Lectures Sport performance analysis
Lecture 1 – Introduction 10-11-2020
Learning goals
After this course, students are able to:
Explain different approaches of sport performance analysis.
Explain different types of measurement used in sport performance analysis.
Analyse and interpret performance data from a real sport setting.
Learning goals of this lecture
Course overview
Assignments
Important dates
Contact information
Course overview
Lectures
3 general lectures
6 guest lectures (2 to be confirmed)
2 feedback sessions
Assignment
Exam
Assignment 2 Quantified Self Report
Monitoring yourself was never as accessible as it is now. Expertise and technical innovations
that were previously only accessible for professional athletes is now within reach for
everyone. But how do you monitor yourself effectively? How does quantifying yourself result
in more self-knowledge?
Exam
Important dates:
First chance: Tuesday 12-01-2021 9.00 – 10.30 h.
Resit: Tuesday 26-01-2021 9.00 – 10.30 h.
Grade of the exam should be ≥ 5.5.
Online exam with ± 40 multiple choice questions.
Lecture 2 – Capturing movement 12-11-2020
A sports situation
How would you analyse this performance? (we just saw a video of 2 kickboxers).
Analysing sports performance
• What is a ‘good’ performance?
• What do you want to know?
• Measuring sports performance always starts with a research question!
-> only then you can think of a way to analyse the data.
,If you don’t have a question, research becomes somewhat like fishing or data hunting. You
basically start following a basketball team. All kinds of things you can measure. There will
always be something that is statistically significant, but is it informative?
Learning goals of this lecture
After this lecture, the student is able to:
• Understand the challenges of measuring sports performance;
• Explain different types of methods to measure movement and give one example of such a
particular method in a sports setting;
• Propose three possible methods and explain which method is most suitable for a given sports
performance.
Methods to capture performance
• Kinematics (movement)
• Kinetics (forces)
• Physiological measures
• Muscle activity
Kinematics
• Description of movement
• Or: what is where in relation to time, e.g., position, velocity or acceleration
• Methods:
• Position markers (markers on person and cameras around)
• Accelerometer
• Gyroscoop
• Potentiometer
Movement of a horse
Discussion on horses having a flight stage or not. Famous photographer placed cables on the
floor. When the horse ran over it the camera would be activated. So he made snap shots of the
horse in order to see how the galop looks like. As you can see on left below there is a flight
phase.
Motion capture technology
Video on motion capture tracking system. Small balls placed and taped on participants. You
can apply this to lots of different sports. At least 6 different cameras around person. Markers
placed on several joints of person. Visual data and what someone is seeing. Take position of
body in space. You know certain points relate to certain other parts of the body. Distance
between hip and knee for example is always the same. After that you can do calculations.
Your optimal performance may be different for someone else. Anatomy can be different.
,Capturing rowing in the lab
There are different markers placed on the rowers. 3 cameras are registering movement of the
markers. This is an active marker system. All the markers (the small lights that are send to
markers because the participants are coupled to the computer) are picked up by the cameras.
Passive markers system means that lights are reflected by the markers. Allows to move more
freely. Cameras doesn’t always know which marker it is. You don’t have this with active
system. Each marker is shining at their own moment and this is picked up by camera.
Potentiometer
Device to measure rowers on the water. Synchronised movements from rowers. Resistance on
potentiometer changes during the stroke.
Accelero-gyroscope sensor
It measures movement of the boat in 3 axes. Acceleration, moving up and down of the boat.
GPS tracking
Radio signal that is picked up by satellites that move around the earth.
Applications of using GPS
“Fitness tracking app Strava gives away location of secret US army bases.”
Kinethics
• Forces
• push or pull = F
• Torque
• rotational force = F x r
• Power
• force over time = F x r
Forceplate
The Force Plate measures the ground’s reaction to the force applied by a body standing on it
(GRF). This allows us to objectively measure an athlete’s symmetry, balance, power, fatigue
and more. Based on a 3-dimensional axis plane (X,Y,Z), the force plate measures the force
produced by an athlete moving up, back/forth, and laterally.
