Performance Analysis and Improvement in Sports Development and Coaching - Assignment Example

Performance Analysis and Improvement in Sports Development and Coaching In any situation of sporting, particularly team games, it is complicated, if not unworkable, for trainers to remember and notice all the significant events occurring within a match or a training session, prepared only with their familiarity of the game in question and their inborn powers of scrutiny. Yet examination based on accurate recall and observation is a key instrument for improving performance in future. That is where the relatively new performance analysis discipline comes in. Well known over the last decade and made possible by digital photography and advances in IT, (PA) performance analysis is now recognized as an assistance to performance improvement at every level (Jones, Hughes and Kingston, 2009). Essentially, performance analysis is about forming a reliable and a valid performance record by systematic observations’ means that can be examined with regard to facilitating modification. The process depends on two separate disciplines of sports science: Match / notational analysis, which uses measures, to record team performance aspects; Biomechanics, that revolves in the region of the sporting influence of body activities. Alike methods are used by the two disciplines in data collection and both depend on IT for data examination. However, the most salient thing they commonly have is measured observation use after or during an event to enumerate performance in a valid, reliable and accurate way (Hylton and Bramham, 2007). Trainers may desire to question Performance Analysis’ need as an isolated activity, given that analysis and observation clearly create a crucial component of the process of coaching as outlined in example 1 below. The actuality is though that even as trainers are likely to be experts at analyzing and observing performance, study has pointed to harsh human limitations contained by these processes. Two significant studies have drawn attention to problems on memory retention, with trainers able to remember only 30-50 percent of principal performance issues they had observed, even with exceptional observational training (Hughes and Franks, 2004)http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/how-performance-analysis-can-improve-your-coaching-methods-39 - ref. The process of coaching itself is not flawed necessarily, but it is apparent that the analysis phases and observation of this procedure have severe restrictions. Although several skilled trainers are capable of anticipating events and make suitable changes for performance influences, even the finest are prone to human mistake, leading to incorrect decisions; hence the requirement for an organized PA approach within the practice of coaching, use of valid and dependable performance data to evaluate and monitor performers. Without such a method, trainers are accountable to form prejudiced opinions on performances of their players or athletes, resulting to potentially wrong training prescriptions or substitution decisions. Declining costs and technological advances have given trainers access to analysis software, digital cameras and laptops, making the entire process of PA less arduous and simpler. This procedure can be used to measure and identify a variety of ‘performance indicators’ that contain a real manner on the result of any sport in particular, so offering better considerations of how victory can be achieved at every performance levels. These include: Strategic indicators (play patterns); Technical indicators (performance /technique); Physiological indicators (intensity profiles); Mental indicators (motivation, arousal). Before settling on which indicators of performance one wishes to focus on in the analysis of athletes’ performance, it is an excellent idea to check with a technical specialist in a sport or analyze researches done in the past in the identification of indicators that are known to be a factor to victorious performance (Hughes and Franks, 2004)http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/how-performance-analysis-can-improve-your-coaching-methods-39 - ref. Since the indicators chosen should direct how the scheme will be deliberated, one needs first to decide on these. The initial phase is the formation of a structure that is logical to the sport itself. This indicates defining the variety of possible events in sport and connecting these actions with promising outcomes, thus expressing the sequential course that can be taken by the performance (Hylton and Bramham, 2007). This procedure is explained in additional detail in the sample analysis of the football club presented below, (examples 2 and 3). Performance analysis tends to focus on technical and tactical indicators and, in doing so, have played a role to the knowing of the tactical, psychological and physiological demands of several sports. Basketball for example, in one characteristic of performance in a team may be evaluated by the ratio of shots taken to baskets scored, whereas in golf, the number of greens hit in regulation may evaluate performance (Hughes and Franks, 2004). Indicators give clear information that is useful to define and describe a performance. However, it is significant to be cautious over how the information is presented given that, in segregation, these can provide a distorted performance impression. For instance, if two strikers in football have scored four goals each over four playoffs, it would be simple to assume that their performance is pleasant. However, supposing striker A’s shots are 16 on goal to eight shots of striker B’s, success ratio of the former are 4:1 balanced with an 2:1 impressive ratio for the second (Hughes and Franks, 2004). In team comparisons, members of the team and individually contained is frequently more accurate and easier if the indicators of performance are uttered in ratio terms, such as, passes completed to passes, taken errors to winners and turnovers to possession. Performance profile of an individual can become unclear if the correct evaluations are not prepared because profiles may vary according to the opponent (Jones, Hughes and Kingston, 2009). For example, giving an individual soccer performance of a midfielder could be ambiguous without comparing with the data of the opposing team or player. An individual’s performance data can be obtainable in three ways in success evaluationhttp://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/how-performance-analysis-can-improve-your-coaching-methods-39 - ref: 1. In relation to the opponent’s data, this consents to for a straight comparison with the opponent, but could be deceptive if the standards of the players are not similar; 2. In relation to team members of the similar standard, this agrees to the comparison connecting equals, which is helpful and providing information of this kind can be compiled or is available; 3. In relation to their own previous performance profiles. Over the path of several competitive matches, a team’s or a player’s normative profile can be formed for comparative reasons. A player can be judged against his personal normative report to review his latest performance relative merits. Analysis of performance can be in two methods within team games: Individual evaluation of team players, for example, football strikers; Assessment of performance aspect for the entire team. For example, scoring effectiveness monitoring in basketball. There are two important methods of coding the annotations made in a situation in sporting: post-play coding and ‘live coding’. The former necessitates a degree of high competency in coding a gaming situation, with video recording directly fed