Editorial: Performance Analysis in Sport

Abstract

Performance analysis is a sub-discipline of Sport Science research The development and implementation of new technologies to measure individual or team's performances (e.g., tracking systems such as local positioning systems, LPS; video tracking, or observational video analysis systems) with multiple practical applications have intensified the focus of performance analysis in sport Traditional approaches have included static analysis focused on retrospective performances; however, dynamic and complex analyses (i.e., non-linear Multi-Dimensional Scaling, classification and regression tree, logistic regression, etc.) have become increasingly utilized by researchers for a deeper understanding of sport performance during training and competition In particular, a holistic and multidisciplinary perspective such as the Grand Unified Theory analyses (GUT, see Glazier, 2017) 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. Specifically, isolated approaches have been suggested to be avoided with the integration of the biomechanical, physiological, psychological, technical, tactical, positional, motor development and/or strength and conditioning perspectives recommended when evaluating match-related contexts and training tasks (Glazier, 2017). 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 In fact, as Robertson (2020) 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.g., human-machine interaction, perspective, innovation, versatility, visualization, evaluation, feedback, generalization, and future planning).

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