Table 2 Synthesis of the reviewed studies
From: Match Analysis in Team Ball Sports: An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
Study | Purpose of the study and context of analysis | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
Courel-Ibáñez et al. [18] | Sport(s): Basketball Main goal: Assess common research topics, main findings and shortcomings in terms of analysis of collective behaviour Type of publications included: peer-reviewed journal articles with no limitations in experimental design No. studies included: 45 Context of analysis: formal matches Analyses: descriptive, comparative and “predictive” Competitive level: Non-professional, professional, youth Age groups: Adults and young players (U12-onwards) Sex: Mostly men (85.7%) | Levels of analysis: predominantly individual (molecular level), but also dyadic (microlevel), group (mesolevel) and team dynamics (macrolevel) Performance dimensions: tactical, technical/biomechanical, physical/physiological Within tactical dimension: game patterns, game pace, effectiveness, spatial differentiation, temporal features of actions, game phases Functional groups: playing roles Main findings: Lack of studies exploring dynamic takes on tactical behaviour and an absence of longitudinal designs. Information on how contextual factors impact on match performance Match context: match location (one study suggested that defensive strategies may be influenced by this factor), match period (one study suggested that losing teams may apply more defensive pressure in the two last periods of the match) |
Maimón et al. [19] | Sport(s): Basketball Main goal: Analyse the basketball pass and the factors influencing its learning and performance Type of publications included: peer-reviewed journal articles with no limitations in experimental design No. studies included: 37 Context of analysis: formal matches, small-sided games and training drills Analyses: descriptive, comparative and “predictive” Competitive level: from beginners to elite level Age groups: from U11 to adults Sex: men (21), both (13), women (3) | Levels of analysis: individual, team Performance dimensions: tactical, decision-making, physical/physiological, technical/biomechanical, psychosocial Within tactical dimension: game patterns, uncertainty Functional groups: playing roles Main findings: Skill assessments should be performed under uncertain and variable conditions. Novel and random tasks may potentiate transfer from training to competition. Practicing under pressure may reduce choking in competition. Physical conditioning is paramount for maintaining skill proficiency during matches. SSGs are useful for improving passing skills Match context: unreported |
Reina et al. [20] | Sport(s): Basketball Main goal: Analyse the state of the art on internal and external loads in women’s basketball Type of publications included: peer-reviewed journal articles with no limitations in experimental design No. of studies included: 26 Context of analysis: formal matches and training sessions Analyses: descriptive, comparative and “predictive” Competitive level: from state to international level Age groups: from U14 to adults Sex: women | Levels of analysis: Individual Performance dimensions: Physical/physiological, technical/biomechanical Main findings: most studies focused on adult players (66.7%), with comparatively little research on age groups, especially below U18. Most research focus on training or competition, with only a select few analysing both training and competition (< 15%). Studies with international-level women basketball players represented < 5% of the sample. > 55% of studies analysed metrics of both internal and external load Match context: unreported |
Medeiros et al. [21] | Sport(s): Beach volleyball Main goal: review the literature on match analysis in beach volleyball Type of publications included: peer-reviewed journal articles with observational methodology No. of studies included: 18 Context of analysis: formal match Analyses: descriptive, comparative and “predictive” Competitive level: national elite, international elite Age groups: adults Sex: men and women | Levels of analysis: Individual, team Performance dimensions: Tactical physical/physiological Within tactical dimension: game patterns, effectiveness Main findings: research has slowly evolved towards more complex and “predictive” models. Most game levels have not been studied yet. Contextual variables such as match status and quality of opposition have not been considered. Rule changes induced changes in game dynamics and physiological demands Match context: unreported |
Bujalance-Moreno et al. [22] | Sport(s): Football (soccer) Main goal: describe the acute and chronic adaptations Type of studies included: peer-reviewed journal articles with no limitations in experimental design No. studies included: 53 Context of analysis: small-sided games Analyses: descriptive and comparative Competitive level: amateur and professionals Age: above 16 years-old Sex: men | Levels of analysis: only individual (molecular level) Performance dimensions: technical/biomechanical and physical/physiological Main findings: heart rate, blood lactate and rate of perceived exertion were the primary physiological outcomes; distances covered at different speed thresholds were the main primary outcomes in physical demands. Considering the technical/biomechanical dimensions it was found that passes and shots occurred more often in smaller pitch dimensions; both intermittent and continuous regimens resulted in similar improvements in technical aspects Match context: unreported |
