Background

Background

This unit explores developments in sport informatics and analytics at a time of growing interest in the observation, analysis and visualisation of performance in sport (Gerrard, 2015; Ringuet-Riot, Hahn & James, 2014).

We hope to increase your awareness of a diverse community of practitioners that shares its practice through social media (Cobner, 2014) and to encourage the open exchange of ideas (Lyons, 2016).

Allan Hahn left the Australian Institute of Sport in September 2011 after twenty-seven years as a sport scientist there. Jodie Richardson (2011) wrote a summary of his farewell speech that gives a great insight into the history of technological developments in Australia and the pace of change globally.

Allan covered his experiences from early use of a Douglas Bag for gas analysis to the use of an elastomeric flea protein. He explored the refinement of measurement approaches to physiological and biomechanical parameters that included VO₂ maximum testing, genotyping, mathematical modelling of performance and devices such as force plates and Global Positioning Systems.

During his talk, Allan noted:

Sports science has greatly expanded beyond the traditional biomechanics, physiology and nutrition, where all sorts of people with unique expertise are now contributing.

Andrew Wixted (2007) has provided an excellent overview of the move from 'athlete monitoring performed under invasive conditions, either laboratory conditions or in specially prepared circumstances that were in-effect portable laboratories' to 'in-situ monitoring of athletes both in training and in competition'.

Andrew explores these changes with a specific focus on the automation of physiological monitoring of rugby football players. His thesis is of particular interest to us as it exemplifies the processes of:

• in-situ athlete monitoring
• data interpretation and feature extraction.

The developments that Allan and Andrew discuss illustrate how far the observation and analysis of performance has come from some of the founding ideas. I have written about some of these founders: Hugh Fullerton (Lyons, 2011a); Lloyd Messersmith (Lyons, 2011b); Pauline Hodgson, Anna Espenschade and Nancy Miner (Lyons, 2015); and Charles Reep (2011c).

Recommended Reading

Darrell Cobner (2014). How Analytics Is Changing.

Caroline Ringuet-Riot, Allan Hahn & Daniel James (2014). A structured approach for technology innovation in sport. Sport Technology.

Sport Technology (2014). Special Issue, Australian Sports Technology, 4(3-4), 108-184.

Stephen Seiler (2011). A brief history of endurance testing in athletes. Sportscience 15, 40-86.

Andrew Wixted (2007). In-situ Athlete Monitoring: Data Collection, Interpretation & Feature Extraction. PhD thesis, Griffith University.

Suggested Reading

Keith Lyons (2011a). Hugh Fullerton's Inside Game.

Keith Lyons (2011b). Lloyd Lowell Messersmith and the Origins of Notational Analysis.

Keith Lyons (2011c). Goal Scoring in Association Football: Charles Reep.

Keith Lyons (2015). Godmothers of Performance Analysis (2).

Craig Mod (2016). 22 Years Ago I Used a Cellular Phone.

Photo Credits

Diving at the Valley Baths, Brisbane, Queensland, 1938 (State Library of Queensland, No Known Copyright Restrictions).

Western College on College Day 1912 (Miami University Libraries, No Known Copyright Restrictions).