Load Management in Basketball: When Does Player Tracking Become Financially Beneficial?
Player load tracking in basketball: How does data-based injury prevention, like reducing Jumper’s Knee, become financially beneficial for clubs?
Professional basketball primarily uses player tracking technology to monitor and manage player load. The goal is to prevent injuries and ensure peak performance during the most demanding periods of the season. Decision-makers are asking why it is necessary to adopt training data and when the investment becomes financially worthwhile. The most common questions briefly answered:
What is the most common overuse injury in basketball?
Jumper’s Knee (Patellar Tendonitis): This sports injury is prevalent among basketball players, as they frequently jump and land, which causes repeated stress on the patellar tendon. Studies show about 20 – 30% of basketball players will suffer from this injury at some point in their careers.
How can the risk of Jumper’s Knee be reduced?
With the KINEXON PERFORM IMU player tracking system, the movements and loads of all players during training sessions and games can be monitored.
The data collected can then help detect signs of overload more efficiently and take preventive measures, such as:
- Early detection of too frequent or intense jumps to adjust the training load for the team or individual players.
- Creation of individual training plans to avoid overload and optimize recovery.
- Objective evaluation of prevention and rehabilitation measures to ensure the long-term health and performance of the players.
How Likely Will Data-based Load Management Prevent a Jumper's Knee Injury?
Scientific studies: A study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine showed that targeted load and technique monitoring can reduce the number of overuse injuries by up to 30%. However, these studies refer to a wide range of injuries, not just Jumper’s Knee.
Practical experiences: In practice, sports teams that use data-based systems have significantly improved injury prevention tactics. It is reported that such systems reduce the risk of overuse injuries, including Jumper’s Knee, by about 20 – 40%. Dr. Simon Overkamp provided a recent example from the German Handball Federation.
Probability estimation: In summary, data-based load management can significantly reduce injury risk. While exact numbers may vary, studies and practical experience suggest that the risk of Jumper’s Knee can be reduced by about 20 – 40% through such systems. The actual effectiveness depends on the quality of the data, the implementation of measures, and the individual adaptation of training plans.
How the German Handball National Team Cut Knee Injuries by 20%
What is the Financial Impact of Jumper's Knee (Patellar Tendinitis) on a Club?
10.000€ to 500.000€ per injury case. This is the wide range of the average financial loss caused by patellar tendinitis in European professional basketball. In the NBA, costs even exceed 500.000€.
The costs consist of:
- Medical costs, i.e., treatment and rehabilitation of Jumper’s Knee: 5.000€ to 20.000€.
- Costs for substitute players or additional player development amounting to 10.000€ to 50.000€.
- Ticket sales and sponsorship revenue loss due to a key player’s absence. The losses are highly individual but can quickly reach six figures.
How Financially Beneficial is the Use of a Player Tracking System?
Due to the wide range of potential damages, a precise ROI forecast remains vague. However, the annual cost of a player tracking system with KINEXON is significantly lower than the financial damage caused by a single case of patellar tendinitis.
Ultimately, if coaches succeed in reducing the number of overuse-related knee injuries by at least one per season, the investment has already paid off financially.
Are you interested in speaking with our experts to learn more about how performance tracking technology can support your coaching staff? Submit a demo request below!
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