So how is GPS technology used in Sport?

Hi all,

So for all that don’t know I am back in Canada already after a flying visit back to New Zealand with a few days spent in Melbourne before returning. Although the time was so short it was good to get home and see family and friends for a little while. Today I thought I would write a post that is a little more applicable to what I am doing for my PhD and learning more about on a daily basis with the Women’s National Team here in Canada, GPS technology. I’m going to touch on what it is, how the data gained is analysed and what occurs in a typical football game.

So what is GPS technology?

GPS technology was originally developed for military purposes but has been utilised in sport since 1997 (1), Since then, it’s use has increased rapidly with the majority of professional sports teams now using the technology on a daily basis. Some examples of this include, Australian football league (AFL), hockey (field not ice for my Canadian friends), cricket, football and rugby. It is generally used to quantify the movement of players in total and within specific speed thresholds (which I will touch on soon). GPS technology has improved over the years with greater data collection rates (1 to 15-Hz) and the inclusion of micro-sensors. These micro-sensors are accelerometers and gyroscopes, which help to increase the information obtained but also can quantify different movements (e.g. changes of direction) which were not possible with older versions of the technology. Further to the improvement of the technology, the reliability of the data has increased, with standard error for a 10m sprint being 32.4% (1-Hz) now being as low as 10.9% (15-Hz) for a 15m sprint. So it is great having this technology and all the data it provides, but how is it analysed and used by strength and conditioning coaches.

Catapult Minimax GPS unit

How is GPS technology analysed using speed thresholds?

Software developed by manufacturers allows for specific speed thresholds to be set, allowing for analysis of the data to be a lot more applicable. Generally, thresholds are set the same for all players and are generally in the following categories (2):

1. Standing or walking: 0-7.1 km/h
2. Jogging: 7.2-14.3 km/h
3. Running: 14.4-19.7 km/h
4. High-speed running: 19.8-25.1 km/h
5. Sprinting: >25.1 km/h

These thresholds are generally set for male football, and sometimes set the same for the female game. However, due to different physiological make-up it’s not applicable to use the same thresholds across genders. Males will be able to achieve a greater running speed than females, meaning that if you were to compare the two genders during a match, that males would look as though they worked significantly harder which is generally not the case. So the use of individualised thresholds, either for the team or each player individually, has been suggested (3). These generally are set using fitness tests done in the field, or a laboratory setting. Laboratory settings are not the most accessible for elite players, meaning the use of field tests is more appropriate. These tests are generally sprint tests over 40m to find maximum velocity and a 30-15 intermittent fitness test to assess aerobic speed of players, defined as the final level they achieve. These adjust the running, high-speed running and sprinting thresholds to be more applicable for the team of interest.

1. High-speed running: 15.5-19.9 km/h
2. Sprinting: >20 km/h

Those are two examples of possible thresholds for the two highest speed brackets. However, these can differ between teams, sports and genders. So with these thresholds set, how does this give us information relating to how players move in a game?

What is the general movement of elite male football players during a game?

So how much do players move within a game and what can it be affected by?

This question is a large part of my PhD, however, rather than focussing on male’s I will be exploring uncharted territory and looking at female players. In general though, male’s tend to cover approximately 9 – 12 km (4-5). This is highly dependant on position, with midfield players generally covering the greatest distance. High-speed  and sprinting movement is generally greatest in wide players, such as midfielders and full backs, covering approximately  2.6 – 3.1 km at high speed and around 300 m sprinting (6).

It has been suggested that team formations, score-lines, opposition rankings and environmental conditions can influence the amount of and type of running. This is true to some extent, however, for some factors the influence is minimal or related to specific positions rather than the team as a whole.

So this gives you a brief overview of how GPS is used in football (soccer). In the future, I will make further posts like this touching on aspects like how we can make it applicable to coaches, monitor and limit player fatigue and also transition players back to playing post injuries. I’m still learning a lot of this as I go but that’s the joy of being young, I’m like a sponge!

