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Objectives To investigate the arm–leg coordination from different perspectives of motor control during the underwater start sequence to understand whether differences exist between the three competitive breaststroke swimming events. Design Cross-sectional study. Methods Forty-one breaststroke races (with race times relative to the world record): 50-meter (n = 14, 87.6%), 100-meter (n = 14, 88.5%) and 200-meter (n = 13, 85.4%) were recorded. A race analysis system tracked the two-dimensional displacement of the head. Key points from the underwater start sequence were obtained from notational analysis in order to compute seven time-gaps and four phases to assess the arm–leg coordination and timing of the dolphin kick. A one-way ANOVA with Bonferroni post-hoc correction was used to assess differences between the time gaps and phases for the three events. Results Differences between the three events were found for total underwater glide, and the first (T0) and second (T1) major glide phase. No differences between the events were found in relative duration and distance for the time gaps related to arm–leg coordination (T1–3, T4, T6) and timing of the dolphin kick (T4–5) during the underwater start sequence. Conclusions The arm–leg coordination and timing of the dolphin kick showed no difference between the events, but the total underwater glide duration was longer in both the 100- and 200-meter compared with the 50-meter start. This shows that swimmers did not change the complex inter-limb coordination between the competitive events, but only modified the least complex movement, gliding, to adapt to the swimming speed of the respective events.

The objective of this study is to analyse the game-related statistics that differentiate winning and losing teams, according to the finale game scores in a men’s university basketball league. Samples were gathered from the archival data of the 2019–2020 regular season of the league. Sixteen game-related statistics were analysed: two- and three-point field-goals (both successful and unsuccessful), free-throws (both successful and unsuccessful), defensive and offensive rebounds, assists, steals, turnover, blocks, second-chance points, fast break points, fouls committed and received. The data were clustered into different game types based on the final outcome point differences: all games, balanced games (11 points and below) and unbalanced games (12 points and above). Discriminant function analysis was conducted to identify the performance indicators that classify winning and losing games. The results revealed that winning and losing in balanced games were discriminated by successful two-point field goals, unsuccessful two-point field goals, unsuccessful three-point field goals, successful free-throws, assists, steals, blocks, second-chance points, fast-break points, fouls committed, and fouls received. For unbalanced games, winning and losing were distinguished by successful two-point field goals, successful three-point field goals, successful free-throws, unsuccessful free-throws, defensive rebounds, blocks, fast-break points, and fouls received. In conclusion, offensive and defensive indices are critical to winning and losing in university-level basketball.

Notational analysis research to date has often overlooked Youth football, predominantly examining First teams in elite competitions. As a result, the current study aims to compare performance between U16s, U18s and First teams. 3311 final third entries were analysed over the course of 45 matches, equally distributed across three age-groups, during the 2018–2019 season. The sample consisted of 10 U16 teams, 16 U18 teams and 16 First teams. The study found that there were significant differences in playing styles across the age groups. As experience increases, there is a tendency of more wing than central attacks, more forward-diagonal movements, more crosses, but fewer shooting opportunities due to developments in defence abilities. The differences in the patterns of play across the age groups, suggests that younger players are more independently focused when attempting to breakdown their opposition’s defence, with older teams using space more effectively and more team focused.

The authors’ purpose was to examine the factors associated with penalty outcomes of male elite goalball. A total of 122 video-recorded matches from two Paralympic Games (i.e., 2012 and 2016) and the 2014 Goalball World Championship were assessed using notational analysis. Individual (n = 2), situational (n = 4), and performance variables (n = 7) were analyzed with good strength of agreement for intra- and interrater kappa index values. Their results showed that penalties play a very important role in the final score, composing around 25% of total goals in elite goalball matches. Winners were awarded on average with 62% of penalties and had 66% effectiveness compared with losers (31% and 53%) or drawers (8% and 52%). Based on the authors’ findings, penalty takers should direct their throws at specific target sectors on the court, which could increase their rate of success to over 80%.

Open source, MATLAB-based video analysis tool for notational analysis. Customizable and easy to use.

Using Random Forest models and associated variable importance methods to uncover performance and rank indicators in Rocket League

The purpose of this study was to find the factors responsible for winning in the men’s and women’s beach volleyball championship. Materials and methods. The study sample consisted of a total of 212 matches for men and 214 matches for women of the 2017 & 2019 FIVB Men and Women Beach Volleyball World Championships held at Vienna & Hamburg from 28 July to 6 Aug 2017 and 28 June to 7 July 2019. The matches were played by 192 teams (both men and women combined) consisting of 384 numbers (both men and women combined) of players from different nations. The data were analyzed using Binary Logistic Regression (Forward: LR Method) with the result of the game as the dependent variable and predictor variables as covariates. β, standard error β, Wald’s χ2, odds ratio with 95% confidence interval were calculated. Model evaluation was conducted using the likelihood ratio test, Cox & Snell (R2), and Nagelkerke (R2) tests. The goodness of fit test for the models was conducted using the Hosmer & Lemeshow test. Results. The analysis revealed seven factors related to winning in men’s and women’s competition. While in league rounds, six factors in men’s and seven factors in women’s competition were related to winning. Besides, in knockout rounds, four factors in men’s and six factors in women’s competition were related to winning. Conclusion. The study shows that there is a significant association of important factors with respect to winning a match in an elite beach volleyball championship. The coaches and players can take note of the important factors responsible for winning in the elite beach volleyball championship, with different factors playing an important role in men’s and women’s competition during league and knockout rounds as well.

