How Technology in Sports is Innovating the Games We Play
Author: René Prüßner
Sports technology is becoming more advanced and widespread in recent years. From wearable devices to smart stadiums, it’s changing the way sports are played, coached, and enjoyed by fans.
One of the most prominent examples of technology in sports is the use of tracking systems to measure and monitor the movements and performance of athletes. In this blog post, we will explore how three types of tracking systems — GPS, IMU, and LPS — are used by teams to track player metrics and gain a competitive edge.
What is GPS?
GPS stands for Global Positioning System, which is a satellite-based system that can determine the location and speed of an object on Earth.
GPS devices are commonly used in outdoor sports. GPS devices are usually worn by players in a vest, and they can transmit data wirelessly to a computer or a tablet.
What is IMU?
IMU stands for Inertial Measurement Unit, which is a device that can measure things like speed, acceleration, and workload of a player. It’s for indoor sports only like volleyball, basketball, and handball, but IMU systems are mobile, which means it can be used at home and on the road.
IMU devices are often integrated with LPS devices to provide more accurate and detailed data on the movements of players.
What is LPS?
LPS stands for Local Positioning System, which is a system that uses a locally deployed infrastructure, so called anchors, to determine the location and speed of a player within a defined area. The data is collected by wearables that are in a vest or the waistbands of the players’ shorts. It’s also very reliable.
LPS devices can also track the position and movement of the ball, which can provide valuable insights into the tactical aspects of the game.
Download our 4‑step guide to managing player workloads- both men and women.
How are GPS, IMU, and LPS used by teams?
Tracking systems can provide teams with a wealth of data that can be used for various purposes, such as:
- Describing the physical demands and characteristics of the sport, such as the average and peak speed, distance, and intensity of players, as well as the volume and duration of high-intensity actions, such as sprints, accelerations, and decelerations.
- Planning and monitoring the training load and the recovery of players, by using metrics such as the total distance, the high-speed distance, and metabolic power can help optimize the performance and prevent injuries of players.
- Evaluating the performance and the effectiveness of players can help identify the strengths and weaknesses of players and teams.
- Supporting the decision-making and the strategy of coaches, by using metrics such as the spatial distribution, the formation, the positioning, and the movement patterns of players and teams, as well as the interactions and the correlations between them, which can help improve the tactical and technical aspects of the game.
Benefits of Using Player Tracking Systems
- Providing objective and quantifiable data that can complement the subjective and qualitative observations of coaches and analysts.
- Enhancing feedback and communication between coaches and players, by using visual and interactive tools, such as dashboards, graphs, and heat maps, to illustrate and explain the data.
- Increasing the motivation and the engagement of players, by using gamification and personalization elements, such as goals, rewards, and rankings, to challenge and inspire players.
- Improving the fan experience and the media coverage, by using data visualization and storytelling techniques, such as live statistics, highlights, and narratives, to enrich and entertain the audience.
Sports Technology is Here to Stay
Sports tech is changing the games we play in many ways, and tracking systems are one of the most prominent examples of this trend.
By using GPS, IMU, and LPS devices, teams can track and analyze the movements and performance of players, and use the data to optimize their training, evaluation, decision-making, and strategy. However, tracking systems also require teams to be critical and careful in selecting, integrating, interpreting, and applying the data, as well as to be aware of the benefits and challenges that they entail.
That’s why you need a strong team behind your team when it comes to tracking player metrics and using the data.
If you’d like to learn more, check out our case study about a women’s handball team in the Netherlands that used sports tech to uncover misperceptions and manage their players better.
More stories
Unlocking Player Potential with Shot Profiling
In college basketball, players spend nearly 80% of their time in practice — yet many teams lack effective systems to monitor practice shooting and translate those insights into improved game performance. Without a structured approach, coaches often rely on subjective observations rather than objective data to assess player performance. This disconnect leads to missed opportunities for talent identification and development, limiting a team’s ability to tailor training to individual player needs.
How Stanford Volleyball Uses Micro-Dose Training to Stay Match-Ready
Managing the demands of the volleyball season while keeping athletes healthy and ready to perform is a chess match for coaches. Tyler Friedrich, the Marie and Alex Shipman Associate Athletics Director of Applied Performance at Stanford University, has refined this approach for the Cardinal women’s volleyball program. His philosophy: train hard enough to stay resilient, but smart enough to remain fresh.
