Quantifying technical actions in professional soccer using foot-mounted inertial measurement units

Marris, Joshua; Barrett, Steve; Abt, Grant; Towlson, Chris

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to (i) establish the concurrent validity and intra-unit reliability of a foot-mounted inertial measurement unit for monitoring soccer technical actions, (ii) quantify the within-microcycle inter-positional differences in the technical actions of professional soccer training, and (iii) determine the influence of drill category on the technical actions of professional soccer training. Methods: Twenty-one professional soccer players’ technical performance data (ball touches, releases, ball touches per minute, releases per minute), collected during training sessions throughout twenty-four weekly microcycles, were analysed using general linear modelling. Results: The inertial measurement unit exhibited good concurrent validity (PA=95.1%–100.0%) and intra-unit reliability (PA=95.9%–96.9%, CV=1.4%–2.9%) when compared with retrospective video analyses. The most ball touches ((Formula presented.) = 218.0) and releases ((Formula presented.) = 110.8) were observed on MD–1, with MD–5 eliciting the highest frequency of ball touches ((Formula presented.) = 3.8) and releases ((Formula presented.) = 1.7) per minute. Central midfielders performed the most ball touches ((Formula presented.) = 221.9), releases ((Formula presented.) = 108.3), ball touches per minute ((Formula presented.) = 3.4) and releases per minute ((Formula presented.) = 1.6). Small-sided games evoked more ball touches ((Formula presented.) diff= 1.5) and releases per minute ((Formula presented.) diff= 0.1) than previously reported in match-play. The fewest ball touches ((Formula presented.) = 1.2) and releases per minute ((Formula presented.) = 0.5) were observed during tactical drills. Conclusion: The results of this study provide a novel understanding of the within-microcycle, inter-positional and drill category differences in the technical actions performed by professional players during training.

Citation

Marris, J., Barrett, S., Abt, G., & Towlson, C. (2021). Quantifying technical actions in professional soccer using foot-mounted inertial measurement units. Science and Medicine in Football, https://doi.org/10.1080/24733938.2021.1910333

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 19, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Mar 29, 2021
• Publication Date: 2021
• Deposit Date: Jun 25, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 30, 2022
• Journal: Science and Medicine in Football
• Print ISSN: 2473-3938
• Electronic ISSN: 2473-4446
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/24733938.2021.1910333
• Keywords: Professional soccer training; technical actions; player monitoring; microcycle; microtechnology
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/3747148