We conducted a survey of professional sports coaches. The topic of the survey was the applicability of modern technology in professional sports. The survey was conducted to determine how actively coaches use IT solutions and identify those aspects of the training process that, from the coaches` viewpoint, require advanced monitoring and management using software tools. Questions were sent to coaches on LinkedIn. When sending out profiles, preference was not given to any sport or to any country. The survey involved more than 100 professional sports coaches.
I. The answers to the questions were received from coaches in the following 16 sports: alpine skiing, basketball, cricket, curling, cycling, field hockey, handball, rowing, rugby, soccer, swimming, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, volleyball and water polo.
The most active participants in the survey were
basketball, rowing, rugby, swimming, and volleyball coaches.
II. The questionnaire was attended by coaches from the following 27 countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Netherlands, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America and Zambia.
The most active were the coaches from Ireland, Canada,
Great Britain, Serbia, and the United States of America.
III. Most of those who have filled out the questionnaire holds the position of head coach. Also, assistant coaches, strength and conditioning coaches, trainers, development coaches, performance coaches, equipment managers, and biomechanics have also answered the questionnaire.
IV. The majority of coaches measure the athlete’s performance, including 50% carrying out these measurements manually and 35% doing it automatically using sensors, and excluding 15% of coaches who do not measure the athlete’s performance at all.
V. In modern professional sports, sensors are used for various purposes. With their help, 34% of coaches collect the physiological data of the athlete (calories burned, heart rate, galvanic skin reaction, etc.), 35%, as noted above, evaluate the athlete’s performance (speed, distance traveled, posture, impact, hit, movement and location), 16% use sensors to predict injuries and when recovering from injuries, and 15% of coaches do not use sensors in their practice.
VI. Coaches have demonstrated different attitudes toward the process of handling performance assessments. 45% regularly evaluate the results and store them digitally with statistics, 28% regularly evaluate the results and store them digitally without statistics, and 27% of the coaches regularly evaluate, but do not store the results.
VII. 45% of coaches follow sensor publications in the sports industry and 55% do not.
VIII. As many as 48% of coaches carry out biomechanical analysis, including 27% using custom-developed solutions and 21% using market offered solutions, and excluding 52% of coaches who do not use software solutions for the analysis of biomechanics.
The
following market offered solutions for biomechanics` analysis are named in the
coaches` responses:
- The PowerLine System, Peach Innovations;
- Nielsen-Kellerman Rowing Meters;
- Dartfish3 System;
- Action Cameras. GoPro;
- Sensors for GPS Tracking;
- Wearable Sensors of APDM Wearable technologies;
- Teamsnap, Coachable, Sprongo, Timing apps;
- Freelap Timing System;
- GPS Smartwatch Garmin.
IX. Aspects influencing the training process and mentioned by coaches as subjects to monitoring and evaluation are distributed according to their frequency of mention or the degree of importance.
X. The methods used by coaches to prevent injuries are distributed according to the frequency of their appearance in the answers and/or application in practice
XI. According to the coaches, the following issues can be solved using IT solutions (no priority considered).
- Improving
the individualization of the training through the use of sensors.
- Reducing
the level of discomfort that occurs in an athlete due to the need to wear
sensors on him/herself or on his/her uniform.
- Conducting
a comprehensive analysis of data gathered from different sensors.
- Ensuring
the integration of sensors with the program for monitoring the set parameters
and automatically informing the athlete about the deviation from the set modes,
such as a proper posture, stroke technique, etc.
- Prevention
of injuries.
- Analysis
of foot strikes/grips on the ground and how it influences on a goalkeeper’s
intent to force output.
- Transmission
of GPS data to the camera and/or other equipment.
- Creating
a technology to use a GPS tracker during the game, and not just in the training.
- Book
quick-wins by making data easier transferable to the pitch/dug-out so a coach
can use it straight away.
- Developing
a universal application to ensure there is no need to use many different
applications to evaluate different parameters.
- Providing
the ability to access an athlete’s wearable data remotely in one place.
- Developing
optimal biomechanical solutions for the disabled; each type of disability is
associated with specific problems.
- Creating
an algorithm for predicting and planning the training process for several
years.
- Improving
the application for scoring in tennis.
- Creating
an application for continuous monitoring of heart rate while an athlete is in
the water.
XII. In the final paragraph of the questionnaire, trainers expressed their attitude to the use of information technology in professional sports in general and in certain sports in particular.
While evaluating the IT solutions currently used in professional sports, the coaches expressed the following wishes and comments:
- to increase the athlete’s fitness, new high-quality technologies
and equipment are needed that can help evaluate the effectiveness of this
training process;
- the proposed methods should be simpler, because the
freelap timing system, algebra, and the Brauer synchronization system are too
complex to use;
- wearable sensor technologies already exist, but no one
has mastered the solution for receiving real-time data. It is necessary to
develop live video analysis;
- the market should have systems of different levels of
value, so that they can be used not only by large corporations, but not by
small organizations such as local clubs;
- IT is a good tool, but it is only part of the process.
Relying only on them should not be. The final decision is up to the coach.