Grand Slam tennis tournaments are played on different surfaces. The aims of the present study were to analyse the technical differences in the Grand Slam tournaments (Australian Open or AO, Roland Garros or RG, Wimbledon or W, and the United States Open or US), as well as to establish differences between winning and losing players. A total of 580 sets in 248 matches played in Grand Slams between 2017 and 2018 were analysed. To observe differences between the tournaments, a one-way analysis of variance (Kruskal Wallis) with the Bonferroni post-hoc test was performed. Univariate (Wilcoxon test) analysis of data was carried out to show the differences between the winning and losing performances of sets. Players who had more aces, points won on the 1st serve, winning shots and net points won more matches in the AO, W and US than in the RG (p

The aim of the study was to determine the differences in competition statistics between professional and under-18 (U-18) players by sex. A total of 546 official matches of Grand Slam were selected (268 male and 278 female). The data was obtained from the official website of the tournaments. Different variables related to match time, serve, return and winners-unforced errors were analysed. Descriptive analysis and a Mann-Whitney U test to analyse the differences between professional players and U-18 players were performed. Likewise, to estimate which variables obtained the greatest significant differences was conducted a discriminant analysis. ATP players played longer sets and matches, had a better serve performance and hitting more winners than U-18 male players. Junior male players increased their return effectivity and hit fewer unforced errors than ATP players (p< 0.001). WTA players hit less double faults, had a better percentage of first serve-in and hit more winners than U-18 female players. Junior female hit less unforced errors than WTA players (p< 0.001). Moreover, the key differences between professional and junior players both males and females were the number of winners and unforced errors per set. Further, the match time and aces hitting were key factors that differentiated ATP players from U-18 male players. These data would be help coaches to design junior’s trainings programs, improving their performance based on key professional stage factors.

The purpose of this study was to analyse selected serve characteristics in top-level male volleyball, with a special focus on detecting adaptations of the serve skill among seasons. The indicators examined were type, position, direction and quality of serve. The sample consisted of 5482 serves from three final phases of different top-level tournaments (Olympic Games 2012, N = 1942, World League 2017, N = 1883, World Championship 2018, N = 1657). The interrelationships between variables were analyzed using chi-squared tests, log-linear modelling and multiple correspondence analysis. The results showed that the interaction of all serve indicators are statistically important, but the combination of the variables’ categories that were more responsible for association alternated across the seasons under study. A 3-way association term was revealed for season 2012 (type/position/direction) and 2018 (type/position/quality), while for season 2017 multiple 2-way interactions were found (type/position, type/direction, position/quality, direction/quality). The direction of the serve to the horizontal axis of the court was correlated to the quality of serve and consequently with the advantage of the serving team, while a more tactical perspective for serve skill is formed over periods in top level male volleyball.

The main purpose of the present study was to assess if the intervention of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) had effects in the playing time and in the technical-tactical and physical performances ...

This article offers an examination of a research process that used elements taken from an elite sporting competition, in this case an international Rugby Union match, to develop choreographic thinking tools to create a new contemporary dance work. One goal of this practice-led research was to create a vehicle for penetrating the physicality and unpacking the bodily configurations created in a rugby match. Data derived from a frame-by-frame analysis of a recorded match allowed for the identification and deconstruction of sequential movement to be converted into set representational, abstract choreographic tools named movement signatures and blocks. Through this research, the main physical traits identified were entanglement, directional changeability and interlocking struggle. Subsequently, these choreographic stimuli were used in the formation of movement scores and an abstract movement vocabulary to inform the creation and performance of a non-traditional research output, Fields of Play (2015). Furthermore, this practice-led study utilized elements of Laban Movement Analysis and sports movement analysis to develop an experimental approach to movement annotation and the development of a choreographic process. Through witnessing this hybrid movement vocabulary evolve, the research revealed qualities of de-centred logic, interruption of flow and the potential for a game dramaturgy to emerge.

There are several tactical variants that can be used by the serving and receiving teams before the serve is struck in tennis doubles. The goal is to analyse the frequency and efficiency of the tactical variants of the serving and receiving teams in doubles at the elite level. We analysed 1067 points in 18 doubles matches in professional men's top-level tennis tournaments. Next to the Classical formation, the I-formation was used in 46 % of points when players hit the first serve and in 41 % of cases when the point started with the second serve. Both formations had very equal efficiency, both after the first and second serve. The receiving team preferred a formation where both players were positioned at the baseline (53 %) when returning the first serve, but only in 18 % of points when they faced the second serve. The results summarize strategies and specific tactical variants in current game performance of male doubles at the top tennis level and the results can help to set a default set-up of training volumes of these game situations. The coaches can use the information and adjust the practice sessions according to the tactical demands of professional tennis.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the important features of “high-quality” shots in water polo. The lead author collected a sample of over 5000 shots from the men’s 2016–2017 NCAA se...

Male and female players may have different game characteristics and performance. The first two shots of a rally in badminton have tactical importance. The aim of this study is to identify players' actions and behaviors and to assess differences in serve and return between the genders on the international level. We observed 15 male and 15 female matches from top international badminton tournaments. A notational analysis was used while observing the serve type, return type and the point winner. Male players hit the backhand short serve in 91 % of points and female players started the point mostly with the forehand long serve (58 %). Both genders won 50 % of the serving points. The distribution of return type is quite equal among the drop, lob, clear, smash and net shots in female matches. While returning a short serve, the lob was 4-5 % less efficient than a net shot in both genders. Women can try to use backhand short serve more often as we found the highest efficiency of all the serve types.