Clemente and Sarmento [23] | Sport(s): Football Main goal: analyse the effects of task constraints on technical actions Type of studies included: peer-reviewed journal articles with no limitations in experimental design No. studies included: 37, Context of analysis: small-sided games Analyses: descriptive and comparative Competitive level: all Age: all Sex: men | Levels of analysis: only individual (molecular level) Performance dimensions: technical/biomechanical Main findings: pass, receives, turn, dribbles, header, tackle, block, interception, shots (main findings revealed that smaller formats and smaller pitches meaningfully increased the individual actions. Moreover, free play and the absence of goalkeepers also contributed to meaningfully increase the number of technical actions. Finally, age also influenced the accuracy of actions). The effects of coaches’ intervention also revealed significant influence on attacking and defensive actions Match context: unreported |
Clemente et al. [24] | Sport(s): Football Main goal: analyse the effects of task constraints on tactical behaviour and collective dynamics Type of studies included: peer-reviewed journal articles with no limitations in experimental design No. studies included: 34 Context of analysis: small-sided games Analyses: descriptive and comparative Competitive level: all Age: all Sex: men | Levels of analysis: predominantly individual (molecular level), but also dyadic and group (mesolevel) Performance dimensions: tactical Within tactical dimension: group dynamics Main findings: team’s centre, distance between players and team’s centre, area variables (e.g. team width and length, surface area, stretch index), space between players (e.g. ellipse areas, effective area of play). Main evidence revealed that older players increase the exploration of the width and length. Numerical imbalances contribute to more stable defensive dynamics. Larger pitches increased variability of movements Match context: unreported |
Field et al. [25] | Sport(s): Football Main goal: summarize the physical demands during extra-time, as well as technical actions Type of studies included: peer-reviewed journal articles with no limitations in experimental design No. studies included: 11 Context of analysis: formal matches Analyses: descriptive and comparative Competitive level: all Age: adults Sex: men | Levels of analysis: only individual (molecular level) Performance dimensions: technical/biomechanical, physical/physiological Main findings: physical demands (e.g. distances covered at different speed thresholds, number of accelerations and decelerations) and physiological (e.g. blood glucose, lactate, creatine kinase, potassium, haemoglobin, insulin, glycerol, heart rate). Main findings revealed decremental effects of extra-time on physical performance (e.g. distance covered per minute) and that recovery is longer in matches with extra-time. Shooting performance, passes, dribbles and ball in play. Results revealed that technical performance reduced in extra-time comparing to regular period. Additionally, a positive effect of carbohydrate intake on technical performance was observed during extra-time Match context: match period (in the extra 30 min, less distance is covered by the players than during the regular 90 min) |
Goes et al. [26] | Sport(s): Football Main goal: describe the evidence about tactical behaviour measured by position data analysis Type of studies included: peer-reviewed journal articles with no limitations in experimental design No. studies included: 73 Context of analysis: formal matches Analyses: descriptive, comparative and “predictive” Competitive level: all Age: all Sex: not defined | Levels of analysis: predominantly group (mesolevel) and, but also, team dynamics (macrolevel) Performance dimensions: tactical Within tactical dimension: team and group dynamics Within tactical dimension: set pieces (did not influence the final result) Main findings: space control, spread/surface, length/width and centroids. Results indicated that the majority of the studies used centroids and spread/surface measures. However, pending the area of intervention, the conclusions are different, and this should be considered in further studies Match context: match period (Here, a different approach was used, analysing time windows linked to given match events, i.e. what happened after or before certain key actions) |
Low et al. [3] | Sport(s): Football Main goal: summarize the research on collective tactical behaviours in football Type of publications included: peer-reviewed journal articles with no limitations in experimental design No. of studies included: 77 Context of analysis: formal matches and small-sided games Analyses: descriptive, comparative and “predictive” Competitive level: all Age: all Sex: men and women | Levels of analysis: individual, group (mesolevel) and, team dynamics (macrolevel) Performance dimensions: tactical Within tactical dimension: team and group dynamics Functional groups: playing roles Main findings: Main outcomes were classified in position, distance, playing spaces and numerical relations. These outcomes were analysed by linear and nonlinear statistical methods. In the case of nonlinear statistics, it was used to identify regularities, synchronization tendencies and also to predict events. Specific comparators such as tactical expertise, age, numerical relationships or playing roles affected the outcomes Match context: unreported |
