When it comes to the Australian Football League (AFL), technical skills are important, but tactics are just as vital to a successful game. Players and coaches rely on scientific research to improve their physical capacity and technical skills on the field and in training, but there is little research regarding the tactical demands of the sport and the influence of these variables on performance in an AFL context. My research aims to close this knowledge gap.
As part of my PhD at UTS, and ongoing role with the Sydney Swans, I am required to collect, process and analyse a large amount of data pertaining to the different demands associated with Australian Football matchplay. This includes physical output data, such as distances covered during a game at different velocities; technical skill data, such as the number of times a player kicks or handballs to a teammate; and tactical data, such as the movement of players relative to one another.
Collecting this data requires the use of global positioning system (GPS) devices (physical and tactical) as well as third party providers such as ChampionData who code matches for a large number of different skill involvements (technical). This data is then processed using a combination of Excel and Matlab methods and then statistically analysed either in Matlab or in SPSS. Using these programs can often be daunting at first but if you are familiar with the problem you are trying to solve, or the area of analysis you want to improve/learn, then there are an extensive number of free resources that can help guide you through the process. My PhD supervisors and fellow students were also a valuable resource, particularly for ensuring I was using the right methods at the right time.
The access and development of these data analytic skills has allowed me to "push the envelope" with my PhD, testing and evaluating novel ideas that have led to publications. These skills have also given me the ability to assess and analyse data with confidence in my role at the Sydney Swans. Coaches are always looking to get the edge on the opposition and I believe my work, along with the help of the HPRC, is helping this happen.
Under the guidance of two supervisors who have a wealth of knowledge and experience spanning across multiple sport and exercise science disciplines, I have been able to develop a meaningful research project embedded in an elite sporting organisation.