Building a Culture of Data-Driven Performance at Benfica
In elite sport, the goal is not just to measure, but to measure with purpose. At Benfica, performance monitoring begins with a question. What do we want to know? What outcome are we trying to influence? Data collection, then, is a means to an end: informed decision-making that improves the physical readiness, longevity, and consistency of athletes across multiple disciplines.
Unlocking a New Era in Sports Performance: What’s Ahead from KINEXON Sports in 2025
In elite team sports, performance is often decided by the smallest details – how efficiently an athlete sprints, how they handle fatigue, and how well a team manages training loads throughout the season. Coaches and performance staff need more than just numbers – they need meaningful insights, in real time, to make the right calls when it matters.
KINEXON Sports App Guide: Phase Index Widget
The Phase Index Widget is a powerful new feature in the KINEXON Sports App that provides coaches with deep insights into training drills. By displaying the normative range of key performance metrics for different drill types, it helps coaches understand typical versus high-end workload demands, compare phases across single sessions (POST) and historical data (DEVELOP), and design training sessions that optimize player development while preventing overtraining.
Revolutionizing Youth Football: Red Bull Wings Cup Meets KINEXON Sports
What if youth football wasn’t just about the score — but about the players who shape the game? That’s the bold vision behind Wings Cup 2025, hosted by RB Leipzig, and why KINEXON Sports proudly partnered with this first-of-its-kind event. From April 22 – 24, 2025, the tournament became the world’s first global youth football competition to feature live player and ball tracking — marking a new era in data-driven player development.
Optimizing Offseason Training: How the Ragin’ Cajuns Prep for the Football Season
The Ragin’ Cajuns football performance staff enters the heart of the offseason following spring camp, facing player performance and conditioning challenges common to other American Football programs nationwide. Their approach: optimized practice schedules designed to help players reach performance goals, backed by data.
Trust, Autonomy, and the Art of Performance Management in the WNBA
In the high-performance landscape of professional basketball, the pursuit of championships is a given. Yet, true impact often stems from a deeper purpose — one that prioritizes sustained athlete development, both physically and mentally. This perspective underscores a broader definition of success: positively influencing performance on a day-to-day basis, beyond wins and losses.
From Court to Code: The Analytics Behind Athletic Success
In the high-stakes world of competitive basketball, small margins make the difference between winning and losing. This is where optimization becomes the cornerstone of athletic performance. The focus is not just on finding a magic formula, but on creating the conditions for athletes to consistently operate at their best.
Increasing Shooting Efficiency With Data-Informed Insights
As basketball training evolves, teams are embracing data-informed insights to augment shooting efficiency. With every shot carrying potential season-changing weight in competition, refining practice intensity and replicating in-game pressure are key to gaining a competitive edge.
Maximizing Performance During March Madness: Key Strategies & Load Metrics for Coaches
March Madness is one of the most intense and physically demanding periods in collegiate basketball. The congested schedule, high-pressure stakes, and minimal time for recovery require an evidence-based approach to reach and maintain peak performance while mitigating injury risk throughout the tournament.
Optimizing Performance and Reducing Injuries in Professional Basketball
The landscape of professional basketball is evolving rapidly, with teams placing a greater emphasis on performance optimization and injury prevention. In a highly competitive environment like the EuroLeague, where the ultimate goal is to win games and championships, maintaining peak player performance while minimizing injuries is a fundamental challenge.
The Perfect Training Week: How KINEXON Sports Supports Smarter Coaching Decisions
Every coach knows the feeling – standing on the sidelines before a game, confident that the team is fully prepared. The training week went well, the players were engaged, and everything felt right. And when the final whistle confirms the win, the inevitable question arises:
What made this week so effective? How can we replicate it?
How Texas A&M Women’s Basketball Used Data to Prevent Knee Injuries
Knee injuries are a major concern in women’s basketball, with ACL injuries accounting for a significant portion of these issues. Managing player workload is key to injury prevention, but achieving the right balance between training and recovery is challenging. The Texas A&M Women’s Basketball team faced this dilemma and turned to a data-driven approach to optimize player health and performance.
KINEXON Tracking Technologies Earn Top Marks in FIFA EPTS Performance Tests
When it comes to tracking technology in sports, precision is everything. And once again, KINEXON has proven why it’s a leader in the field. Our cutting-edge KINEXON PERFORM GPS Elite, GPS Pro, and LPS tracking systems recently underwent FIFA’s 2024 Electronic Performance and Tracking System (EPTS) performance tests — and the results were nothing short of outstanding.