Sarmento et al. [27] | Sport(s): Football Main goal: describe the evidence about match analysis Type of studies included: peer-reviewed journal articles with no limitations in experimental design No. studies included: 53 Context of analysis: formal matches Analyses: descriptive, comparative and “predictive” Competitive level: all Age: all Sex: men | Levels of analysis: individual (molecular level) Performance dimensions: technical/biomechanical, physical/physiological Functional groups: playing roles Within tactical dimension: set pieces (did not influence the final result) Main findings: physical demands (distances covered at different speed thresholds) are influenced by competitive level, success of the team and contextual factors. Differences in physical demands were found between playing positions. Shots, passes, involvements with the ball (can be influenced by the type of attack as well as by the context of recovery). Moreover, style of ball possession differentiates winning from losing teams Match context: match location (there seems to be a home advantage, with the home team having increased likelihood of winning, greater efficacy in most performance indicators, and also commit fewer fouls), match period (performance in 2nd half tends to decrease, but mostly if the 1st half demanded high total distances covered) and quality of opposition (difficult to compare, since different research teams used distinct strategies to analyse this factor. However, there seems to be different tactical behaviours when against strong opponents vs. weaker opponents) |
Sarmento et al. [28] | Sport(s): Football Main goal: describe the effects of task constraints on physiological, physical, technical and tactical outcomes Type of studies included: peer-reviewed journal articles with no limitations in experimental design No. studies included: 77 Context of analysis: small-sided games Analyses: descriptive and comparative Competitive level: all Age: all Sex: men | Levels of analysis: predominantly individual (molecular level), but also group (mesolevel) Performance dimensions: tactical, technical/biomechanical, physical/physiological Within tactical dimension: team group dynamics Main findings: physiological (heart rate, blood lactate concentrations and rate of perceived exertion) and physical outcomes (distances covered at different speed thresholds). Smaller pitches and formats were conducive to higher physiological stimulus while bigger pitches increased physical demands. Considering the decision-making, tactical behaviour changed based on the type of games; namely more individual attacking behaviours occurred in smaller formats. On the other hand, bigger formats were conducive to increases in tactical principles related to unity. In the case of technical/biomechanical analysis passes, tackles, headers, dribbles, crosses and shots were observed. Main evidence revealed that smaller formats and pitches were conducive to increases in the number of individual actions Match context: match status (suggestions that balanced and unbalanced scenarios promote different tactical behaviours, but the collected data are sparse and heterogeneous), match location (Home advantage is reported for several performance indicators), match period (general decrements in performance from the 1st to the 2nd half. Even greater decrements occur when extra time has to be played) |
Sarmento et al. [5] | Sports(s): Football Main goal: systematize the main evidence about match analysis from 2012 to 2016 Type of studies included: peer-reviewed journal articles with no limitations in experimental design No. studies included: 77 Context of analysis: formal matches Analyses: descriptive and comparative Competitive level: all Age: all Sex: men Other: impact of altitude and heat stress on physical performance | Levels of analysis: individual (molecular level), but also dyadic, group (mesolevel) and team dynamics (macrolevel) Performance dimensions: tactical, technical/biomechanical, physical/physiological Functional groups: playing roles Within tactical dimension: game phase, game patterns and team/group dynamics, set pieces Main findings: team centre, team dispersion and team interaction. Regarding team’s centre, it was possible to identify an in-phase relationship between teams. Dispersion was higher in attacking moments than in defensive ones. Considering the overall interactions, high passing rates were related to an increase in team performance. Considering the physical/physiological dimensions it was found that distances covered at different speed thresholds were not influenced by congested periods. Meaningful differences in physical demands between positions were revealed. Additionally, network centrality measures revealed prominence of midfielder players. Corner kicks, penalty kicks and free kicks. In the case of corner kicks, zonal marking seems to reduce the goals conceded compared to one-to-one marking. Considering the penalty kick, the main factors for accuracy were related with the area for shooting, speed of the ball, situational factors and using strategies against the goalkeeper. Considering the free kicks, it was found a very small percentage of goals scored, however such rate can be affected by different factors (e.g. location, interruption time, distance to defensive wall, number of players in the wall) Match context: match status, match location, match period (extra-time) |
Vieira et al. [29] | Sport(s): Football Main goal: summarize the evidence about match running performance Type of studies included: peer-reviewed journal articles with no limitations in experimental design No. studies included: 50 Context of analysis: formal matches Analyses: descriptive, comparative and “predictive” Competitive level: amateur Age: young Sex: men Other: altitude and pitch surface | Levels of analysis: individual (molecular level) Performance dimensions: physical/physiological Functional groups: playing roles Main findings: Physical demands were analysed (e.g. peak velocity; different speed thresholds; meters per minute). Relationships between biochemical measures, recovery and running performance were observed. Congested fixture seems to impair match running performance. Residual differences were found between outfield players; however interaction with age category was inconsistent Match context: match period (Contrasting results regarding comparisons between halves, although most studies show no changes or decrements from the 1st to the 2nd half) |
