Improving performance through sport science

Published 27 March 2019

Dr Cummins and her colleagues from UNE's Exercise Science Research Group are using cutting-edge technology to keep players on the field for longer. Their world-class research is also helping to identify and develop the next generation of most promising athletes.

The research in player biometrics and kinematics is a great example of why UNE achieved the highest rating for research quality in Human Movement and Sports Science in the Australian Research Council’s most recent ‘Excellence in Research for Australia’ National Report.

The mechanics of motion have been a burgeoning field since the explosion of GPS tracking devices, now commonly worn by athletes. But with the trackers producing around 1,000 data points per second, the challenge has been how to store, analyse and synthesise the data into a useable format.

"Only a few of these data points are routinely used by sports scientists, coaches and medical staff," Dr Cummins said. "The volume and speed of data has necessitated innovative collaboration with data scientists (a rapidly growing field of expertise) and statisticians to develop new ways of visualising and analysing this information. We've had to develop new approaches using machine learning."

In a game of rugby league, periods of very high intensity are interspersed with periods of lower intensity, and musculoskeletal injuries - to joints, muscles and connective tissue - are very common. By monitoring player workloads during training and matches using the GPS tracking data, Dr Cummins is able to assess the risk of injury in the subsequent week.

"We've found that appropriate and consistent increases in a player's total workload (duration and distance) help to reduce the risk of injury," said Dr Cummins, who grew up watching rugby league."By providing more objective data to high-performance staff and players, we hope to improve decision-making and a player's preparation for the demands of match play. This not only optimises their performance and welfare, supporting injury management and rehabilitation; it also improves overall team performance."

Dr Cummins' work with coaching staff across the National Rugby League competition has led to the development of individual player training programs that closely monitor workload and fatigue. And she believes other contact team sports, like rugby union and AFL, stand to benefit.

"Enabling players to play longer or prevent injury during very long and arduous seasons is the end game," Dr Cummins said. "It's been proven that teams with the largest number of available players to select from have the greatest chance of winning a premiership or overall season."

The analysis the UNE team is undertaking is so advanced that it can even help to identify talented players and further their development, complementing a coach's intuition. "By better understanding the physical attributes of a player and the demands upon their body, we can predict the likelihood of future performance and injury risk," Dr Cummins said. "This work will aid in enhancing player longevity whilst assisting in the identification and development of future players."

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