raya-González et al. while physiological measures were considered when assessing elite male wheelchair basketball players' performance Marszałek, Kosmol et al.

Finally, two studies investigated a research framework for the importance of several measures in Australian football Bonney et al.

and the beginning of a senior career in team sports Lupo et al. While the measurement of performance has been focused upon in this Research Topic, the reliability and validity of match-observation, as well as the observation systems used in performance analysis, were also extremely important with eight articles incorporated.

In particular, the design and validation of observational instruments of technical and tactical actions were examined by Ortega-Toro et al. in soccer and Torres-Luque, Fernández-García, Cabello-Manrique et al.

in tennis. A similar approach was undertaken by Francis et al. b who quantified actions in elite wheelchair basketball, and by Gong et al. who studied the validity of the CHAMPDAS match analysis system in elite soccer.

studied the reproducibility and validity of the stroke effectiveness in table tennis based on game temporal structure; Ibáñez et al. employed a learning and performance assessment instrument in basketball; Colino et al.

validated an indoor tracking system that assessed activity distance and time for court-based sports; and Premelč et al. analyzed the reliability of judging artistic sport danceSport.

A novel feature of this Research Topic was the coverage seven studies of the complexity and non-linear nature of sports that required different approaches to control for performance variability under unpredictable contexts.

First, Ribeiro et al. focused their attention on bidirectional self-organizing tendencies in team sports with a specific approach based upon the game model and the principles of play. With this framework in mind, four studies analyzed soccer including: the interpersonal coordination perspective i.

importance of team dyads and task design by Santos et al. with comments by Gesbert and Hauw in their commentary letter; the effect of interpersonal dynamics within 2 vs. One of the most relevant and important issues in our collection of performance analysis, due to its high applicability, was tactical analysis with the following four studies: i Spencer et al.

analyzed the attacking patterns of elite futsal teams from Spain, Italy, and Russia that also considered the importance of efficiency, offensive organization, match type, scoring first and match outcome; iii Kim et al. investigated the attacking process in soccer from a goal scoring approach with the establishment of a taxonomy of how teams developed their attack when creating scoring opportunities; and iv Scharfen and Memmert analyzed the importance of cognitive function and specific-related motor skills during different tasks by elite youth soccer players.

A distinctive gender focus in performance analysis was also of importance within this Research Topic.

Player tracking systems have also been used to help prevent injury, as they can provide an insight into the standard distance players should be travelling during a match relevant to their position.

The kit we use looks a bit intimidating at first but you soon get used to it! On the performance analysis course, alongside lead lectures, practical sessions in the laboratories enable you learn about the various programmes and systems used to carry out the analysis.

There are lots of teams both inside and outside the uni who are happy to let you analyse their performance. This is a prime opportunity to apply all the theoretical knowledge you learn in first year. You will develop your own professional practice by working closely alongside the coaches and players to help them improve performance.

Working in a sporting environment can really help improve your employability by developing your as technical skills, communication skills and ability to work well under pressure. Managing large amounts of data also becomes natural to you on the course as you learn how to work with statistics and how to best present them in a way in which the coach can interpret.

The best part of being an analyst is that you get to travel with the team to all of their matches — you get to carry out your analyst duties whilst at the same time as offering support on the sidelines! Looking for more like this?

Check out our other posts by sport students at Cardiff Met , or watch our video on sport courses:. APPLY THROUGH CLEARING. This is a prime opportunity to apply all the theoretical knowledge you learn in first year. You will develop your own professional practice by working closely alongside the coaches and players to help them improve performance.

Working in a sporting environment can really help improve your employability by developing your as technical skills, communication skills and ability to work well under pressure. Managing large amounts of data also becomes natural to you on the course as you learn how to work with statistics and how to best present them in a way in which the coach can interpret.

The best part of being an analyst is that you get to travel with the team to all of their matches — you get to carry out your analyst duties whilst at the same time as offering support on the sidelines! Looking for more like this? Check out our other posts by sport students at Cardiff Met , or watch our video on sport courses:.

APPLY THROUGH CLEARING. What is Sport Performance Analysis and why should you study it? BSc Hons Sport Performance Analysis.

Previous article. Next article.