L17, Player Tracking

Question 1

Objectives:

• To be aware of the different technology used to track player movement in sport
• To understand the strengths and weaknesses of player tracking technologies

Question 2

What are the benefits of a computerised notation systems?

Answer 2

• Relatively inexpensive
• Usually labour intensive
• Reliability and validity depend on notation system, definitions and experience of analyst

Question 3

What are 3 types of ‘player and ball tracking technology’?

Answer 3

1. Video-based systems
2. GPS systems
3. Radio-based systems

Question 4

What are the pros and cons of video-based systems?

Answer 4

• No equipment worn
• Semi-automatic tracking- players need to be identified manually; tracking may need to be corrected (players merging, light conditions e.g., shadows, clouds)
• Very expensive software and support (e.g., licensing, data processing)

Question 5

Why are shadows/clouds a disadvantage to using video-based systems?

Answer 5

Shadows can confuse the software/algorithm to make it think that a player has moved when they haven’t.

Question 6

What are 3 inertial measurement units (IMU)?

Answer 6

1. Accelerometer- Linear acceleration
2. Gyroscope- Rotation
3. Magnetometer- Heading

(Software can combine measurements to describe motion)

Question 7

What are the pros and cons of wearable GPS sensors (E.g., STATSports, Polar)?

Answer 7

• Players can wear receivers; uniquely identify each player (fully automatic)
• Sampling rate up to 15Hz
• Cannot be used indoors
• Provides HR data

Question 8

What are the pros and cons of wearable radio-based system sensors?

Answer 8

• Players wear a vest with a small transponder that transits positions to a base station
• Can be fitted into foils in shirts
• Uniquely identifies each player; fully automatic
• Can combine with heart rate data