The relentless pursuit of peak performance in sports demands a strategic approach. Gone are the days of relying solely on intuition and guesswork. Today, coaches and athletes leverage the power of data to optimise training regimens, minimise the risk of injuries, and unlock their full potential.
We recently sat down with our Senior Sports Scientist to chat through some of the most frequently asked questions and explore how coaches and athletes can best utilise PlayerData to gain valuable insights into training effectiveness, workload management, and injury prevention. Read on to discover more and equip yourself with the knowledge to maximise athlete performance.
How can coaches use data to minimise the risk of injuries and burnout?
Burnout and injury prevention are big topics for discussion, so we thought we would ask our Senior Sports Scientist for their recommendations on how to best prepare for burnout and injuries.
During pre-season, we prioritise assessing each athlete's injury history in order to reduce the likelihood of injury, acknowledging the unique needs of each individual. This will assist in deciding how to introduce them back into training, as they are at a higher risk of injury. Monitoring high-intensity and sprint distance metrics offers valuable insights into workload and injury risk, particularly regarding soft tissue injuries.
Encouraging athletes to share their Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) via surveys helps gauge the subjective load the athlete experiences. Rest post-intense sessions, 24-48 hours after, is crucial to reduce residual fatigue, with subsequent sessions focusing on a lighter intensity session. For example, a lighter recovery session can be shorter focusing on accelerations and decelerations.
A longer duration session following an intense session will hinder the recovery of athletes. Analysing data can reveal fatigue patterns to help guide adjustments to training regimens and minimise injury risk. This highlights the importance of metrics beyond just game analysis, as a valuable tool for both player health and injury prevention.
How best to manage a drop in player performance?
Have you observed that the data from a specific athlete is lower than their usual performance levels? At all levels of sport, but particularly in grassroots sport, it's essential to consider factors beyond their athletic commitments. Are there any additional stress factors from personal, academic or job-related responsibilities that could be affecting their mental well-being? External stressors can disrupt their sleep patterns and eating habits, impacting their recovery process. Understanding how stress influences each individual athlete is crucial.
If external factors aren't at play, it's essential to evaluate their training regimen. Has the intensity or progression of their training been too rapid, causing the athlete to struggle to keep up? While their performance may not immediately reflect this, symptoms of fatigue may manifest within a couple of weeks, eventually leading to a decline below their usual standards. This decline will become evident when compared to their previous performances and may lead to burnout.
What metrics positively impact peak performance?
Volume refers to the quantity of activity undertaken by the player, including the duration of each session, which significantly influences potential outcomes. The total time spent playing per week impacts the player's overall performance. More time spent playing, translates to higher volume, increasing the likelihood of fatigue. Longer sessions or matches contribute to the overall volume of the player or team.
Intensity can be assessed by examining metrics such as sprints, high-intensity running (HI), accelerations, and decelerations. The level of intensity may vary based on a session's focus. Evaluating sessions based on sprints and high-intensity efforts provides insight into intensity levels. Additionally, the duration of these higher intensity activities can impact player performance and improvement.
When analysing, accelerations will have a higher metabolic cost in comparison to decelerations. Decelerations impose greater loads on an athlete’s leg muscles, ligaments, and tendons due to the abrupt change in movement. The eccentric action during decelerations places considerable stress on the legs, contributing to post-session fatigue.
Metrics such as sprints, high-intensity efforts, distance covered, accelerations, and decelerations offer valuable insights. However, due to the interval nature of training sessions, metres per minute may not always be ideal. However during a match or specific time within a training session, metres/min can be a useful tool to assess a players work rate.
How can GPS data help coaches make better decisions and strategies?
Utilising a GPS tracker such as the PlayerData EDGE to provide information in sports science and coaching, provides clarity on athlete progression, supporting directives for player improvement and reinforcing on-field observations. GPS trackers can aid in assessing player readiness for season demands, identifying any performance gaps, and ensuring training meets weekly match requirements. Increased data collection enhances analysis by highlighting trends in team performance and any potential outliers. Pairing GPS with coaching observations is crucial for contextual understanding. This can involve athlete surveys, group discussions, and session tags. Analysing the data collected can reveal player fatigue trends not always seen through visual observation, and provides concrete evidence for any adjustments required in athlete’s training regimes or match day rosters.