To aspects of professional sports that require a special attitude from technology companies, the coaches attributed:
- athlete’s health, his proper nutrition (the necessary
level of protein in food) and sufficient rest;
- monitoring results and preventing injuries;
- recovery after exercise so that to plan peak forms for
competition, as well as analysis of sleep, psychological state and well-being;
- IT technologies are most often used in high
performance sports. It is very important to develop the use of modern
technologies at the earlier stages of preparing an athlete for professional
activity;
- in sports for the disabled, equipment and skills
should be adapted to a specific disability. Development of solutions for
biochemical analysis is required.
Some coached expressed wishes regarding specific sports. The following are some of these statements.
- Alpine skiing
A solution is needed that works in the ever-changing condition of training and competition.
- Basketball
It is very important to have a solution to monitor a player`s speed while running on the basketball court, and a device to control the playing patterns, as well as track the movement of the ball. The combination Camera + Software + Sensor — this combination alone covers all aspects;
- Rowing
It is very important to identify “ideal” kinematic patterns in rowing. The connection of these is important for peak athletic development and performance.
- Swimming
There is a need for a solution that doesn’t compromise swimming movements in the water.
- Tennis
Points in tennis are fast. There is a need for apps that provide faster and better scoring and can capture all stokes during the matches.
Conclusions and Comments
The use of modern IT technologies is relevant for all
sports.
The
survey involved coaches in 16 sports. All coaches confirmed the relevance of IT
technology.
The use of modern IT technologies in sports is
relevant for coaches in all countries.
The
survey involved coaches from 27 countries. The demand for IT technology in
professional sports hasn`t shown any territorial dependency.
IT solutions are applicable to almost every aspect of
the training process.
The
survey involved representatives of the coaching team who are responsible for quite
all aspects of the training process.
In the curricula of sports departments of the universities
dealing with the training of professional coaches, a corresponding course on
the implementation of modern technologies in the training process should be
introduced or improved.
About a little more than a third of coaches use sensors to record the athlete`s performance. Most coaches (65%) do not
use sensors or simply do not measure the athlete`s performance at all.
Minority
of coaches (45%) follow sensor publications in the sports industry and 55% of
them ignore it.
IT service providers can rely on the relevance of
modern methods in the training process and actively develop interaction with
professional sports.
The survey results have shown that a significant number of coaches (15%)
currently do not use modern technology in the training process. But they will
be forced to turn to IT service providers as soon as they realize that some of
their functionality can be effectively assigned to the appropriate soft and
hardware. The growth of competitors’ results is another factor pushing these coaches
towards digital techniques.
At
the same time, the vast majority of coaches (85%) understand the importance of applying
modern technologies to the training process, use sensors and are most probable
ready to introduce more advanced IT solutions in their practice.
Techniques for data gathering, processing and storing
should be simple enough so that as many coaches as possible can use them.
Less than half of the coaches (45%) regularly evaluate the athlete`s
performance and store data digitally with statistics.
About half of coaches (slightly less) who have participated in the
survey use any solutions to analyze biomechanics. About the same number of coaches
(a little more) do not use software solutions for these purposes.
The
number of potential users of software solutions for the analysis of
biomechanics will constantly grow as per the increase of competition and as a
result of deeper understanding of the effectiveness of programming solutions.
In the near future, the implementation of IT methods
with sensors to assess and increase the athlete’s stress resistance should
receive active growth.
The
guidance of an experienced professional coach allows almost all top athletes to
train and take part in competitions on the limit of the human body’s
capabilities. Among other aspects different from fatigue that determine the
success of an athlete and that should be monitored and evaluated, coaches
especially highlighted the psychological condition or stress resistance (23%).
Injury prevention is a topic of close attention for
all coaches.
All actions intended to prevent injuries can be divided into two groups
depending on how it is close to the moment at which injury can occur.
The first group is the actions closest in time to the period during
which the athlete is exposed to physical activity and the threat of injury.
These are warming up and stretching, managing the load depending on the
athlete’s condition and proprioception.
The second group is the preventive measures indicated by the coaches
when indicating injury prevention including but not limited to control of
physiotherapist, recommendations of S&C coach, specific exercises to
prevent injuries, etc.
IT
can help coaches analyze the causes of injuries and prepare activities to
reduce them.
The use of modern technologies contributes to the
growth of sports achievements and as well as to the protection of athletes from
professional risks associated with physical and psychological stress.
There
is a need to process data arising in various aspects of the training in
professional sports. Indicated propositions are only a part of the real needs
for technological support that exist among practicing coaches.
The coaches have expressed their full support for the
increasingly active service of professional sports by information technologies
and pointed out those parts of the training that require improvement in the
first turn.
In its content, this final part or the questionnaire is close to the previous one, as it contains recommendations regarding the automation of those aspects that may most effectively contribute to the improvement of the training in professional sports.
Afterword
The
results of the survey of coaches confirm our confidence that IT solutions are
the means that shall be used to monitor and control the athlete`s performance,
protect them from physical and psychological overload, and thereby make
professional sports more attractive for young people.
Our
company has significant experience in resolving various issues in professional
sports through the use of modern IT solutions, including working out a remote
training, that is very relevant in the current circumstances.
We
are ready to consider any problems of the training process, apply the most
modern methods of data gathering, processing, and storing via sensors in any
sport. Coaches, sports clubs, training centers, and all interested in expanding
the capabilities of professional sports coaches by a data-driven approach are
invited.
We will be glad to have your comments, suggestions and wishes in connection with the above survey sent to ggaiko@stone-las.com and/or info@stone-labs.com.
