Blog Sports

What Are The Most Valuable Football Analytics For Coaches and Trainers?

Author: Dave Grendzynski

The football season is long and it can be grueling. But more and more coaches are starting to rely on sports analytics to keep their players fresh and injury free. Teams that are trusting the data (and the advice that their sports data analysts provide) are seeing their players’ availability increase and a decrease in even the most common football injuries. 

Football analytics are collected by a gps tracker and then they are displayed on a dashboard for coaches to use.

When it comes to injury prevention and player performance, coaches and trainers focus on a range of metrics for tackle football. 

The goal is to extract meaningful insights to make more informed decisions about players and strategy. Everything from load management to end-of-game play-calls may be influenced by some type of sports data. 

And while the term sports data analytics” encompasses various sports, it is important to note that each sport, such as football, has its distinct set of metrics that coaches prioritize and closely monitor. And the data is collected through various sources, including: 

These data sources provide detailed information about player actions, team dynamics, game situations, and performance outcomes. The information is collected with the same goal in mind — prevent injuries and win games.

Interested in learning more about player tracking for football?

Interested in learning more about player tracking for football?

The Football Analytics That Matter Most

It’s important to note that specific metrics of interest may vary based on several factors including: 

When compiling your list of metrics, you and your staff should talk about what you want to analyze. 

You will look at various aspects of athletic performance, team strategies, player evaluation, and other related factors. But everyone should be on the same page.

Valuable Analytics For Football Coaches

Tackle football player tracking can be accomplished by using and indoor IMU system or GPS for outdoor games.

Here are some of the key sports analytics that are commonly prioritized by tackle football coaches and trainers:

1. Player Workload: Coaches and trainers monitor the workload of players during practices and games. This includes: 

  • Tracking the number of repetitions 
  • Practice duration
  • Intensity levels

Load management helps prevent overexertion and reduces the risk of fatigue-related football injuries.

2. Injury History Coaches and trainers keep a record of players’ injury history, including the type, severity, and frequency of past injuries. 

This information helps in designing personalized training and rehabilitation programs, identifying injury-prone individuals, and implementing preventive measures. 

3. Player Wellness/​Health Monitoring: Coaches and trainers employ various technologies and monitoring systems to assess players’ overall wellness and health. This may involve tracking factors like: 

  • Sleep quality
  • Heart rate variability 
  • Hydration levels
  • Body composition.

By monitoring these metrics, they can identify early signs of fatigue, stress, or potential health issues, allowing for timely interventions.

4. Strength and Conditioning Metrics: Studies show that coaches and trainers track metrics related to players’ strength, power, speed, and endurance. This includes measurements like: 

  • Maximum weight lifted 
  • Vertical jump height 
  • Sprint times (acceleration and deceleration) 
  • Conditioning test results. 

Sports performance software helps evaluate physical performance and progress, ensuring players are adequately conditioned and prepared for game demands. 

Tackle football player tracking devices can let coaches know who is the fastest player on the team.


5. Movement Quality and Biomechanics:
Coaches and trainers focus on assessing players’ movement quality, biomechanics, and technique. This can involve:

  • Analyzing video footage
  • Using motion capture technology
  • Conducting functional movement assessments

Identifying inefficient movement patterns or biomechanical flaws can help prevent injuries and improve performance through targeted corrective exercises and coaching.Using GPS tracking devices and player tracking systems, coaches and trainers gather data on any number of factors, including:

  • Players’ speed
  • Distance covered
  • Acceleration
  • Deceleration
  • Changes of direction.

These metrics provide insights into workloads, fatigue levels, and movement patterns during practices and games.Analyzing this data helps manage training loads, optimize recovery strategies, and identify potential injury risks.

6. Sports Performance Metrics: Tackle football coaches and trainers can also focus on performance metrics specific to player positions, including:

  • Quarterbacks’ completion percentage
  • Passing yards
  • Touchdown-to-interception ratio
  • Running backs’ yards per carry
  • Rushing touchdowns
  • Receivers’ receptions
  • Receiving yards
  • Yards after catch (YAC)

This kind of data helps evaluate player effectiveness and improve game strategies.

7. Functional Testing: Coaches and trainers use functional tests to assess players’ physical capabilities and readiness for competition. These tests can include:

  • Agility drills
  • Speed tests
  • Strength assessments
  • Balance/​stability evaluations.

Results from functional testing help identify areas of weakness or imbalances that may increase injury risk and guide targeted interventions.The availability of advanced technologies has significantly expanded the possibilities and impact of sports analytics in recent years.

Start Tracking Your Players Today

Many football coaches are now using player tracking devices to help prevent the most common football injuries.