The aim of this study was twofold: i) to compare the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and the frequencies of technical actions per minute in different small-sided games (SSGs) between under-14 and under-16 age groups, and ii) to compare the RPE and the frequencies of technical actions per minute between 1 x 1, 2 x 2, 3 x 3, 4 x 4 and 5 x 5 formats within age groups. Twenty young male basketball players from the same club (N = 10, from under-14; N = 10, from under-16) competing at the national level voluntarily participated in this study. Five different SSGs (1 x 1, 2 x 2, 3 x 3, 4 x 4 and 5 x 5) were played twice on courts of the same relative area and were compared in terms of the RPE and technical actions. The number of technical-tactical actions per minute, i.e. conquered balls (CB), received balls (RB), lost balls (LB), attacking balls/passes (AB), shots (S), rebounds (R), and the RPE were collected for each player for each SSG session. The results revealed that most of the differences between age groups were considered trivial/small and/or unclear for all SSG formats, though likely moderate differences between age groups were found in 1 x 1 and 2 x 2 SSGs, revealing that young players had greater frequencies of received, conquered, and lost balls. Within-age-group comparisons also showed moderate-to-large increases in technical actions during smaller formats than during larger ones. The main evidence of this study revealed that age group seemed not to largely influence the RPE or technical actions during different SSGs. However, smaller formats moderately-to-largely increased the number of technical actions. Interestingly, the biggest format (5 x 5) largely increased the RPE in comparison to the remaining formats. As a conclusion, technical actions and the RPE were influenced more by the format of play than by the age group.

The purpose of using notation analysis is to collect as much data as possible regarding the abilities and characteristics of individual players, as well as the entire team. Using the collected database, coaches can make objective decisions about the way individual players and the entire team play. The paper analyzes a match between FF Malmӧ and FC Chelsea, played in the UEFA Europa League round of 32. The overall score was 1:2 for Chelsea. A notational scouting analysis was conducted using a programme called Pinnacle Studio 15. Offensive actions were analyzed, from the moment the team came into possession of the ball. Player activities were recorded by means of the notational system. A total of 30 elements of offensive tactics were monitored. The possession of the ball (66/34), the total and the totally correct significantly higher number of passes (781/321; 741/265), the shot on goal inside the penalty area (4/1) and the higher percentage of successful dribbles in the game 1:1 (68, 75/50) can be singled out as significant factors in the end result in favor of FC Chelsea. All that has been analyzed indicates the way FF Malmö plays, as well as the way in which one should stand against such a play, which is the primary goal and reason for conducting the notational analysis.

To carry out research that analyzes performance indicators through observational methodology, it is necessary to have validated tools. The purpose of this study was to design and validate a tool to ascertain the characteristics of the strokes that padel pairs use to reach the net and their consequences in the two subsequent shots of the game. Eleven experts, who had to meet four of the five inclusion criteria established by the researchers, participated in the process. Aiken’s V coefficient and confidence intervals were used to analyze content validity and Cronbach’s α coefficient to calculate reliability. The adequacy and wording of the sixteen variables initially designed were evaluated. Four variables were eliminated due to obtaining values

Aim: To characterize the goal-scoring patterns and investigate the goal process on match outcome during the Intercontinental Beach Soccer Cup Dubai 2019. Methods: A set of 35 goal-scoring patterns were grouped into nine macro-categories: Match-period, Court-zone, Set-play, Open-play, Touching by players before the goal, Offensive method, Goalkeeper-line, Number of passes before the goal, and Ball trajectory. Match outcome in regular time was considered the matches resulting in a loss (n=16), draw (n=8), or win (n=16). The offensive sequences that resulted in the goal were analyzed in all 20 matches during the competition (n=138 goals). Results: The most goals were scored in Open-play (69%), during the 2nd and 3rd periods (36% for each), near to goal (Zone 4; 50%), preceded by 1-touch (67%) and 0-pass (29%), using positional attack (46%), without goalkeeper-line (68%), and with high-ball trajectory (51%). In addition, won matches presented a higher number of goals in Zone 4, 1-touch, Counterattack, 4v4 goal-successful, Receiving pass, Sand-touch, and High-ball compared to draw and loss matches (p

O golo é um indicador crucial da análise de desempenho no futebol. O objetivo do nosso estudo foi analisar o golo e fases anteriores desde a recuperação da bola. Foram analisados um total de 169 golos da fase de grupos e eliminação do Mundial de 2018. As observações foram feitas através do programa LINCEe os dados foram analisados utilizando o programa HOISANe SPSS Statistics 24. Os dados foram analisados através de estatística descritiva, gráfica, teste exato de Fisher, U-Mann Whitneye coordenadas polares. Foi verificado que a recuperação da bola acontece preferencialmente por falta do adversário, nas zonas de meio-campo ofensivo. O último passe é registado com muita frequência nas zonas ofensivas, em resultado do ataque posicional, com o pé-direito e dentro da grande área. Foi ainda verificado a importância dos esquemas táticos na obtenção do golo. As coordenadas polares mostram relações de ativação entre a finalização e os outros comportamentos técnico-táticos, reforçando e complementando a análise notacional. Concluímos que a análise notacional, complementada com tratamento estatístico e análise de coordenadas polares revelam informações relevantes para analisar o desempenho em competição e planear o processo de treino. El gol es un indicador crucial del análisis del rendimiento del fútbol. El objetivo de nuestro estudio fue analizar el gol y etapas anteriores desde la recuperación del balón. Se analizaron un total de 169 goles en la fase de grupos y eliminación del Mundial 2018. Las observaciones se realizaron con el programa LINCEy los datos se analizaron con el programa HOISANy SPSS Statistics 24. Los datos se analizaron mediante estadísticas descriptivas y gráfica, prueba exacta de Fisher, U-Mann Whitneyy coordenadas polares. Se verificó que la recuperación del balón ocurre preferentemente por falta del oponente, en las zonas del mediocampo ofensivo. El último pase se registra muy a menudo en las zonas ofensivas, como consecuencia del ataque posicional, con el pie derecho y dentro del área de penalti. También se comprobó la importancia de los esquemas tácticos para obtener el gol. Las coordenadas polares muestran las relaciones de activación entre la finalización y los otros comportamientos técnico-tácticos, reforzando y complementando el análisis notacional. Concluimos que el análisis notacional, complementado con el tratamiento estadístico y análisis de coordenadas polares, revela información relevante para analizar el desempeño en competición y planificar el proceso de entrenamiento The goal is a crucial indicator of performance analysis in football. The aim of our study was to analyze the goal and previous phases since the recovery of the ball. 169 goals from group stage and elimination of the 2018 World Cup were analyzed. The observations were made through the LINCEprogram and the data were analyzed using the HOISANand SPSSStatistics 24program. The data were analyzed using descriptive, graphic statistics, Fisher'sexact test, U-Mann Whitneyand polar coordinates. It was verifiedthat the recovery of the ball happens preferably due to fault of the opponent, in the areas of offensive midfield. The last pass is recorded very often in the offensive zones, as a result of the positional attack, with the right foot and inside the large area. It was also verified the importance of tactical schemes in obtaining the goal. The polar coordinates show activation relationships between the finalization and the other technical-tactical behaviors, reinforcing and complementing the notational analysis. We conclude that the notational analysis, complemented with statistical analysis and polar coordinate analysis, reveal relevant information to analyze performance in competition and plan the training process.