into a computer and coded through the keyboard as proceedings unfold in the game or training session (Hughes and Franks, 2004). In post-play coding, the video recording is fed again into a laptop and the keyboard codes information, with the benefit that the recording can be delayed or reviewed several times, to ensure the annotations are accurate. Presenting an example performance analyses by showing how the process can practically work, is a strikers’ assessment for an English Nationwide League Division Three Football Club. The first priority was to realize what the club needed to achieve from the examination. The result was a confirmation that it desired to improve the criticism to trainers and players on the team and individual performances. It was resolved that the examination of the first stage would concentrate on the function and role of the team’s strikers, and those two complete games would be recorded in a similar way to a ‘player cam’. The players were kept uninformed about what was taking place to guarantee they played rather than acting up for the cameras. The initial step in designing the system of analysis was to achieve a logical knowledge of the involvement of strikers within the tactics of the team (Franks and Hughes, 2008). The arrangement that came out was that on gaining the ball possession, it was to be played to the strikers then laid off to the players in midfield, who would attempt to spread the game to the wings, resulting in a through ball or a cross for the forwards to achieve a shot on target (Jones, Hughes and Kingston, 2009). The training staff realized that this planned play depended heavily on how the strikers acted with the ball when passed into them, and was fundamentally the key to the strategies of attacking. It decided that this would be the central point of the study. Example 2 Ball played to striker →→→ how the ball played to the striker (Head, chest or feet) →→→ Response of the striker(lost possession, distributed and held, one touch, rolled defender or won a foul) →→→ occurrence of the action. Example 3 Headers → lost/won → position on the pitch Shot → foot/header → off target/on target → unsuccessful/successful Possession → lost/won → how lost/won → position on pitch The pre-analysis discussion also highlighted the interest of the club in identifying strikers’ performance report. This was put up on the path summarized in example 2 (above) and based on group sequences, which would represent the weaknesses and strengths of players (example 3, above). Observations were done with Nordulus Observer Pro (a computerized notational match analysis software package), and both matches were coded manually after the competition (Hughes and Franks, 2004). The outcome obtained from the analysis was then relayed to the coach of the club, who then supplied them back to the players personally, along with improvement recommendations (Hylton and Bramham, 2007). The following is a segment example on performance profile of an individual striker built up in the method described above. The major emphasis was on how the player used ball possession, when played into chest, head or feet. The ball was played 27 times into the feet during the game, of which the player: Ball held and dispersed 10 times, 6 in midfield and 4 in the attacking third; One touch ball played off six times, 3 in midfield and 3 in the attacking third; Defender rolled twice, in attacking third and the midfield; Ball possession lost nine times. Four times in midfield, once in the defensive third and four times in the attacking third. The analysis also recognized the number of headers lost/won, shots off and on target and number of times ball possession was lost and won, as follows, Won 10 headers, of which in midfield were four, two in defenses and four in attack; Lost nine headers, of which five in attack and four in midfield; Target attempts were five, three with the foot and two with the head, with one strike successful; Off target attempts were two, from a strike and a header; Seven times won possession, twice by winning tackles and five times via closing down; Two times lost possession, twice in midfield in the course of being closed down. The profiles on performance identified the individual weaknesses and strengths of the players, providing a strict focus for training sessions of the future. For example, it illustrate to coach the needed to: Work on the ability of the players to maintain ball possession, when played to the chest; Enhance the link-up play with the midfield players and the strikers to help reduce the lost possession numbers and uphold fluency in the attack; Work to the strengths of the strikers making successful the use of control when the ball is passed to them. Individual plans on goal setting were also given to the players, aimed at defeating their weaknesses. To set up the value of the entire process, another complete game was examined in the same manner after four weeks. The results showed essential improvement by the strikers and considerable progress towards their personal goals (Jones, Hughes and Kingston, 2009). The club decided that the plan had been doing well and that it had emphasized weaknesses they had not understood or realized. The players well responded to the targets and feedback. In addition, the entire process increased to a second project connecting the midfielders from the center. Another practical example presented is a performance analysis carried out for Under 18 National Junior Basketball League. The coach of the men’s junior basketball team and the rest of the training team desired to identify points of weakness within the entire performance of the team, providing purposeful measures to clarify some recent deprived performances. The lineup has four dissimilar plays (attack structured/offence) that are practiced for use in game circumstances; however, despite of reinforcement from the training team, they did not appear to be utilizing these plays time after time in situations of a match. When a structured offence was run as trained, they appeared to enjoy additional success more than when they fell back on a more freely structured approach. An analysis performance process was used to give an objective analysis of the offences of the team, producing a fraction of the quantity of games run to the quantity of the success ratio and unstructured offences, for each offence. As with the prior example, four games were recorded for observations, and analysis were made with the similar system. The analysis results are shown in the example below. Example 4: Basketball team analysis The analysis established the belief of the coaching team that the games were not taking place as requested and confirmed that the success rate of the plays was much elevated than those of the unstructured offences (Hughes and Franks, 2004). Using this information, the trainers were able to award their players with a purpose to demonstrate the significance of using the games practiced in the exercise. Recording of four plays in succession (two following the analysis) allowed the trainers to trace progress and give a positive response to the players. The effects of the study can be held on for forthcoming references and as the foundation for further studies. Reference list Hylton K, Bramham P., 2007. Sports Development: Policy, Process and Practice. London: Taylor & Francis. Hughes M, Franks I., 2008. The Essentials of Performance Analysis: An Introduction. London: Routledge. Hughes M, Franks I. M., 2004. Notational Analysis of Sport: Systems for Better Coaching and Performance in Spor. London: Routledge. Jones R L, Hughes M, Kingston K., 2009. An introduction to sports coaching: from science and theory to practice. London: Routledge. Read More