Punching bag
Can also measure forces. Force is degree into which something is compressed. Sensor in there
that measures the resistance of electricity going through.
Kinethics
How do athletes generate forces?
• It is difficult to capture the complete distribution of tensions in the body
• The distribution of tension within the body is not necessarily observable from the outside of
the body
Physiological measures
• φύσις (physis) meaning 'nature, origin’ and
• -λογία (-logia), meaning 'study of’
• Measures capturing the mechanisms of the living body, e.g., heartrate (variability), (hours
of) sleep (quality), blood values (lactate).
, • Can be used as monitoring, e.g., to optimize training effects.
Fitbit
Measure hours of sleep, amount of steps per day, heart rate.
“Police use fitbit data to charge 90-year-old man in stepdaughter’s killing.”
Muscle activity
Very nice to measure, clear graphs. However: difficult to measure all the different muscles in
the body and it can only pickup superficial electrical activity.
Sum up of this lecture
Understand the challenges of measuring sports performance:
• A measurement always starts with a question! Measures to capture performance:
• Kinematics
• Kinetics
• Physiological measures
• Muscle activity
Homework assignment
• For your own sport, consider which of the discussed measurement methods would be
relevant
• Think of a research question for your own sport.
• Suggest 3 possible methods to answer your research question
• Discuss which method you would advise with regards to your research question and why.
Lecture 3 – Theory & Ethics 19-11-2020
The previous lecture
Understand the challenges of measuring sports performance:
• A measurement always starts with a question!
Measures to capture performance:
• Kinematics
• Kinetics
• Physiological measures
• Muscle activity
Learning goals of this lecture
After this lecture, the student is able to:
• Explain how the behaviour of the interpersonal system relates to the behaviour of the
individual athletes. Better understanding of how behaviour of team relates to behaviour of
individual athletes and how to capture this.
• Understand ethical considerations in sports performance research.
Theoretical perspectives
Video: football match filmed from above. Full view of 2 teams playing, moving as 1 group.
You don’t really see them individually.
Video: rowing from above. Looks like 1 boat/crew moving as 1 system, instead of inviduals.
Lecture 1 – Introduction 10-11-2020
Learning goals
After this course, students are able to:
Explain different approaches of sport performance analysis.
Explain different types of measurement used in sport performance analysis.
Analyse and interpret performance data from a real sport setting.
Learning goals of this lecture
Course overview
Assignments
Important dates
Contact information
Course overview
Lectures
3 general lectures
6 guest lectures (2 to be confirmed)
2 feedback sessions
Assignment
Exam
Assignment 2 Quantified Self Report
Monitoring yourself was never as accessible as it is now. Expertise and technical innovations
that were previously only accessible for professional athletes is now within reach for
everyone. But how do you monitor yourself effectively? How does quantifying yourself result
in more self-knowledge?
Exam
Important dates:
First chance: Tuesday 12-01-2021 9.00 – 10.30 h.
Resit: Tuesday 26-01-2021 9.00 – 10.30 h.
Grade of the exam should be ≥ 5.5.
Online exam with ± 40 multiple choice questions.
Lecture 2 – Capturing movement 12-11-2020
A sports situation
How would you analyse this performance? (we just saw a video of 2 kickboxers).
Analysing sports performance
• What is a ‘good’ performance?
• What do you want to know?
• Measuring sports performance always starts with a research question!
-> only then you can think of a way to analyse the data.
,If you don’t have a question, research becomes somewhat like fishing or data hunting. You
basically start following a basketball team. All kinds of things you can measure. There will
always be something that is statistically significant, but is it informative?
Learning goals of this lecture
After this lecture, the student is able to:
• Understand the challenges of measuring sports performance;
• Explain different types of methods to measure movement and give one example of such a
particular method in a sports setting;
• Propose three possible methods and explain which method is most suitable for a given sports
performance.