We examined the game characteristics of badminton and the physiological and metabolic responses in highly trained male junior players. Players from a Badminton England accredited Performance Centre (n = 10, age: 14.0 ± 1.2 y, height: 1.69 ± 0.06 m, body mass: 59.1 ± 5.0 kg) completed a 20-m shuttle run test (V˙O2max: 64 ± 7 mL·kg−1·min−1) and a simulated ability-matched competitive singles badminton game consisting of two 12-min games with a 2-min break wearing the COSMED K5 metabolic system with notational analysis. In five games, 427 points were contested with a rally time of 5.7 ± 3.7 s, a rest time of 11.2 ± 5.9 s, shots per rally of 5.6 ± 3.6, work density of 0.50 ± 0.21, an effective playing time of 32.3 ± 8.4%, and shots frequency of 1.04 ± 0.29. During badminton play, heart rate was 151 ± 12 b·min−1 (82 ± 10% of maximum heart rate), oxygen uptake was 39.2 ± 3.9 mL·kg−1·min−1 (62 ± 7% of V˙O2max), and energy expenditure was 11.2 ± 1.1 kcal·min−1 with a post-game blood lactate of 3.33 ± 0.83 mmol·L−1. Compared to adult badminton play, the physiological responses of junior badminton are lower and may be due to the shorter rally durations. Male junior badminton players should be exposed to training methodologies which include rally durations in excess of what they encounter during match play so as to develop greater consistency. Our observations on game characteristics and physiological responses during junior badminton can be used to inform training practice.

The evaluation of physical fitness in team sports is enjoying greater importance in the training of professional teams. The objectives of this research were to characterize physical fitness and game indicators based on the game position. This is an empirical study, with a quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional methodology. In addition, different relationships between the level of physical fitness and the game indicators during the competition were determined. Finally, a predictive analysis of the selected variables was carried out in order to know the importance of the variables in the performance and at what time of the season they had the greatest impact. For this, a professional female basketball team (n = 12) with a mean age of 25.25 +/- 7.617 years, height 178.25 +/- 9.206 cm and a body mass of 72.33 +/- 11.657 kg was analyzed. Each player was equipped with a WIMUPRO inertial device, and all competition statistics were analyzed. The results obtained show that there were no differences among all the skills evaluated and game indicators depending on the game position. Likewise, a relationship was determined between the level of physical fitness and the technical-tactical contribution, being different between different times of the season. Moreover, physical fitness only predicted the player's final performance in the competition for female player centers in the first and second rounds of the championship, and for forwards in the first round. Four physical-physiological profiles with contributions to the different ones during the competition were also determined. Finally, three groups of female players by playing position were identified according to their sport performance, namely PIR, high, medium and low ratings, associated with physical performances. In all groups, there were significant differences between playing positions, PIR and physical performances., Regional Department of Economy and Infrastructure of the Government of Extremadura (Spain) through the European Regional Development Funds GR21149, Spanish National Agency of Investigation through the project "Scientific and Technological Support to analyze the Training Workload of Basketball teams according to sex, level of the players and season period" PID2019-106614GBI00

This chapter details the flow of a cricket match and describes how performance analysis of batting and bowling tasks is undertaken. Cricket involves two teams of 11 players consisting of batsmen and bowlers, and each team is supposed to bat and bowl at least once. While batting, the team’s aim is to score runs and set a target for the opponent, while bowlers aim to take wickets of the opposition batsmen and limit the runs scored. Batting performance is indicated with runs, and bowling performance with wickets. Batting and bowling performance also needs to be contextualised based on the three formats of international cricket – five-day test matches, one-day internationals (ODI) or a Twenty20 (T20). Performance analysis in cricket is mostly based on widely available descriptive statistics of batting and bowling performance such as average runs and wickets, as well as runs and wickets per 100 balls faced or bowled. More recent updates in broadcast data also include projected scores and win predictors. These descriptive statistics have been used to simulate match outcomes, judge the best starting line-ups as well as gauge run differentials of players. However, on-field strategy often requires more detailed observations of responses and outcomes. For situation-specific analysis as well as individual opponent-based strategy, notational analysis of ball-by-ball data is performed. These notations include categorical data that describes different characteristics of every ball bowled in the match. It could include ball-pitching lengths and associated batting stroke types, but also positions of fielders and other measures of quality of bat on ball contact. Analyst, coach and player interviews suggest that such notational analysis informs on-field plans, while also mentioning how different captains may put varying degrees of faith in such data-driven insights. Examples of effective use of data-driven strategy are also provided.

