Unit 19
Analysis of Sports Performance
Learning outcomes for this Unit:
On completion of this unit a learner should be able to:
Topic 1 – create a Performance profile of a sporting activity
Topic 2 - Analyse sporting performance
Topic 3 - Provide feedback to athletes regarding performance
Topic 4 – Describe the purpose and resources required for analysing different
levels of sporting performance.
Topic 1 - Performance profile of a sporting activity
Grading Criteria
Grading Criteria
Describe the performance profile of a selected sporting
P1
activity
M1
Explain the performance profile of a selected sporting
activity
D1
Analyse the performance profile of a selected sporting
activity
P2
Describe five factors that may influence the
performance of an athlete
The purpose of Performance Profiling is to……
• Identify current levels of ability & competence
• Identify strengths & areas for improvement
• Monitor performance (progress & decline)
• Monitor effectiveness of training programmes
• Identify differences in athlete & coach opinion on
performance
• Provide a basis for training programme
Choosing a sporting activity you want to create
your Performance Profile about….
• An individual based sport, eg archery, shooting, sprinting
• A specific position found in sport, eg goalkeeper, midfielder, defender
• A specific action found in sport, eg tennis serve, penalty
You must describe the perfect player in terms of……..
Technically & Tactically –
What skills must they be good at?
What is the required style of play?
shooting, crossing, catching, passing, tackling, heading, dribbling,
striking, positional play, style of play
Physically -
Which physical components are required?
strength, power, flexibility, speed/pace, agility,
Physiologically -
What are the preferred physiological components?
cardiovascular fitness, body composition/somatotype, lung function,
recovery
Psychologically -
What psychological factors are required?
motivation, anxiety, arousal, attention, confidence, aggression,
relaxation, concentration
Biomechanically (forces acting on the body)
Linear Displacement – how far & quickly a person travels in a straight line
Velocity of Release – the speed at which you release the ball
Acceleration – increase in speed in relation to time taken
Application of force – force used when striking the ball or holding off a player
Use of levers – co-ordination of arms & legs, angles of striking the ball
Assessment P1, M1
Either describe, explain or analyse the performance profile of a selected
sporting activity. Cover the following areas:
•
•
•
•
•
Technical & Tactical
Physical
Physiological
Psychological
Biomechanical
You can choose the sporting activity in terms of an individual sport (as a whole),
a players position or an action/activity within a game.
P2 - Factors influencing sport performance - Intrinsic
Age – performance declines after age 35. Strength, flexibility, cardiovascular fitness & other structures &
functions reduce in efficiency reducing optimal performance.
Health – the bodies functions & improvements happen collectively. If any aspect of the body is not
functioning well it will effect the body as a whole & therefore sports performance.
Diet – having a healthy & balanced diet fuels the body for activity, aids optimal function, growth & repair. This
will improve health & ultimately improve sport performance. A bad or unhealthy diet will not fulfil the bodies
requirements & can ultimately cause disease.
Previous training – having a knowledge of previous training methods & schedules is helpful in realising what
is successful & what doesn’t work. This then aids development in the future.
Motivation – whether intrinsic or extrinsic, the more motivation the more focused & dedicated an athlete will
be to training & competition.
Confidence – this is how successful you believe you will be. This can be effected by previous experiences,
your perception of forthcoming events (how comfortable you are with them) & other psych. Factors such as
anxiety & stress.
Ability level – performance is the result of ability & skill. This is natural but can be trained to an extent.
P2 - Factors influencing sport performance - Extrinsic
Group dynamics – This will depend on the stage of development (forming, storming, norming
& performing) as to how positive the effect will be.
Group cohesion – The degree of group cohesion can effect sporting performance. This
depends on social cohesion & task cohesion; task cohesion having a stronger influence than
social. The more cohesion the better the performance.
Temperature – Effects of temperature on sports performance can be physical &
psychological. Extreme low temperatures can result in torn muscles/tendons etc if there is a
lack of warm up. Thought processes can slow down & body functions become less efficient,
in extreme cases hypothermia can set in; this can be fatal. Extreme heat can cause heat
exhaustion & dehydration which has a profound negative effect on performance.
Temperature can also effect motivation depending on your preference.
Time of day – The timing of training & competition can influence sports performance. The
bodies metabolism tends to be slower in the mornings (causing a lack of energy), whereas
later in the day the body may be fatigued & suffer a lack of concentration.
Ideally, training should mimic the timings of competition, this can be difficult when certain
competitions have to be timed around TV coverage & audience demands.
Assessment P2
P2
Describe five factors that may influence the
performance of an athlete
Choose 5 factors (include both intrinsic & extrinsic) that influence sporting
performance. Describe what they are & how they influence an athletes
performance.
Topic 2- Analysing Sport Performance
Grading Criteria
Grading Criteria
perform an assessment of a selected athlete
P3
undertaking sporting activity using three components of
their performance profile, with tutor support
M2
D2
independently perform an assessment of a selected
athlete undertaking sporting activity using three
components of their performance profile
analyse the performance of a selected athlete using
three components of their performance profile
Topic 2 - Analysing Sporting Performance
You must now analyse the sporting performance of your chosen athlete.
Choose 3 components from the list below:
•technical and tactical, eg notational analysis, tally charts;
•physical, eg multi-stage fitness test, repeated anaerobic sprint test;
•motor, eg T-run, Illinois agility run;
•physiological, eg heart rate monitor, peak flow
•psychological, eg interviews, questionnaires
•biomechanical, eg recording
Think about which method you will use to analyse each component (they won’t
necessarily be the same). Look at the following examples & select 3 to analyse.
