As part of the annual application process for research projects of the Federal Institute of Sport Science, Dr Daniel Link, private lecturer at the Chair of Performance Analysis and Sports Informatics, was successful with funding applications to support the German Olympic teams in beach volleyball and badminton. The two projects will be funded with a total of 100.000 Euros in 2023.
Reactivity plays a decisive role in beach volleyball and can have a significant impact on victory or defeat. The project aims to improve the anticipation performance of German athletes with a view to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
"In beach volleyball, it is crucial for defensive players to recognize the direction and technique of the opposing team as early as possible and to react accordingly," explains Steffen Lang, Research Associate at the Chair of Performance Analysis and Sports Informatics who is in charge of the project. Using 3D glasses, eye tracking and specific software, the observation and decision-making quality of the defensive players is to be examined and optimized. Video recordings and match data of potential opponents, which the German Volleyball Federation collects and makes available as a cooperation partner, serve as the basis for this.
The project in badminton and para-badminton is being carried out in close cooperation with the German Badminton Association and the National Paralympic Comittee Germany. The objective is, similar to the beach volleyball project, the performance diagnostic investigation of possible opponents of the German teams in Paris. The analysis is based on the paradigm of the so-called keyplays. Project member Fabian Hammes, also Research Associate at the Chair of Performance Analysis and Sports Informatics and former national badminton player, explains: "Keyplays are actions that change the balance in a ball change in favour of a player. The analysis of these keyplays makes it possible to identify strengths and weaknesses of upcoming opponents and thus support competition preparation."
Both projects demonstrate the important role that the Department of Sport and Health Sciences plays in the German Scientific Network System for Competitive Sports. "We are constantly looking for technological innovations that can contribute to improving practice in sport. With these projects, we contribute to maintaining and expanding the competitiveness of German elite sport," explains PD Dr. Link.
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Contact:
PD Dr. Daniel Link
Chair of Performance Analysis and Sports Informatics
Georg-Brauchle Ring 60/62
80992 München
phone: 089 289 24498
e-mail: daniel.link(at)tum.de
Text: Bastian Daneyko
Photos: Chair of Performance Analysis and Sports Informatics/private