Methods to capture performance
• Kinematics (movement)
• Kinetics (forces)
• Physiological measures
• Muscle activity
Kinematics
• Description of movement
• Or: what is where in relation to time, e.g., position, velocity or acceleration
• Methods:
• Position markers (markers on person and cameras around)
• Accelerometer
• Gyroscoop
• Potentiometer
Movement of a horse
Discussion on horses having a flight stage or not. Famous photographer placed cables on the
floor. When the horse ran over it the camera would be activated. So he made snap shots of the
horse in order to see how the galop looks like. As you can see on left below there is a flight
phase.
Motion capture technology
Video on motion capture tracking system. Small balls placed and taped on participants. You
can apply this to lots of different sports. At least 6 different cameras around person. Markers
placed on several joints of person. Visual data and what someone is seeing. Take position of
body in space. You know certain points relate to certain other parts of the body. Distance
between hip and knee for example is always the same. After that you can do calculations.
Your optimal performance may be different for someone else. Anatomy can be different.
,Capturing rowing in the lab
There are different markers placed on the rowers. 3 cameras are registering movement of the
markers. This is an active marker system. All the markers (the small lights that are send to
markers because the participants are coupled to the computer) are picked up by the cameras.
Passive markers system means that lights are reflected by the markers. Allows to move more
freely. Cameras doesn’t always know which marker it is. You don’t have this with active
system. Each marker is shining at their own moment and this is picked up by camera.
Potentiometer
Device to measure rowers on the water. Synchronised movements from rowers. Resistance on
potentiometer changes during the stroke.
Accelero-gyroscope sensor
It measures movement of the boat in 3 axes. Acceleration, moving up and down of the boat.
GPS tracking
Radio signal that is picked up by satellites that move around the earth.
Applications of using GPS
“Fitness tracking app Strava gives away location of secret US army bases.”
Kinethics
• Forces
• push or pull = F
• Torque
• rotational force = F x r
• Power
• force over time = F x r
Forceplate
The Force Plate measures the ground’s reaction to the force applied by a body standing on it
(GRF). This allows us to objectively measure an athlete’s symmetry, balance, power, fatigue
and more. Based on a 3-dimensional axis plane (X,Y,Z), the force plate measures the force
produced by an athlete moving up, back/forth, and laterally.
Punching bag
Can also measure forces. Force is degree into which something is compressed. Sensor in there
that measures the resistance of electricity going through.
Kinethics
How do athletes generate forces?
• It is difficult to capture the complete distribution of tensions in the body
• The distribution of tension within the body is not necessarily observable from the outside of
the body
Physiological measures
• φύσις (physis) meaning 'nature, origin’ and
• -λογία (-logia), meaning 'study of’
• Measures capturing the mechanisms of the living body, e.g., heartrate (variability), (hours
of) sleep (quality), blood values (lactate).
, • Can be used as monitoring, e.g., to optimize training effects.
Fitbit
Measure hours of sleep, amount of steps per day, heart rate.
“Police use fitbit data to charge 90-year-old man in stepdaughter’s killing.”
Muscle activity
Very nice to measure, clear graphs. However: difficult to measure all the different muscles in
the body and it can only pickup superficial electrical activity.
Sum up of this lecture
Understand the challenges of measuring sports performance:
• A measurement always starts with a question! Measures to capture performance:
• Kinematics
• Kinetics
• Physiological measures
• Muscle activity
Homework assignment
• For your own sport, consider which of the discussed measurement methods would be
relevant
• Think of a research question for your own sport.
• Suggest 3 possible methods to answer your research question
• Discuss which method you would advise with regards to your research question and why.
Lecture 3 – Theory & Ethics 19-11-2020
The previous lecture
Understand the challenges of measuring sports performance:
• A measurement always starts with a question!
Measures to capture performance:
• Kinematics
• Kinetics
• Physiological measures
• Muscle activity
Learning goals of this lecture
After this lecture, the student is able to:
• Explain how the behaviour of the interpersonal system relates to the behaviour of the
individual athletes. Better understanding of how behaviour of team relates to behaviour of
individual athletes and how to capture this.
• Understand ethical considerations in sports performance research.
Theoretical perspectives
Video: football match filmed from above. Full view of 2 teams playing, moving as 1 group.
You don’t really see them individually.
Video: rowing from above. Looks like 1 boat/crew moving as 1 system, instead of inviduals.