Technical and Tactical
notational analysis
tally charts
Technical
% success rate
Tactical
Long pass
Formation
Short pass
Positioning
Crossing
Decision Making
Tackling
Pressing
Heading
Strategy
Shooting
Spatial Awareness
Dribbling
Movement
Grade out of 10
Physical
Multi-stage fitness test, 1 Rep Max, Sit & Reach etc
Fitness Test
Score
Normative Data
Category
Comment
MSFT
Level 10
Average
Adequate, but could
do with improving
1 Rep Max
Sit & Reach
Standing Broad
Jump
Motor
Illinois Agility Test, T-test
Fitness Test
Score
Normative Data
Category
Comment
Illinois Agility Test
16 sec
Above Average
Good, but could be
excellent
Physiological
Heart rate monitor, Peak flow,
Health Monitoring
Test
Result
Normative Data
Category
Comment
Resting Heart Rate
80 beats per minute
Average
Adequate, but could
do with improving
Peak flow
Psychological
Interviews, Questionnaires etc
Questionnaire/Test
Result
Comment
SCAT (Sports Competition
Anxiety Test)
High low levels etc
High levels need reducing through
Psych Skills Programme/Techniques
Cattells 16 Personality
Factor Test
Type A
Type B
Biomechanical
Result/Comment/Interpretation
Video Analysis
Performance Plate
Gait Analysis
P3, M2, D2 - Analysing Sporting Performance
Analyse the sporting performance of your chosen athlete.
Choose 3 components:
•Technical & Tactical
•Physical
•Motor
•Physiological
•Psychological
•Biomechanical
Using a method of your choice analyse 3 components of performance from the
list above. Record the results.
From this you can identify strengths & areas for improvement.
Topic 3- Provide feedback to athletes regarding
performance
Grading Criteria
Grading Criteria
provide feedback to the athlete based on the
P4
assessment of their performance, with tutor
support
independently provide feedback to the athlete
M2
based on the assessment of their performance.
Topic 3 - Provide feedback to athletes regarding
performance
Now you have analysed the sporting performance of your chosen athlete, you can provide
them with feedback. Do this with tutor support for the Pass or independently to achieve
the Merit.
Firstly, identify:
•Strengths
•Areas for improvement
Then, for each of the 3 components you analysed create a target & goal to improve a
weakness.
•SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timebound) Targets
•Goals (short-, medium- and long-term)
Then provide recommendations on how they could achieve the goals & targets:
For example:
skills training
training for specific components of fitness
technique coaching specific to movement
psychological training (concentration, anxiety and arousal control)
Component of Performance:
Strength
Weakness
Target (SMART)
SMART-
Short Term Goal:
Medium Term Goal:
Long Term Goal:
Recommendations :
(which methods would you use to improve weaknesses/achieve goals?)
Topic 4 - Purpose and resources required for
analysing different levels of sporting performance
Grading Criteria
Grading Criteria
P5
explain the purpose of, & the resources
required for, analysis at two different
levels of sports performance.
Levels of Performance
Olympic/world-class athlete/professional
Aim is to reach the very peak of excellence
County or national standard
Aim to improve standard through
coaching, competition & training
Saturday league player, out-of-school club
Health, fitness & social purposes
School children, beginners, grass roots
Learning & understanding basic
movement skills & establishing a
positive attitude to sport & exercise
Purposes
Reasons for Sports Analysis
Assessment of health & fitness status
Performance assessment
Assessing athletes in competition vs training allows coaches
to see what effect factors such as the crowd, pressure of a
game etc have on performance. It also highlights an athletes
ability to apply tactics & managers instructions.
Monitoring current fitness levels
Monitors current training methods to ensure improvements are
being seen. This will also identify any failings to progress.
Recovery after injury
This may be to monitor progress against expected
timescales or to check an athlete is at their pre-injury level
of fitness
Goal setting
It is only after analysing sports performance that
goals can be set in order to improve weaknesses.
These should be SMART in order to increase
motivation.
This will highlight any areas that need addressing, i.e. Increased
body fat composition would indicate a need to lose weight.
Talent identification
This could be initial ability, establishing level of
talent or scouting for new players or
evaluating opponents in preparation for a
match.
Identification of strengths &
areas for improvement
This may include simply aiming to increase enjoyment
levels to formulating goals & targets to improve
weaknesses.
Squad selection
By monitoring performance of individuals in training it enables a more
in depth analysis & thorough squad selection.
Resources
Reasons for Sports Analysis
Equipment – this could be second
Fiscal – this will depend on how much money
hand, as old as when the club was set
is available to the club/athletes. How do they
up or brand new designed with the
fund their sport?
latest technology. Again this comes
down to money.
Time – analysis can be very time consuming. Collecting data,
analysing & interpreting it, then feeding it back is a long process.
How much time available will dictate whether the team are
assessed together or whether individuals get one-to-one sessions.
Also how much detail can be given in the analysis.
Facilities - depending on the level,
this could be pen & paper out on
the football pitch (making tally’s) or
this could be a sports performance
science lab. Again money available
is the main factor.
Human – foundation will have simply teacher
& parental support whereas elite will have full
time roles for coaching staff, strengths &
conditioning, sport scientists, physios, doctors
Topic 4 - Purpose and resources required for
analysing different levels of sporting performance
Assessment
Choose 2 different levels of sport performance. Explain the purpose of, & the
resources required for their analysis.