Case Study: Why training has to get technical - May 2006  

Stafford Murray, national lead performance analyst at English Institute of Sport, explains why technology has to be at the heart of training programmes for elite athletes.

The English Institute of Sport (EIS), a National Lottery funded organisation, is a nationwide network of support services, designed to foster the talents of England’s elite athletes. Services are offered from nine regional multi-sport hub sites and an evolving network of satellite centers with support including applied physiology, biomechanics, medical consultation, medical screening, nutritional advice, performance analysis, psychology, podiatry, strength and conditioning coaching, sports massage and sports vision.
With winning margins becoming smaller and smaller, there has never been a greater focus on the role of technology and science in achieving these margins in high performance sport. Consider this, at the Athens Olympics in 2004, the collective margin in seconds between Team GB winning and losing five gold medals was a mere 0.515 seconds. It therefore comes as no surprise that competitors are now incorporating technology into their training programmes as they strive to shave off the fraction of a second that could be the difference between a gold medal and fourth place. Let’s take Performance Analysis as an example….

What is Performance Analysis?

Research has shown that informed coaching interventions and objective accurate feedback are essential for improving performance. In the last couple of years advancements in software packages have left coaches with a number of affordable options with which to tactically analyse a performance and provide objective feedback. Performance analysis as a discipline lies somewhere between notational analysis and sports biomechanics. As of yet, a conclusive definition for the area has yet to be formalised due to its recent inception. However, it involves the collection of statistical data and video footage in a reliable and consistent manner so that tactical and technical inferences can be made with regard to an athlete’s or team’s performance. The discipline of performance analysis is vital in the feedback process. The statistics and associated video footage can be provided to the coaches and athletes in realtime or post event. With the extra time available when providing post-event feedback the depth and complexity of analysis can be far greater.

Dartfish and the English Institute of Sport

The EIS Corporate Partnership Programme which launched in January 2006 offers brands the opportunity to support the EIS and therefore play their part in the delivery of sport science and medical services to the medal winning talent of today and tomorrow. Dartfish, a world leader in video instruction and performance video analysis software and more recently known for its work with BBC Sport during Tornio 2006, was the first to come on board with the EIS. The partnership between Dartfish and the EIS will focus on the provision of software licences, a dedicated telephone support service and training of EIS support staff. Dartfish was keen to offer solutions and packages that would ensure the successful implementation of video analysis in a positive way for the EIS and the national governing bodies of sport in England. Dartfish will support the EIS in delivery of video-based performance analysis to its partners through workshops, case studies, and research and development.
Forging partnerships such as this are crucial for driving performance at an elite level in English sport. In supporting the best, we need to ensure that we work with the best. We have the opportunity to work with Dartfish and the national governing bodies of sport to ensure that elite athletes we support have access to the most innovative, comprehensive and user friendly performance analysis tools and techniques available.

How EIS uses the software to help elite athletes and coaches

With the assistance of technology advancements, Dartfish software has enabled us, as practitioners, to improve the quality and quantity of our service delivery to sports. You could say that it has revolutionised performance analysis. Coaches want immediate video feedback and now they can have it and more. The software can be used in a number of ways depending on the sports needs. From simply viewing their performance to more detailed analyses. This would be of a tactical or technical aspect in order to highlight key strengths and weaknesses in their own performance and their opposition.
The software effectively revolutionises training on three levels:
Communication – the ability to deliver instant and automatic visual feedback during a performance means a shared perspective and improved communications between athletes, coaches, performance analysts and maybe even doctors.
Analysis – offers a complete set of video analysis tools to make visible what was before, invisible. Thanks to these tools, the support team can make powerful technical, tactical and statistical analyses.
Sharing – the video management system also enables the support teams to easily share their expertise (enhanced clips and analysis details) with others via CD/DVD, internet or email.

Key features of the software

There are a number of the modules available within the Dartfish software to assist in service delivery to a number of elite sports. Some examples of what is integrated into the service delivery:
Tagging: designing specific analyses templates and linking the performance to the video. This gives us valuable data/video on specific athletes to monitor their performance across a season based on the key performance indicators that have been highlighted by the coach.
Analyser: one of the most common tools that the coaches/athletes use on a day to day basis is that which enables comparison of performances, either comparing their own performances or looking at how they compare with their opponents.
Media books: allowing us to develop key resources across disciplines bringing sport science and medicine closer together to aid the athletes of today and the future.

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