Claire Roberts-Thomson
algorithm Engineer
At Trace our motto is “We handle the tech. You focus on the game.” The same goes for Player Performance. Our goal is to give you simple yet actionable metrics that will motivate and guide you to be a better player. Below is an explanation of the data we collect on players every game.
Max Efforts is the number of times a player performed on the field at an intensity close to his or her physical limit.
To determine a player’s physical limit we look across the entire game and identify all physical exertion segments. We then identify the segments that have the best combination of speed, acceleration, direction change, and distance covered over a timespan of more than 1 second. Any effort at the top 20% of all segments is a 'Max Effort.'
Use # Max Efforts as a communication tool to get through to players you feel need a little extra push to “give more.” Comparing a player’s # Max Efforts to another player in a similar position can help show them where they can improve – and if they might need to focus on endurance in future training sessions.
Energy remaining is a reflection of the rate at which a player’s activity is declining throughout the game.
We look at Max Efforts across the game’s time span and plot a curve to determine the change in their frequency and intensity. If your player’s Max Effort Pattern is consistent throughout the whole game the Energy Remaining will show as 100%. If your player stopped running altogether by the end of the game, the Energy Remaining would show as 0%.
‘Energy Remaining’ serves as a useful stamina indicator. Players that hover around 50-60% at the end of each half should probably work on their conditioning, or possibly be subbed out for fresher legs.
This is the total distance that a player covered in the game.
Distance is the sum of the total walking and running distance a player covered during a game.
The fastest speed (in miles per hour) that this player recorded during this game.
This is the player’s maximum sustained speed during their fastest sprint.
Much like a car, acceleration tells you how fast (in seconds) a player can achieve his or her individual Top Speed.
We look at all segments where a player has reached (or is near) their Top Speed and average out their acceleration.
The Heat Map color represents the proportion of time a player spent in each area of the field based on GPS location. Grey represents little to no time, while dark blue areas represent the most time spent.
Use the Heat Map to find out if each player is spending their time effectively for the position assigned. In the image below, Player #1 is clearly a goalie, Player #2 is a right defensive back, and Player #3 is a midfielder who is possibly spending too much time in the defensive third.