At KINEXON Sports, we continually strive to combine technology and sports science to introduce new metrics and tackle football data. By using monitoring tools to enhance injury prevention and optimize player performance we continue to innovate the game.

The KINEXON PERFORM GPS Pro is a sensor network that collects real-time data and sends it directly to the AWS cloud, which allows you to access it immediately from your laptop, desktop, or smartphone. 

It is also the world’s first GPS tracker for football with a fully automated workload. That means there are no wires to deal with. Coaches are saving 20 – 30 minutes after practices and games by just uploading or downloading the information they need from anywhere, and at any time. 

Our sports performance software works flawlessly outdoors and without causing any disruptions to Wi-Fi or other systems.

The University of Alabama-Birmingham football program has enjoyed two consecutive winning seasons since its trainers started using a GPS-based player tracking system.

If you’d like to learn more about KINEXON PERFORM GPS Pro or some of the other sports analytics software that we provide, please contact us.

Contact KINEXON Sports

More stories

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, renowned for its research excellence, has advanced its approach to monitoring athlete performance and ensuring player safety by leveraging KINEXON technology. We sat down with George Greene (Senior Associate Athletic Director of High Performance and Competitive Success) and his team, Vincent Cagliostro, Kevin Markle, and Emily Meyer, to discuss their efforts to optimize training and enhance sports performance insights.

Basketball Load Data Header
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?

SD Eibar uses football software to improve player performance.
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.

Texas A&M University Women's team uses basketball datasets, analytics, and metrics to monitor player performance.
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.

Handball injuries are common, especially during matches, and a recent study sheds light on how often ligament injuries occur.
Study Reveals the Importance of an Injury Prevention Plan in European Handball

The competitive pressures and dense schedules in professional handball make injuries common among players. The results of a 6‑year study not only highlight the need for an injury prevention plan but also suggest ways coaches can develop one.

How German Handball's S&C Coach Used Data to Cut Knee Injuries by Almost 20%

Dr. Simon Overkamp, the head of strength and conditioning for the German Handball Federation, employs a data-driven strategy that not only keeps his players rested but also reduces knee injuries. And the Olympic Games play a crucial role in his approach.

Appalachian State’s Coaches Use GPS Football Technology to Manage Player Loads in Real-Time

Live GPS football data helps keep players fresh for game day. Just ask the Director of Performance for the Appalachian State Football team, Matt Greenhalgh. He shares what he thinks are some of the most critical load management metrics in the game.

A study found that agility in basketball can be influenced by exercises that also improve change of direction.
Why Basketball Agility Drills Should Focus on Improving Vertical Jump Height

New research is shedding light on the importance of improving vertical jump height in basketball. Backed by data, these findings are an eye-opener for coaches because researchers say jump height can positively affect other facets of a player’s game.

handball analytics from LPS player tracking systems were used in a study to find quality scorers.
How LPS Data Helps Handball Coaches Find Quality Scorers with New Insights

Researchers used LPS data and machine learning to create a new model for predicting goals in handball. It’s now helping coaches identify their quality scorers and develop better strategies. Here’s how. 

Basketball video analysis software is used to improve the amount of contested shots players take.
Innovative Strategy Boosts Player’s 3-Point Accuracy to 60% in Conference Games

Do you have players struggling with contested 3‑point shots? Get to know a college coach with a proven method to boost shooting efficiency for high-intensity shots in as little as four weeks. 

a gps football tracker monitors college players' workloads to decrease the risk of hamstring strains.
Research Exposes What Puts College Football Players at Risk for Hamstring Strains

Hamstring strains are common among male college American football players. Researchers have been investigating potential risk factors to better understand and prevent these injuries, and they believe they have identified three that all coaches should track.

Phillip Tandrup Holm is the Strength and Conditioning Coach for Skjern Håndbold, a Danish handball club he used to play for.
Former Handball Pro Shares His Personal Must-Know Metric for Coaches

Call it inside information, but a former pro handball player, who is now a strength and conditioning coach, says one metric seems to stand out when it comes to load management in handball.

Arizona State women's volleyball team discovered with analytics that his team was practicing too long.
How Volleyball Metrics Helped Power Arizona State University to a Record-Setting Season

The Arizona State University Women’s Volleyball team used data to determine their optimal practice length, and it culminated in one of their best seasons in school history.

the university of arizona sports performance training team collects data on all of their players to make sure everyone is ready to play when called upon.
The Secret Behind The University of Arizona’s Sports Performance Training Methods

Two key figures in the data-driven revolution at the University of Arizona are Jim Krumpos and Dayannara Munoz. They say there are three critical factors that make all the difference in their data collection efforts and training style.