How Football Analytics Help Coaches Improve Player Performance
A coach’s success, defined by recruiting classes, winning streaks, and championships, hinges on player performance both on and off the field. Jeff Dillman, KINEXON’s Director of Sales and a strength and conditioning veteran with over 25 years of experience, known as “Coach” from his time with the University of South Carolina football program and IMG Academy, consistently enables athletes to reach peak performance levels, a key to success. He also shares insights on how technology is innovating American Football.
Key Takeaways:
- Sports technology is not here to replace measurements for effort, toughness, or discipline; it is about optimizing efficiency.
- Concentrate on establishing a foundation of 3 – 5 metrics to establish a foundation for training sessions and expand sports performance analysis as needed.
- “Do Simple Better” and allow player performance technology to guide coaching decisions.
Football analysis software is helping coaches manage their players’ workloads. Download our free guide to find out how they’re doing it.
How Have Coaching Strategies Changed With The Integration of Player Tracking?
Coach Dillman says, that as coaching methods continue to evolve, sports performance software can be positioned as an extension of a coaching staff. It’s there to help athletes perform at their full potential when the game is on the line.
It’s becoming more common for coaches to study and incorporate athlete performance technology (or player tracking) into their practice and game assessments. Even if a coach has a successful winning percentage, they are constantly seeking ways to get better.
Football analysis software offers insight into player performance. It helps to expose where they might fall short or areas with growth opportunities to push their limits. Whether you want to look at position players or individual athletes, the real-time and post-session data allows coaches to adjust training sessions to maximize performance leading up to game day.
Letting Football Analytics Guide Coaching Decisions
It’s crucial to understand that technology isn’t here to replace measurements for effort, toughness or discipline; it’s about optimizing efficiency. This is often misunderstood.
Using a player tracking system like PERFORM GPS Pro can help guide your decisions during practice sessions. You can enhance training outcomes and streamline performance evaluations. Leveraging technology intelligently and understanding the importance of optimal stress and recovery can maximize training efficiency and help athletes achieve their full potential.
Coaches often find themselves in survival mode during practice, but there is a more practical approach. The goal is to change the intent or intensity throughout the session with the guidance of live and post-session data. Sustained high-intensity levels can lead to players occasionally taking plays off or experiencing fatigue.
By incorporating player performance data into training sessions, coaches will better understand each player’s performance levels leading up to game day.
It’s about balancing the demands of practice rather than overdoing it in practice. We’re able to draw a blueprint and monitor the intensities of individual periods in practice so we can educate the coaches on how they should structure their practices to manage loads. Using football analytics is not about driving the coaches with the data; it’s to help guide coaching decisions.
How Can Player Tracking Help With Training and Recovery Periods?
For football coaches, athlete performance coaches, or strength & conditioning coaches, we understand the importance of tracking player performance. However, with the abundance of GPS-based technology and tracking solutions available, adopting a focused and efficient approach is crucial. That’s where player tracking comes in.
What Does It Mean to Embrace “Do Simple Better”?
Instead of overloading yourself with 50+ live metrics from the jump, concentrate on 3 – 5 to establish a foundation. You can gain a more precise and actionable understanding of each player’s capabilities by simplifying your focus.
These foundational metrics provide a benchmark to measure progress and identify areas for improvement. Ensure these metrics align with the specific requirements for each position, encompassing aspects such as Mechanical Load, Acceleration and Deceleration Load.
How Do Sports Analytics Provide a Comprehensive Performance Assessment?
As you build upon the baseline of player metrics, gradually incorporate additional metrics to gain a more comprehensive understanding of player performance during practice and game situations.
This holistic approach enables you to identify strengths, weaknesses and patterns that can inform targeted training emphasis.
How Can Coaches Balance Demand and Preparedness?
Consider a player’s load during practice or training sessions during the week to prepare athletes for peak performance on game day. Strive to meet the demands players will face within the game.
However, it’s crucial to strike a balance for training. Incorporating data visuals can help avoid excessive training that may lead to fatigue or injury.
Why Should Recovery Periods Be Mandatory?
Creating a challenging environment during practice is essential. Avoid consecutive high-rated perceived exertion (RPE) sessions. Pushing athletes excessively without allowing sufficient recovery can lead to burnout and potential injuries.
It’s vital to strike a balance and prevent debilitating levels of intensity or stress. This can be achieved with the right amount of high-low intensity training analysis to maximize performance on game day.
Where Will PERFORM GPS Pro Impact American Football The Most?
Technology will continue influencing the game as more solutions provide in-depth player performance analysis. Whether you are training at your practice facility or playing a road game across the country, PERFORM GPS Pro delivers the player analysis coaches will benefit from to make quick and efficient personnel decisions.
Our sports scientists and customer success experts do a great job tailoring customized reports to maximize performance, but more importantly, maintaining a constant loop of communication with coaches to understand data outputs and take action.
Interested in learning more about GPS-based player tracking solutions?
More stories
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.
Transforming Sports in 2025: Insights from KINEXON Sports for Coaches, Fans, and Referees
As sports technology evolves, 2025 promises to be a landmark year with KINEXON Sports at the forefront. Renowned for its innovations in real-time tracking and analytics, KINEXON Sports is revolutionizing the way athletes, coaches, fans, and referees experience the game.
From delivering game-changing insights to enhancing fan engagement and officiating precision, here’s what to expect from KINEXON Sports in 2025.
How Jump Count Analytics Drive Arizona State Volleyball’s Training and Match Success
Adjusting practice schedules is a fine line for coaches to walk to maximize player performance. Arizona State’s Jake Garrity, the Assistant Head Coach of Sports Performance/Sports Science for women’s volleyball, focuses on live jump count performance analytics to lay the foundation for when the coaching staff adjusts practice intensity.
5 Facts That (Probably) Nobody Knew About KINEXON Sports Teams
Ten years ago, KINEXON Sports embarked on a journey to revolutionize the game. What began as a bold idea in Munich’s iconic Allianz Arena has evolved into a global success story, empowering over 500 elite sports teams worldwide.
As we reflect on this incredible decade, here are five surprising facts about KINEXON Sports that showcase how far we’ve come — and where we’re headed next.
Influence of the Menstrual Cycle in Team Sports – What Sports Need Now
Professionalization also brings with it more performance, more strain, and more pressure. For female athletes, this still means an increased risk of injury. The reason: individualized training and workload management must take the hormonal cycle into account. Studies on this are accumulating, but a challenge remains.
Inside Stony Brook Athletics: The Benefits of a Multi-Sport Data Analytics Provider
Stony Brook University, known for research excellence, has upgraded its athlete performance monitoring and player safety efforts with KINEXON technology. We spoke with George Greene (Senior Associate Athletic Director of High Performance) and his team about their work to optimize training and enhance sports performance insights.
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?
GPS Data Boosts Player Performance, Motivation and Coaches' Confidence in SD Eibar Women's Club
To better manage player load, the SD Eibar’s women’s football team switched to a data-driven strategy powered by GPS. It’s a move that their physical trainer, Ismel Mazola says, led to more confident coaching decisions and motivated his players.
How Basketball Data Helps Guide Texas A&M Women's Team to Early Conference Wins
After the holidays, many teams struggle to get back on track. But not Texas A&M Women’s Basketball. Their Strength and Conditioning coach uses data and analytics to avoid a slump and start fast in conference play.