Cardiff School of Sport
What exactly does Performance Analysis involve and why is it so important? Performance Analysis involves the collection, analysis and communication of video and statistical data. It is used to inform the coaching process, to assist decision making and direct interventions in a way that positively impacts on player, athlete or team performance. Is it used across the board in all sports? Analysis of video footage has become a crucial coaching activity in all sports, with the coach-analyst relationship becoming increasingly important. Coaches work with analysts before a match or training session, to determine what aspects of play they want to focus on. To take basketball as an example, the coach might want to see what happens when a player blocks an opponent's shot. As play begins, a live video stream is fed into the analyst's computer. The analyst
attaches appropriate tags to the video, then the coach can watch all the relevant clips one after the other, with no need to rewind or fastforward long reams of footage. The assistant coach of the Great Britain women's basketball team and UWIC Archers Head Coach, Damian Jennings, explains, “It's become part of the fabric of what the players do here. We get information fast and can instantly respond to players' questions - perhaps about us getting outrebounded by the opposition - rather than saying 'I'll get back to you tomorrow.' It becomes interactive, so they can ask to see specific aspects, and we can do that at the touch of a button." In addition to real-time monitoring, performance analysts can create a permanent, interactive database that develops the next generation of players/ athletes through long-term, regular monitoring of progression.
What is the background to the Centre for Performance Analysis at UWIC? The CPA is an enterprise initiative established in 1992 by Keith Lyons, who subsequently went on to lead Performance Analysis in the Australian Institute of Sport. The CPA has reemerged over the last few years, engaging in applied consultancy work for clubs, national governing bodies and local, national and international teams. We also offer bureau operations to code large volumes of matches, short-term assistance at tournaments, and professional development for practitioners. In addition to consultancy work, the CPA is also engaged in applied research to discover, understand and challenge new technology and techniques. Long-term relationships with high profile clients have created an extensive network of external links that allow cutting edge ideas and
coaching solutions to be developed and shared with clients as methods of best practice. How much do you work with students? Cardiff School of Sport offered the first MSc in Performance Analysis in the world. Designed to meet the growing demand for performance analysts, the MSc prepares skilled and experienced analysts with sound scientific principles on which to base their work. The programme is unique in its combination of theoretical ideas, practical experience and exposure to the growing spectrum of commercial hardware and software. UWIC has produced a huge number of analysts, many of whom have been recruited directly by the CPA, with others appointed to roles in elite sport, such as Welsh regional and English Premiership rugby teams and national institutes of sport. CPA staff are also UWIC lecturers, and sports students
are regularly involved in paid work experience at the Centre to facilitate the delivery of Performance Analysis services to clients. What are the future plans for the Centre? A key mission of the CPA is to raise awareness of the functionality of the analytical processes among a wider range of potential users; with an underlying goal of creating more career opportunities for UWIC graduates. Alongside some pending contracts with elite sports worldwide, external collaboration with our software partner Jon Moore (Analysis Pro) is also delivering opportunities to transfer our experience and abilities into other emerging non-sporting domains, such as fire & rescue. For further information on Performance Analysis at UWIC please contact them on 029 2020 1141 or visit http://cpa.uwic.ac.uk
Who does CPA work with? Recent clients come from a variety of sports ranging from local to International teams, with minor interventions into individual sports, such as Athletics and Squash. Rugby Union: Gloucester RFC, Wasps RFC, Welsh Rugby Union, Scottish Rugby Union, Fiji Rugby Union, Rugby Canada. Football: Sporting Clube de Braga (Portuguese team) Hockey: England Hockey Rugby League: South Wales Scorpions Adam Cullinane, Darrell Cobner, and Huw Wiltshire CPA staff and UWIC Alumni
Basketball: UWIC Archers, GB Basketball
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