We applied social networks analysis to objectively discriminate and describe interpersonal interaction dynamics of players across different top-coaching styles. The aim was to compare metrics in the passing networks of Jürgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, and Mauricio Pochettino across the UEFA Champions League seasons from 2017 to 2020. Data on completed passes from 92 games were gathered and average passing networks metrics were computed. We were not only able to find the foundations on which these elite coaches build the passing dynamics in their respective teams, but also to determine important differences that represent their particular coaching signatures. The local cluster coefficient was the only metric not significantly different between coaches. Still, we found higher average shortest-path length for Guardiola's network (mean ± std = 3.00 ± 0.45 a.u.) compared to Klopp's (2.80 ± 0.52 a.u., p = 0.04) and Pochettino's (2.70 ± 0.39 a.u., p = 0.01). Density was higher for Guardiola's (64.16 ± 20.27 a.u.) than for Pochettino's team (51.42 ± 17.28 a.u., p = 0.008). The largest eigenvalue for Guardiola's team (65.95 ± 16.79 a.u.) was higher than for Klopp's (47.06 ± 17.25 a.u., p < 0.001) and Pochettino's (42,62 ± 12.01 a.u., p < 0.001). Centrality dispersion was also higher for Guardiola (0.14 ± 0.02 a.u.) when compared to Klopp (0.12 ± 0.03 a.u., p = 0.008). The local cluster coefficient seems to build the foundation for passing work, however, cohesion characteristics among players in the three teams of the top coaches seems to characterize their own footprint regarding passing dynamics. Guardiola stands out by the high number of passes and the enhanced connection of the most important players in the network. Klopp and Pochettino showed important similarities, which are associated to preferences toward more flexibility of interpersonal linkages synergies.

Due to the worldwide negative impact on sport of the COVID-19 pandemic declared by the WHO in 2020, the first aim of this study was to analyze the influence of COVID-19 on performance indicators as a natural experiment, according to the moment in time: pre-COVID, COVID and post-COVID. The second aim was to analyze and ascertain the persistence of the performance indicators (PIs) over the analyzed seasons. To this end, 5320 teams’ match data corresponding to the 2014/2015 to 2020/2021 seasons of the LaLiga (first division of Spanish men’s soccer) were analyzed. All the seasons developed normally except the 2019/2020 season in which there was a three-month hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, representing a natural experiment without spectators. Statistical tests including ANOVA, general multivariate linear analysis with three independent variables (covidtime, venue and result) and an autocorrelation were performed. The results obtained showed that there were significant differences in the PIs regarding the moment in time, the result, the venue, and the pairwise interactions among them. The evolution of the PIs has changed over the years, showing a decrease in the means of most of them, leading to a more passive game with tighter results; differences which could be generated by the change in the rules (from 3 to 5 substitutions), the total or partial absence of spectators, three months of confinement and inactivity, or the accumulation of matches and minutes played by the individual players. The teams’ technical staffs should bear all of these types of situations in mind as the seasons evolve to adapt as quickly as possible to a more effective game style in order to achieve objectives.

The purpose of this study was to analyse the performance of professional rink hockey goalkeepers and ascertain whether this is influenced by the opposition’s offensive play. A sample of 40 ...

This study aimed to compare the frequencies of core tactical principles, the percentages of successful tactical principles, and the general network properties of football small-sided and conditione...

The number of studies related to notational analysis of the serve has grown in recent years, and this latest research has suggested that: players win more with the serve at younger age groups; with males, there is more variation in direction and more points are won on the forehand than the backhand return; and, women return closer to the net with a flatter trajectory than male counterparts. Despite advances in research there is still little on female tennis, especially on clay courts. In this study, 795 points of female matches at the BBVA Open Valencia 2017 ITF event were analysed. On the first serve, on the left, players use mainly backhands and hit crosscourt, whereas on the right, there were no significant differences in forehands and backhands hit, and there was more variation in direction. On the second serve, on the left, players still mainly used backhands but hit more shots down the line; whereas on the right, players hit mainly inside-out forehands and there were no differences in the direction hit.

In order to fulfil its mission of protecting the nature of tennis and encouraging innovation and improvements, the ITF Technical Centre quantifies the parameters that describe the essence of the sport at the elite level, and thus constitute ‘the state of the game’. This annual report aims to establish how players, their equipment and the interaction between them are changing over time, to analyse the impact of these changes on the game and to contemplate the merits of any necessary counter-measures. Point length is a key metric of the nature of the game. Too many short points is generally considered unattractive. Low serve returnability can lead to short points, therefore serve returnability should be monitored and understood. Serve returnability is strongly dependent on post-bounce speed, serve angle and the proximity of the bounce to the centre serviceline or sideline. Taller players typically serve faster than shorter players and therefore generate higher post-bounce speeds, lower returnability serves and consequently more short points. The higher post-bounce speed of serves by these players can be reduced, increasing their returnability, by using a slower court and/or larger ball. A warning indicator signalling an excessive number of short points could be used to determine when regulation of equipment might be used to counteract the rise of shorter points. A more radical response would be to make the service-box narrower to increase the returnability of serves without impacting the speed of subsequent shots.

In order to investigate the effect of playing styles on the match performance of football teams, data were analysed on 18 technical performance-related variables and 8 physical performance-related variables from 59 matches in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. A

The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in table tennis serves and return of serves between the London (2012) and Rio (2016) Olympic Games. The sample consisted of 30 matches corr...

