Using performance data to identify styles of play in netball: an alternative to performance indicators

Abstract

The advent of sports technology has led to large, high-dimensional, performance data sets, which pose decision-making challenges for coaches and performance analysts. If large data sets are managed poorly inaccurate and biased decision-making may actually be enabled. This paper outlines a process for capturing, organising, and analysing a large performance data set in professional netball. 250 ANZ Championship matches, from the 2012-2015 seasons, where analysed. Self-organising maps and a k-means clustering algorithm were used to describe seven games-styles, which were used in a case study to devise a strategy for an upcoming opponent. The team implemented a centre-pass (CP) defence strategy based on the opponent's previous successful and unsuccessful performances. This strategy involved allowing the oppositions Wing-attack to receive the CP while allowing their Goal-attack to take the second pass. The strategy was monitored live by the coaches on a tablet computer via a custom-built dashboard, which tracks each component of the strategy. The process provides an alternative to use of conventional performance indicators and demonstrates a method for handling large high-dimensional performance data sets. Further work is needed to identify an ecologically valid method for variable selection.

Defining tactical competency during turnovers in Netball: Using the Delphi method to capture expert coach knowledge

“…While many team sports are suitable to explore tactical behaviours, this study will focus on Netball. Netball is a 7 v 7 court-based invasion sport, played mostly by women in commonwealth countries (Croft, Willcox, & Lamb, 2018).…”

“…In netball, like other invasion sports, the overall objective is to outscore an opposition team, however, netball has many unique rules that dictate how the game can be played (Croft et al, 2018). For example, the player in possession of the ball cannot take more than one step and must pass the ball within three seconds of receiving it (Pulling, Eldridge, & Lomax, 2016).…”

“…Various performance indicators in netball, such as successful and unsuccessful passes, goal scoring variables, turnovers, offensive and defensive rebounds, and penalties received have previously been reported (Croft et al, 2018;Mclean et al, 2019;O'Donoghue, Mayes, Edwards, & Garland, 2008;Pulling et al, 2016). For example, a sample of 59 British National Super League netball games from 2005-2008 were analysed to identify the key performance indicators that differentiate between top of the table and bottom of the table teams (O'Donoghue et al, 2008).…”

Discovering patterns of play in netball with network motifs and association rules

“…Coaches often refer to match statistics to reinforce their beliefs about what took place (Hughes & Bartlett, 2002). This study paired player connections with court location through flow motifs and association rules respectively to provide a hybrid approach to understanding the tactical nature of netball (Croft, Willcox, & Lamb, 2017) . Each technique has been used in isolation in soccer and hockey (Gyarmati & Anguera, 2015;Morgan, 2011), but the ability to explore the results from the independent methodologies in combination increases the practicality and insight for performance analysts and coaches.…”

“…Seven playing styles have been outlined using forty performance variables in netball (Croft et al, 2017), however through the addition of a motif and rule-based approach a greater understand of team preferences may be understood within each playing style. This analysis provides an insight into the way attacking teams progress the ball forward, but also offers a perspective of tactics of the defensive team.…”