If anyone wants me to write more things like in the future, let me know. I don’t really get much feedback so if you have any, feel free to leave it under this post or Facebook.

Till next time….

Josh

Reference List

1. Cummins C, Orr R, O’Connor H, West C. Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Microtechnology Sensors in Team Sports: A Systematic Review. Sports Med. 2013;43(10):1025-42.

2. Bradley PS, Carling C, Archer D, Roberts J, Dodds A, Di Mascio M et al. The effect of playing formation on high-intensity running and technical profiles in English FA Premier League soccer matches. J Sports Sci. 2011;29(8):821-30.

3. Abt G, Lovell R. The use of individualized speed and intensity thresholds for determining the distance run at high-intensity in professional soccer. J Sports Sci. 2009;27(9):893-8.

4. Carling C. Influence of opposition team formation on physical and skill-related performance in a professional soccer team. Eur J Sport Sci. 2011;11(3):155-64.

5. Di Salvo V, Gregson W, Atkinson G, Tordoff P, Drust B. Analysis of High Intensity Activity in Premier League Soccer. Int J Sports Med. 2009;30(3):205-12.

6. Bradley PS, Sheldon W, Wooster B, Olsen P, Boanas P, Krustrup P. High-intensity running in English FA Premier League soccer matches. J Sports Sci. 2009;27(2):159-68.

Longest two weeks ever!

Hi all,

The last two weeks have been so long and so busy. The team have arrived in to camp so things are in full swing, hence why I haven’t posted anything on here for some time.

Firstly, I have found somewhere to stay until the end of February! YAY! It’s with a family who help with a lot. All my meals are made for me, washing is done and they super nice. So that makes life a lot easier, considering I am barely home during the week.

The first week with the team back was all about fitness testing. Three days of physical, mental and injury assessments. I was involved with sprint testing, force-velocity tests, endurance tests and functional movement screens. Sprint testing is straight forward, players ran 40 m as fast as they could through timing gates.
The force-velocity test involved players performing 12 jumps, with 4 different loads (e.g. bodyweight, 25lbs to 100lbs). All their jump heights were placed in to a spreadsheet which helped to profile if they were more force or power dominant.
The endurance test was a 30-15, where the players ran for 30 seconds and then rested for 15, trying to get within a 3 m zone on each beep. It is set up kind of like a beep test, but over 40 m instead of 20, with 3 m zones either side of the 20 m marks. Players kept going until they missed 3 beeps in a row. Test took about 15-20 mins to complete.
Lastly, the functional movement screen is used to see how the players performed certain movements (e.g. overhead squat) and were rated from 0-3, with 0 meaning pain and 3 being perfect.

The last week has been the first full week of training, with players in the gym 4 times and on the pitch 3 times during the week. They are currently building up to 2 games against Japan at the end of the month, one in Edmonton and one here in Vancouver. So there is a lot of technical sessions taking place but also some hard football fitness added to them. So lots of small sided games with high intensity and not much rest which is really pushing the players to the limit.

I have also made the effort to watch the Vancouver Whitecaps twice. BC Place is an awesome stadium, packed with 20,000 plus spectators for each game. The atmosphere is great and the Whitecaps have won both games so that is a positive!

Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place

 

The Ice hockey season has also just started, hopefully I will get along to a Vancouver Canucks game at least once. Tickets are very expensive and often sold out well in advance. The family I am staying with have said they can get tickets sometimes so hopefully I will go along with them at some point!

This weekend is also Thanksgiving here in Canada, so we get Monday off. Today I am heading out to the head coach’s place for a Thanksgiving dinner which should be cool. Next week is the last full week of training with the players before the Japan games. So it is bound to be very full on. Looks like it will be raining for the next two weeks too which is not ideal. But I will have to get use to it because it rains a lot here in winter.

 

Josh