Computerised analysis of netball.

This research stemmed from the observation that much netball coaching is based on relatively superficial and subjective observations of a team's performance and a lack of longer term coaching strategy or recognised 'benchmarks' for relevant aspects of technical and strategic play. A review of the netball literature revealed prolific advice about how to perform technical skills, but little strategic information and even less evidence of relevant benchmarks' for judging the quality of technical or tactical aspects of performance at given levels of play.The findings of the literature review, combined with discussions with the national coach for netball, led to the development of two main aims for this project. The first aim was to develop a means of providing netball coaches and players with useful post-game feedback from individual matches, which of itself could be accumulated into individual and squad performance statistics over periods of time. The second aim was to investigate the possibility of developing a model of 'winning' netball performance which coaches might use as an aid to coaching. In order to pursue these aims it was decided to take an inductive approach based on the national coach's expert opinion as to what parameters of netball performance should be analysed and to analyse play at the highest level. A microcomputer-based match analysis system utilising purpose-designed software and a specially built keyboard was developed and tested for acceptable reliability. The analysis process was based on the concept of a team's possession of the ball: data was recorded concerning how a possession started, which players were involved, through which areas of the court the possession moved the ball and how the possession ended, including the scoring of goals. Data were abstracted and recorded from video-recordings of 28 matches taken from two international tournaments.In terms of providing short term feedback, the system analysed the pattern of goal scoring across quarters, the rate and efficiency of shooting technique, the outcome of centre plays in terms of turnovers, creation of goal scoring chances and goals scored, loss of possession and whether such loss resulted in opponents scoring, together with player profiles of positive and negative aspects of technical performance. It was concluded that this system met the first aim of the project, the national coach using the system during one of the tournaments to analyse both her own team's performance and to 'scout' that of future opponents. Whilst the system did provide relevant information for coach and players in usable form there still exists the major limitation that there exist no benchmarks' against which to judge whether the rates of success, error or efficiency recorded for individual players or squads on selected aspects of performance represent relatively high' or 'low' levels of play.After further consultation with the national coach, aspects of shooting & scoring, the ability of teams to score from their own and from their opponents' centre plays, and, the area of the court in which teams lost possession, were selected for further analysis in order to pursue the project's second aim of developing a model of 'winning' performance at netball. The database was split into three sets: data derived from teams which won their match; data from teams which lost their match; data from teams who were judged to have 'drawn' their match. The 'drawers' category was based on a statistically defined goal difference between teams of less than 5: ie, matches in which the probability of chance rather than skillfulness determining the outcome was greater than 5%. This investigation led to development of a 'profile' of winning performance which is statistically different from losing performance and which is based on nine performance characteristics. The results of this analysis suggested that winners and drawers have quite similar performance characteristics, both differing from losers: hence a close/equal score line probably results from a meeting between two teams who both display winning characteristics. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).