This study aims at analyzing the effectiveness of using an additional field player, when goalkeeper is replaced, during the positional attack in the case of numerical equality, superiority or inferiority and when counterattacks are suffered. The sample consisted of 841 attack actions collected from eight games of men’s teams in the knockout phase of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The number of goals scored and the counterattacks suffered in symmetrical and asymmetrical situations were checked for both situations: using the additional player or not. Was performed the chi-square test (𝜒 2 ) and the effect power was calculated using Phi (ɸ). The analysis of the attack showed that there was no association between goal-making and the use of the additional field player in different asymmetric situations. There was no association between the reach of the goal in case of opponent’s counterattack substitution of the goalkeeper with the additional field player or not as well as no association between punishment and goal achievement in different offensive situations. The use of an additional field player did not benefit the team in attack actions and brought no disadvantages in the scoreboard. These results show that, in this championship, such strategy did not produce significant changes in decisive games of men’s handball. Resumen Este estudio tiene como objetivo analizar la efectividad del uso de un jugador adicional, cuando se reemplaza al portero, durante el ataque de posicion en el caso de igualdad, superioridad o inferioridad numerica y cuando se sufren contraataques. La muestra consistio en 841 acciones de ataque recolectadas de ocho juegos de equipos masculinos en la fase eliminatoria de los Juegos Olimpicos Rio 2016. El numero de goles marcados y los contraataques sufridos en situaciones simetricas y asimetricas se verificaron en ambas situaciones: con el jugador adicional o no. Se realizo la prueba de chi-cuadrado (𝜒2) y la potencia del efecto se calculo utilizando Phi (ɸ). El analisis del ataque mostro que no habia asociacion entre el establecimiento de objetivos y el uso del jugador de adicional en situaciones asimetricas. En el contraataque no hubo asociacion entre sufrir o gol y sustituir al portero por el jugador adicional o no, asi como no hubo asociacion entre las puniciones y la realizacion del gol en diferentes situaciones ofensivas. El uso de un jugador adicional no beneficio al equipo en las acciones de ataque y no trajo desventajas en el marcador. Estos demuestran que, en este campeonato, dicha estrategia no produjo cambios significativos en los juegos decisivos del balonmano masculino. https://doi.org/10.5232/ricyde2019.05707 References/referencias Anguera, M. 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Players’ exclusions effects on elite handball teams’ scoring performance during close games. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 15 (3), 983-996. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2015.11868845 Rogulj, N., Vuleta, D., Milanovic, D., Cavala, M., & Foretic, N. (2011). The efficiency of elements of collective attack tactics in handball. Kinesiologia Slovenica , 17 (1), 5–14. Saavedra, J. M.; Þorgeirsson, S.; Kristjansdottir, H.; Chang, M., & Halldorsson, K. (2017). Handball game-related statistics in men at Olympic Games (2004-2016): Differences and discriminatory power. Retos: nuevas tendencias en educacion fisica, deporte y recreacion, 32 (2), 260-263. Seco, J.D.D.R. (2006). The beginnings of the XXI century: evolution and tendencies of the game. E-Balonmano.com: Revista de Ciencias del deporte ; 1 (2), 3-20. Sevim, Y., & Bilge, M. (2007). The comparison of the last Olympic, World and European Men Handball Championships and the current developments in World Handball. 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Ungureanu, AN, Condello, G, Pistore, S, Conte, D, and Lupo, C. Technical and tactical aspects in Italian youth rugby union in relation to different academies, regional tournaments, and outcomes. J Strength Cond Res 33(6): 1557-1569, 2019-This study aimed to analyze the technical and tactical aspects of the Italian under-18 Academy Rugby Union in relation to different academies, regional tournaments, and game outcomes. A notational analysis (44 indicators) was performed on 16 games (2014-15 season) to evaluate strong differences (p ≤ 0.05; moderate-large effect sizes [ESs]) according to variables. Among academies, strong differences were showed for defensive breakdown, in which the defending support is much (range = 77-87%), equal (range = 11-32%), and less (range = 2-12%) numerous than the attacking support, total tackles (range = 64-122), and passes (range = 72-151), pass to possession ratio (range = 6-10), possession lost due to an error (range = 28-59%), and ball in play in own (range = 8-25%) and opponent (range = 7-31%) 22-m area indicators. For tournaments, effects emerged for offensive breakdown when the ball is used quickly using maximum 2 attacking supports (range = 20-30%) and is not used quickly (range = 28-41%), total penalty kicks (range = 11-16), and sequences period 0-10 (range = 26-35%) and 10-40 seconds (range = 47-55%). Conversely, winning and losing academies reported differences with small ESs. These results highlight that the technical and tactical aspects of the Italian under-18 Academy Rugby Union are quite homogeneous, suggesting that FIR coaching staffs are more oriented to players' skills than successful games. However, tactical and strength and conditioning coaches can benefit from the findings of this study, focusing training on cognitive, strength, and repeated sprint abilities with and without change of direction for improving the occurrence of "set pieces won/regained" and "ball in play in opponent 22 m area," which appear as the key of the game in this rugby competition level.

This study aimed to compare the offensive sequences that resulted in goals in the group stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup according to teams’ status: eliminated versus qualified for the knockout pha...