What is the best way to strike a healthy balance between match-day effort and player wellness?
Consistently covering high distances throughout a match isn't necessarily advantageous, it all depends on the context of gameplay. For instance, if a team is predominantly in possession or in the attacking third, they may spend most of their time in that area, pushing the ball forward. However, increased distance covered could indicate a more transitional or chasing style of play, which may not always lead to a positive outcome, especially if sustained over consecutive matches.
A general guideline for professional teams is to collect sufficient data for your team's needs and current status, aiming for around 10-12 km per match if a player completes the entire game(1,2). This data provides insights into the team's capacity, allowing for adjustments to workload to promote improvement.
After a victory, the focus should shift to player recovery and maintenance for the upcoming game, ensuring that the team remains prepared for future challenges.
How important is Metres per Minute?
Position, match circumstances, and substitutions introduce variability in athlete performance. Consistency in measuring metres per minute (m/m) across all players is essential for fair comparisons. Shorter playing durations, like 20 minutes versus a full 90-minute game, naturally result in higher m/m rates due to less time played, allowing for more accurate comparisons between players and aids in designing training drills to replicate match demands. For instance, if a midfielder averages 100-110 m/m during matches, training should replicate this intensity for game preparedness. Utilising the m/m metrics helps gauge match standards and design training sessions accordingly. Check out our metres per minute article for more information.
A higher m/m over a set time indicates increased effort and intensity, guiding training strategies, including overload exercises, for optimal performance development in match scenarios.
What’s the secret to building a strong off-season training program?
The first consideration when devising a training plan for the off-season is determining the time frame available. A gradual transition from general to specific conditioning is advisable. Initially, focus on general conditioning and building time on the legs, operating at around 50% of the in-season workload. For instance, if a player covered 25 kilometres per week during the season, aim for 12.5 kilometres during the off-season, with similar reductions applied to high-intensity runs and sprint distances.
Progressively increase workload by 5-10% per week to ensure gradual adaptation and consistent performance improvement, avoiding sudden spikes in workload. Prioritise assessing if players are ready to engage in exercises with the ball, as this aspect is often overlooked. Technique refinement, particularly in muscle use during ball kicking, is crucial to reduce injuries and muscle soreness during the transition back to training.
A solid foundation of fitness and movement will prepare the team for pre-season and season loading. Incorporating skill development alongside fitness training introduces additional stressors for players to focus on, enhancing execution, tactical awareness, and physical output. Approach increases in intensity cautiously due to its higher cost on the body.
Conclusion
Coaches using PlayerData create a fitter squad, lose less players to injury and most importantly win more games. However, data analysis is just one piece of the puzzle. Pairing it with coaching expertise, player feedback, and a true understanding of the athlete's well-being creates a winning formula for success.
By implementing the insights shared in this blog and PlayerData's innovative technology, you can transform your training strategies, minimise injury risk, and help your athletes achieve peak performance. Remember, data is a powerful tool, but it's the human element - the coach's guidance and the athlete's dedication - that ultimately drives results.
If you would like to discuss any of this in more detail or have any queries, please don't hesitate to contact us and we'll be happy to help.
References:
- Lorenzo-Martinez, M., Kalén, A., Rey, E., López-Del Campo, R., Resta, R. and Lago-Peñas, C., 2021. Do elite soccer players cover less distance when their team spent more time in possession of the ball?. Science and Medicine in Football, 5(4), pp.310-316.
- Lago-Peñas, C., Kalén, A., Lorenzo-Martinez, M., López-Del Campo, R., Resta, R. and Rey, E., 2021. Do elite soccer players cover longer distance when losing? Differences between attackers and defenders. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 16(3), pp.840-847