Agras et al.[30] | Sport(s): Futsal Main goal: describe the main findings in time-motion and notational analysis Type of studies included: peer-reviewed journal articles with no limitations in experimental design No. studies included: 79 Context of analysis: formal matches Analyses: descriptive and comparative Competitive level: all Age: all Sex: mostly men, but also women | Levels of analysis: predominantly individual (molecular level), but also group (mesolevel) and team dynamics (macrolevel) Performance dimensions: tactical, technical/biomechanical, physical/physiological Within tactical dimension: game phase Within tactical dimension: set pieces (did not influence the final result) Main findings: Greater technical efficacy was not related with better team’s results. Regarding physical demands, decreases were found in second half (e.g. distance covered). Best teams presented higher efficiency in the attack; counterattack raised predominantly from defensive field using group actions Match context: match period. One study mentioned that during the 2nd period the intensity of actions falls. Another study mentioned that offensive numerical superiority increased in the fourth period of play. A few studies suggested that more goals were scored in the latter periods of the match |
Rico-González et al. [31] | Sport(s): Futsal Main goal: describe the main position-based measures to assess team behaviour Type of studies included: peer-reviewed journal articles with no limitations in experimental design No. studies included: 12 Context of analysis: formal matches and small-sided games Analyses: descriptive and comparative Competitive level: national elite, international elite Age groups: youth and adults Sex: men | Levels of analysis: individual, group (mesolevel) and team dynamics (macrolevel) Performance dimensions: tactical Within tactical dimension: team and group dynamics Main findings: most of the analysed situations were sub-group dynamics within the match. The main outcomes assessed were related to geometrical centre relationships between teams and also distance relationships between players and the ball. Moreover, the occupied area was also inspected using dominant areas. The variability of behaviours was measured using relative-phase and entropy to identify complexity and regularity Match context: unreported |
Ferrari et al. [32] | Sport(s): Handball Main goal: describe the main research tendencies in match analysis Type of studies included: peer-reviewed journal articles with no limitations in experimental design No. studies included: 28 Context of analysis: formal matches Analyses: descriptive, comparative and “predictive” Competitive level: amateur or professional Age: adult Sex: men | Levels of analysis: predominantly individual (molecular level), but also team dynamics (macrolevel) Performance dimensions: tactical, technical/biomechanical Within tactical dimension: game phase Functional groups: playing roles Within tactical dimension: the 6- and 9-m throws had great relevance in offensive teams Main findings: attack (winning teams make continuous and short attacks; losing teams perform long positional attacks and attacks based on individual attempts) and defensive (the strategy of stopping offensive actions by physical contact, or avoiding fouls or just focusing in the interception of the ball were not particular favourable in the defensive success). Considering technical/biomechanical dimensions the number of goals scored was the main reason for the team’s success and weak defensive actions were related with more goals conceded Match context: match status (one study showed that home advantage seems more prominent for balanced matches), match location (a few studies suggest a home advantage effect in terms of effectiveness and likelihood of winning the matches) and match period (one study suggested that more goals seem to be scored in the latter periods of the match. Another stated that time-outs are more effective if requested in the first 20 min of each game period) |
Ferraz et al. [33] | Sport(s): Rink hockey Main goal: summarize the main evidence about player’s profile and game demands Type of studies included: peer-reviewed journal articles with no limitations in experimental design No. studies included: 19 Context of analysis: formal matches Analyses: descriptive and comparative Competitive level: all Age: all Sex: men | Levels of analysis: predominantly individual (molecular level), but also team dynamics (macrolevel) Performance dimensions: tactical, technical/biomechanical, physical/physiological Within tactical dimension: game phase; game patterns Functional groups: playing roles Main findings: greater frequency of units in indirect attack than in counterattack or quick transition. Attack (greater number of shooting comes from central zones; almost 50% of offensive actions lead to an attempt to score; only 3% of the attempts results in a goal; match status is particularly relevant in the goalkeeper’s performance). Technical and tactical actions are involved in longer patterns of play Match context: The authors refer to match status, but actually should have said match period: one paper suggested that goalkeepers are less effective in the 2nd half of the match, probably due to fatigue |