This study aimed to analyze technical and tactical parameters characterizing the women's water polo Olympic Games (Rio, Brazil, 2016) to discriminate winning and losing performance profile in general and according to close and unbalanced games with different margin of victory (i.e., ≤ or > of 3, 4, and 5 goals of difference between teams). Twenty-four games were analysed through the frequency of occurrence of the following technical and tactical indicators: goals scored (GS), goals scored and shots without goals inside (AsG, AsWG) and outside (5-mG, 5-mWG) the 5-m area, goals scored (5-mFG) and shots without goals (5-FWG) after a 5-m fouls, penalties scored (PS) and failed (PWG), turnovers (TO), assists (AS), blocked shots (BS), and counterattack goals (CG). Mann–Whitney U test was applied to compare the values of winning and losing teams for each indicator. Regardless of GS, no difference between teams emerged in close games. Conversely, for unbalanced games, differences between teams emerged for AS (p ≤ 0.001; effect size, ES ≥ 0.5) in each margin of victory, and for AsWG and 5-mWG (p ≤ 0.05; ES ≥ 0.3) in > 5 goals of margin of victory. The outcomes of women’s water polo Olympic close and unbalanced games are determined by not specific playing events, and few technical and tactical factors (such as AS), respectively. Therefore, top-level women’s water polo coaches and physical trainers can plan a sound training session according to specific game data reported for the Olympic Games contest.

The study aimed to characterize the performance profile of 3x3 basketball and particularly to assess: a) the differences between games in live time (LT) and stoppage time (ST) phases and their ratio, and b) the game-related statistics and derived game indicators differentiating between winning and losing teams. Eight games [quarterfinals, semifinals and finals (1st and 3rd place)] of the FIBA 3x3 basketball world cup (Serbia, 17th-21st June 2017) were analysed. The LT and ST phases were categorized into three phase durations: 1-20 s, 21-40 s, >40 s. The LT/ST ratio was calculated. The game-related statistics and derived parameters were assessed through video-based notational analysis methods, and differences between winning and losing teams were calculated using a mixed linear model. The results revealed no statistically significant differences in the distribution of LT and ST phases between games, with an LT/ST ratio of 0.92±0.13. Moreover, winning teams showed a significantly higher (p

Professional tennis players have their own habits of tactics and play. However, players’ shortcomings can be corrected by constantly practicing professional techniques and by tactical analysis. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a two-stage, expert decision-making system for tennis matches. The first stage consisted in dividing the court area and defining the technical classification of the net. Tennis coaches were invited to assess tennis players’ skills on the competition court, dividing it into 48 areas on both sides of the court centerline and identifying the skills used by the players. In the second stage, a classification model was developed, and the score, hitting habits, and tennis skills of the players, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, over 10 matches, played from 2007 to 2019, were analyzed and classified using notational analysis and the C5.0 decision tree algorithm. The results show that the two players’ highest scored techniques were the forehand stroke in the backcourt and the backhand stroke in the half court. Thus, using this expert decision-making system, our data can provide other players with imaginary training objects from two of the top players in the world to be used during training and can allow the accumulation of experience for players through continuous simulation and training analysis.

Made available in DSpace on 2022-05-01T08:45:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-08-19 Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) This study had the purpose of analyzing dominant and non-dominant limb performances (frequency of use and accuracy) during match-play technical actions with ball possession (receiving, passing, and shooting a ball) in professional futsal and also check for the possible influence of playing position and the quality of opponent. We have analyzed data pertaining to eight matches of the FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012™ in which 76 male professional senior futsal players participated (44 right-footed and 32 left-footed). In total, we coded 5,856 actions (2,550 ball receptions, 3,076 passes, and 230 shoots). Our main findings were that (a) players used the dominant limb more frequently than the non-dominant limb for all actions considered [p < 0.001; effect size (ES) medium-to-large]; (b) accuracy was generally greater when using the dominant limb, regardless of the quality of opponent (p < 0.01; ES large); and (c) in shooting actions, pivots showed similar accuracy between dominant and non-dominant limbs (p = 0.51; ES small). The study suggested that when completing technical actions with the ball in futsal, high-level players depended to a greater extent on the use of their dominant lower limb during official matches. Excepting a similarity detected between limbs on shooting performance of pivots, players from all positional roles generally showed a higher accuracy rate in receiving, passing, and shooting a ball when using their dominant limb as compared to their non-dominant one during match-play and the limb usage and accuracy seemed to be independent of the quality of opponents. Human Movement Research Laboratory (MOVI-LAB) Graduate Program in Movement Sciences Department of Physical Education School of Sciences São Paulo State University (UNESP) Escola Superior Desporto e Lazer Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo Rua Escola Industrial e Comercial de Nun'Álvares Sports Assessment Laboratory Faculty of Physical Education State University of Campinas Human Movement Research Laboratory (MOVI-LAB) Graduate Program in Movement Sciences Department of Physical Education School of Sciences São Paulo State University (UNESP) FAPESP: 2013/08302-6 FAPESP: 2016/50250-1 FAPESP: 2017/20945-0

Notational analysis is a popular tool for understanding what constitutes optimal performance in traditional sports. However, this approach has been seldom used in esports. The popular esport “Rocket League” is an ideal candidate for notational analysis due to the availability of an online repository containing data from millions of matches. The purpose of this study was to use Random Forest models to identify in-match metrics that predicted match outcome (performance indicators or “PIs”) and/or in-game player rank (rank indicators or “RIs”). We evaluated match data from 21,588 Rocket League matches involving players from four different ranks. Upon identifying goal difference (GD) as a suitable outcome measure for Rocket League match performance, Random Forest models were used alongside accompanying variable importance methods to identify metrics that were PIs or RIs. We found shots taken, shots conceded, saves made, and time spent goalside of the ball to be the most important PIs, and time spent at supersonic speed, time spent on the ground, shots conceded and time spent goalside of the ball to be the most important RIs. This work is the first to use Random Forest learning algorithms to highlight the most critical PIs and RIs in a prominent esport.

