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Sheehan WB, Tribolet R, Novak AR, Fransen J, Watsford ML. A holistic analysis of collective behaviour and team performance in Australian Football via structural equation modelling. SCI MED FOOTBALL 2023; 7:64-73. [PMID: 35213284 DOI: 10.1080/24733938.2022.2046286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Despite awareness of the importance of quantifying technical, tactical, and physical characteristics of match play, few studies have examined the structural relationship of these aspects in professional sport. Accordingly, this study concurrently examined these components in relation to quarter outcome (n = 272) in Australian Football. The study followed a retrospective longitudinal case study design where one teams' cooperative passing network, skill counts, physical loads, and spatiotemporal behaviours during official Australian Football League games were collected from a period spanning four seasons (2016-2019). A principal components analysis (PCA) and structural equation modelling were used to explore the structural relationships between components and examine the influence on quarter outcome as determined by the point differential (quarter margin). Scoring opportunity and ball movement had direct associations with quarter margin, while unpredictability, uncontested behaviour and physical behaviour did not. Negative associations between uncontested behaviour and scoring opportunity suggest that elevated high-pressure success and a lack of synchrony may positively influence scoring opportunity, a determinant of quarter margin. Further, negative associations between physical behaviour and ball movement suggest that with less physical work, a team's collective ability to transfer possession between teammates is facilitated, offering an interesting dichotomy between skill and physical demands of Australian Football. While hundreds of different metrics are available, the present study was the first to concurrently examine the influence of a variety of match play components on performance outcomes in Australian Football. These results may provide direction for coaches and practitioners when contemplating practice design, tactical strategies, or the development of behaviour through specific training exercises. Game plans and training drills that focus on optimising attacking and low-pressure ball movement coupled with high levels of mutual interaction between teammates may be beneficial for performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- William B Sheehan
- Human Performance Research Centre, School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Rugby, Australia
| | - Rhys Tribolet
- Human Performance Research Centre, School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Rugby, Australia
| | - Andrew R Novak
- Human Performance Research Centre, School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Rugby, Australia.,High Performance Department, Rugby Australia is the Institution, Rugby, Australia
| | - Job Fransen
- Human Performance Research Centre, School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Rugby, Australia
| | - Mark L Watsford
- Human Performance Research Centre, School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Rugby, Australia
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Jiménez SL, Bustamante-Sánchez Á, Kelly AL, Pareja-Galeano H, Lago-Penas C. Influence of the situational variables on the performance of the teams competing in the Chinese Super League. INT J PERF ANAL SPOR 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/24748668.2022.2078095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Adam L. Kelly
- School of Health Science, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, UK
| | - Helios Pareja-Galeano
- Department of Physical Education, Sport and Human Movement. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain
| | - Carlos Lago-Penas
- Faculty of Education and Sport Sciences, University of Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain
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Lord F, Pyne DB, Welvaert M, Mara JK. Capture, analyse, visualise: An exemplar of performance analysis in practice in field hockey. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0268171. [PMID: 35511919 PMCID: PMC9070925 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The goal of performance analysis is to capture the multitude of factors that affect sports strategy, and present them in an informative, interpretable, and accessible format. The aim of this study was to outline a performance analysis process in field hockey that captures, analyses and visualises strategy in layers of detail culminating in the creation of an RStudio Shiny application. Computerised notational analysis systems were developed to capture in-game events and ball tracking data of 74 matches from the Women’s Pro League 2019. Game styles were developed using k-means cluster analysis to reduce detailed in-game events into practical profiles to identify the attack types, game actions and tempo of a team’s strategy. Ball movement profiles were developed to identify the predictability (entropy) and direction (progression rates) of ball movements, and consequent distribution of possession in different attacking zones. The Shiny application, an interactive web-platform, links the information from simple game profiles with detailed game variables to understand each teams’ holistic game plan, how they are different, and how to exploit these differences. The process outlined can be applied to any team invasion sport to understand, develop and communicate successful strategies under different match situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felicity Lord
- University of Canberra Research Institute for Sport and Exercise (UCRISE), University of Canberra, Bruce, Canberra, Australia
- * E-mail:
| | - David B. Pyne
- University of Canberra Research Institute for Sport and Exercise (UCRISE), University of Canberra, Bruce, Canberra, Australia
| | - Marijke Welvaert
- Statistical Consulting Unit, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Jocelyn K. Mara
- University of Canberra Research Institute for Sport and Exercise (UCRISE), University of Canberra, Bruce, Canberra, Australia
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