Colomer et al. [34] | Sport(s): 15-a-side rugby union Main goal: Analyse the state of the art of performance analysis research in professional rugby union Type of publications included: peer-reviewed journal articles with observational methodology No. of studies included: 41 Context of analysis: formal match Analyses: descriptive, comparative and “predictive” Competitive level: professional Age groups: adults Sex: men | Levels of analysis: individual, team Performance dimensions: tactical Within tactical dimension: game patterns, special plays (set pieces) Main findings: Most studies did not provide context relating to match location, quality and type of opposition and other potentially relevant information. Only 5 of 41 studies accounted for multiple contextual variables. Only 7 articles provided operational definitions for analysing the variables Match context: match location, match period and, in < 20% of the studies, quality of opposition. The majority of studies did not provide such information, though. The review does not detail how this was handled by each specific study |
Glassbrook et al. [35] | Sport(s): Rugby league Main goal: Analyse studies investigating the physical demands of professional rugby league matches Type of publications included: peer-reviewed journal articles with observational methodology No. of studies included: 30 Context of analysis: Formal match Analyses: descriptive, comparative and “predictive” Competitive level: Professional Age groups: Adults Sex: Men | Levels of analysis: Individual Performance dimensions: Physical/physiological Functional groups: Playing roles Main findings: Physical demands of Rugby Union vary depending on the playing role, but not for all variables Match context: Unreported |
Hausler et al. [36] | Sport(s): Rugby league Main goal: review use of GPS and microtensor technology to quantify player activity profiles in match-play Type of publications included: peer-reviewed journal articles with observational methodology No. of studies included: 27 Context of analysis: Formal match Analyses: descriptive, comparative and “predictive” Competitive level: from junior to elite Age groups: junior and adults Sex: Men | Levels of analysis: Individual Performance dimensions: Physical/physiological Functional groups: Playing roles Main findings: most studies focus on the adult elite level, with sub-elite, amateur and junior levels being under-represented. Activity profiles vary depending on playing roles and level of practice. Comparisons of high-speed movements are difficult because of inconsistent description across studies Match context: match period (five studies reported on pacing strategies changing depending on time-period, with the greatest decrements in performance in the last two periods of the match) |
Silva et al. [37] | Sport(s): Volleyball Main goal: Analyse the literature on match analysis in volleyball Type of publications included: peer-reviewed journal articles with observational methodology No. of studies included: 34 Context of analysis: formal match Analyses: descriptive, comparative and “predictive” Competitive level: amateur and professional (national elite and international) Age groups: adults Sex: mostly men, but also women | Levels of analysis: Individual, team Performance dimensions: tactical, technical/biomechanical Within tactical dimension: game patterns, effectiveness, decision-making Functional groups: Playing roles Main findings: The quality of each action is deeply related with the effectiveness of previous actions. Considerable focus on effectiveness of actions, but not necessarily on the qualitative analysis of the skills. Lack of understanding of game dynamics and patterns, since the focus is on actions’ effectiveness Match context: match period (one study showed strategic differences in the use of the serve and attack depending on match period), match status (one study showed strategic differences depending on match status) and quality of opposition (one study showed strategic differences depending on quality of opposition) |
Harper et al. [38] | Sport(s): American football, Australian football, hockey, rugby league, rugby sevens, rugby union, football Main goal: Compare high and very high intensity acceleration vs deceleration demands during match-play in elite team sports Type of publications included: peer-reviewed journal articles with observational methodology No. of studies included: 19 Context of analysis: formal match Analyses: descriptive, comparative and “predictive” Competitive level: elite Age groups: adults Sex: Men | Levels of analysis: Individual Performance dimensions: Physical/physiological Main findings: In American football, high and very high intensity accelerations are more frequent than decelerations. Conversely, in all other sports there is a greater frequency of high and very high intensity decelerations compared to accelerations Match context: match period (when comparing the 2nd game period to the first, there is a small decrease in high and very high intensity accelerations and decelerations) |
Fernández-Espínola et al. [39] | Sport(s): Mostly football, but also basketball, hockey, handball, rugby Main goal: Assess the role of SSGs as a tool for teaching team sports Type of publications included: peer-reviewed journal articles without limitations in terms of experimental design No. of studies included: 47 Context of analysis: small-sided games Analyses: descriptive, comparative and “predictive” Competitive level: sports initiation Age groups: U18 Sex: Mostly men. Unreported in several studies. Only one study specifically with girls Other: a few selected studies analysed the effect of maturation, duration, coach’s presence, among other factors | Levels of analysis: individual, group, team Performance dimensions: tactical, technical/biomechanical, decision-making Within tactical dimension: game patterns, relationships between tactical actions and skill, set pieces, manipulation of task constraints Main findings: SSGs are useful for teaching team sports at young ages. Besides increased number of technical actions, constraints should be manipulated to fully explore the potentialities of SSGs. Among the most relevant manipulations are: number of players, size of pitch area, playing rules, duration and presence of the coach Match context: unreported |