The popularity of racket sports (e.g., tennis and table tennis) leads to high demands for data analysis, such as notational analysis, on player performance. While sports videos offer many benefits for such analysis, retrieving accurate information from sports videos could be challenging. In this paper, we propose EventAnchor, a data analysis framework to facilitate interactive annotation of racket sports video with the support of computer vision algorithms. Our approach uses machine learning models in computer vision to help users acquire essential events from videos (e.g., serve, the ball bouncing on the court) and offers users a set of interactive tools for data annotation. An evaluation study on a table tennis annotation system built on this framework shows significant improvement of user performances in simple annotation tasks on objects of interest and complex annotation tasks requiring domain knowledge.

Background: Rule changes such as the use of the additional field player in the attack to replace the goalkeeper can significantly change the tactical strategies of the handball game. Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of the use of the additional field player in offensive situations during the positional attack and counterattack suffered by the teams participating in the 2017 Women's Handball World Championship. Methods: The sample consisted of 15 matches in the knockout stage. In total, 1638 attack actions (positioned and counterattack) were identified and analyzed. For the exploratory analysis, we used descriptive statistics, obtaining the frequencies and respective percentages for each category of study variables for both situations: when the additional player was used and when not. Results: Our data showed that teams tend to use goalkeeper substitution by a field player to maintain numerical equality (54.9%), followed by the use to obtain numerical offensive advantage (41.3%). There were no differences in the throwing position (left wing, left back, center, pivot, right back and right wing) between situations with and without the additional field player. There was a significant increase in the number of errors when using the additional field player to gain numerical superiority in attack. In numerical equality and inferiority situations, no difference was found. The analyses also showed more counterattacks with goals and 9-m throws when using the additional field player. Conclusions: The use of the additional player did not bring advantages to the team, as more counterattacks were suffered.

Pressure is an important constraint on sports performance and is typically measured through manual notational analysis. A continuous representation of pressure, along with semi-automated measurement, would serve to improve the efficiency of practice design and analysis, as well as provide additional context to player competition performance. Using spatiotemporal data collected from wearable tracking devices, the present study applied Kernel Density Estimation to estimate the density of players, relative to the ball carrier, at point of skill execution during elite Australian Football training. Two environmental constraints were measured (

Using palatable fluids to enhance drinking in athletes who display insufficient compensatory hydration behaviour may mitigate the risks of hypohydration and performance deficits. However, it is unclear whether flavour can independently enhance fluid consumption. This study examined the effects of a colourless, artificially sweetened flavoured water (FW), without carbohydrates and with negligible amounts of sodium, compared to plain water (W) on fluid consumption in male collegiate basketball players in a practical game setting. Eighteen male basketball players (age 23.1 ± 1.3 years) played a 3v3 basketball small-sided game. The players were randomly assigned to consume either FW or W. Pre-game urine-specific gravity, fluid consumption, body mass, and hedonic taste perceptions were assessed. Basketball performance was analysed through notational analysis. Ratings of perceived exertion and thirst were recorded at pre-, post-game, and at each rest period. Heart rate was recorded throughout the gameplay. Despite significantly higher hedonic ratings for FW than W (6.78 ± 0.83 vs. 5.56 ± 1.33, p = 0.033, d = 1.36), there were no significant differences in fluid consumption (1083 ± 32 mL vs. 1421 ± 403 mL, p = 0.068, d = 0.92). Our result highlighted that using palatable fluids as a strategy to increase fluid consumption during high-intensity gameplay in the heat may not be effective if used without carbohydrates and electrolytes. Practitioners could consider both fluid palatability and composition in establishing a hydration plan for athletes.

In elite-level soccer, the ability to take shots with both limbs from different positions in the pitch may be key to success. This research aimed to: 1) analyze footedness of elite-football players in European leagues during shooting by computing frequency of right- and left-foot use and accuracy; and 2) investigate whether an athlete’s distance from the target (goal, penalty, and outside penalty area) and pitch zone (center, left, or right from the goal) can constrain foot selection during shooting. We analyzed 1826 games from the 2017/18 season, divided between: Spanish LaLiga (380 matches); Italian Serie A (380 matches); English Premier League (380 matches); German Bundesliga (306 matches); and French Ligue 1 (380 matches). Results revealed asymmetrical proportions of foot selection, favoring the preferred foot for right- and left-footed athletes. Frequency of preferred foot selection increased as a function of distance from the target (i.e., the farther the athlete, higher the percentage of preferred foot selection). Shots taken from the left side were more often performed with the right foot and vice-versa, for both left- and right-footed athletes. Interestingly, asymmetries were observed only in foot selection, but not in performance, as success rate did not vary between limbs in any position.

The aim of this study was to describe in the way teams played for the last eight seasons (from 2011-12 to 2018-19) in the Spanish Football First Division (Spanish LaLiga Santander), taking into account team match performances (n = 5,518). Ten technical-tactical and physical variables grouped into five dimensions were used: final behaviour (shots and crosses), set piece (corners and fouls), match volume (passes), physical performance (total distance covered) and collective use of the space (team width, team length, team defence height and distance from the goalkeeper to their defence). The main results were that the number of passes and team width showed a stable trend as the seasons passed. Nevertheless, the number of shots, crosses and corners, total distance covered, team length and distance from the goalkeeper to their defence showed a descending trend. The main conclusion was that over the seasons studied, the Spanish LaLiga Santander teams were characterized by an indirect style of play that, being the usual in this league, presented some evolution. The trend in the evolution of the game is that defence is put before attack. The findings of the study may be of interest to professional football staff to know more about the particular way teams play in competition, as well as its evolution, so as to focus on the training process according to the trend that is taking place in the game.