ABSTRACT
Excelling in the performance of his or her chosen sport is the major aim of any elite athlete. The drive to win, the desire to succeed and the ambition to push beyond the present limits of performance are all essential features of achieving excellence in elite sport. Athletes must constantly strive to attain peak levels of performance to reach and subsequently stay at the top. In field sports, players must now move faster, anticipate better, demonstrate greater levels of technical and tactical ability and persist longer than competitors from the past. The commitments made by club, coach and player in attempting to attain perfection undeniably necessitate an extensive amount of time and financial contribution, especially as the gap between winning and losing grows ever smaller. The foundations for training and
The role of sports science support and research in contemporary elite sport 2
The role of performance assessment in field sports 5
How has technology affected sports assessment? 10
Some considerations when assessing performance 13
Test criteria 14
Analysis, presentation, interpretation and application of data 19
Conclusion 20
References 21
CHAPTER CONTENTS
competing can no longer be based on simple subjective views of how well athletes perform or on traditional methods passed from one generation of coach to another.
Fundamental to elite performance in field sports is the need to capture, analyse and evaluate information on key areas such as the physical or technical capacities of players. This information on the numerous characteristics of sports performance is the foundation for providing feedback on how the player or athlete is performing. In turn, this feedback leads to the development of informed coaching interventions centred on evidence-based practice within daily training and preparation for match-play. When the opinions, experiences and know-how of elite practitioners are supplemented with these informed coaching methods, the combined approach may prove critical in finding that extra margin between success and failure.
