Artificial Intelligence in sport performance analysis

Redacción Tokio | 17/11/2022

Artificial intelligence (AI) is generating a revolution across many sectors. One of them is the sports sector, which is stepping up to a totally new level thanks to its multiple applications focused on improving athletes’ performances and trainers’ accomplishments, among other things. Artificial intelligence in sport performance analysis is a reality today that is having a significant impact in many ways.

Throughout this article, we are going to discover how artificial intelligence in sport performance analysis is used, why it’s used and what its advantages are in the development of sports in general and athletes in particular. Football, baseball, basketball and motor sports are some of the fields in which this type of system is starting to be applied to improve professional performance in the sector.

With AI, a new field has emerged for professional careers with a technical profile and for those who have decided to become specialists in artificial intelligence. Are you passionate about sports and programming? Keep reading! We’re sharing everything you need to know about artificial intelligence in sports performance analysis.

What is artificial intelligence in sports?

Artificial intelligence in sports is the application of certain AI techniques in the sports field. As such, there is a wide range of tools that facilitate making predictions about sport performance, athletes and their rivals.

This possibility opens the door for great improvements in training systems and techniques and, over time and with the increased use of these tools, also improves sports performance.

How is artificial intelligence used in sports?

Artificial intelligence systems are here to change the way things are done in sports. As part of an increasingly professionalized and specialized sector, AI systems provide athletes and trainers with a chance for great improvements regarding their efficiency and performance.

There are many areas in the sports industry in which AI is beginning to play a key role. Some of them include:

Technology development for uniforms
Marketing
Automated journalism
Performance of professional athletes
Scouts
Medical services
Referee performance

Impact of AI in sport

Many sports leagues are starting to expand their business models thanks to AI. As such, there are many applications and sport areas where artificial intelligence can be applied.

For example, AI systems help professionals calculate the parameters that have an impact on athlete performance. By using this data, medical services are able to develop systems and provide recommendations to prevent injuries or avoid accumulated fatigue.

An example of applying artificial intelligence in sport performance analysis

One key pioneer using artificial intelligence in sport performance analysis is said to have been Monchi. A former soccer player and the director of the Spanish Sevilla FC, he applied AI tools to manage the team’s signings.

These tools’ effectiveness is proven by the club’s ensuing success, as the team has been able to win 6 European titles in the last 14 years thanks, in part, to their use of artificial intelligence in sport performance analysis.

Current applications of artificial intelligence in sport

The following are some of the applications that artificial intelligence now presents in sports:

Improvements in performance. The application of artificial intelligence in sport performance analysis means that, as we’ve mentioned above, great improvements can be achieved. For example, data-collecting devices can monitor the athletes’ health and other parameters, which are then interpreted by artificial intelligence systems to provide valuable insights for improving sports performance.
AI workouts. AI systems facilitate the control of various aspects of sports during training. For example, a combination of cameras and sensors in tennis games helps measuring speed, spin and placement on a serve. This can then have a direct impact on the strategic decisions taken by coaches and training staff.
Player analysis and choices. Perhaps one of the most relevant applications of AI today. It’s in fact particularly valuable for sports like football, where multiple players are involved and huge investments are made. In this context, AI provides help in selecting players from a much more objective, data-based approach that is based on predictions of potential, overpassing what a human scout could do.

Cycling is one of the sports that has benefited the most from the use of data and analytics, as it presents valuable information not only to professionals but also amateur cyclists in order to make better decisions in real time.

These are just some of the examples of how performance and efficiency can be improved in sports through the implementation of artificial intelligence in sport performance analysis. But the truth is that there are many more possibilities, and there will be even more in the future. It is up to you to discover the full potential of AI in sports

Benefits of artificial intelligence in sport performance analysis

As suggested by the latest research regarding AI, the great advantage of using AI systems in sports is their capacity to provide a certain objectivity to game analysis, minimizing the reliance on human experts who are often conditioned by factors such as their experience, context or knowledge.

Another advantage of artificial intelligence in sport performance analysis is the large volumes of data that can be processed, as machines have a greater capacity to store and examine enormous amounts of information.

“The application of AI in sports first sparked certain rejection, as the data it provided was too much to be processed, but information provided by new technologies is increasingly being understood as more specific and useful for athletes and coaches”, Ignacio Refoyo, AI researcher at UC3M

Yet another significant benefit of artificial intelligence in sport performance analysis is the application of techniques related to the automatic extraction of knowledge. In this case, AI systems are being used to employ automatically acquired data across a wide range of sport activities.

This information can then be used, for example, to find out about the reasons behind team successes or failures. As such, technical teams can work to reinforce the positive aspects, as well as correct potential mistakes in teams or strategies.

Become an AI programmer!

The applications of artificial intelligence in sport performance analysis are many, and so are the possibilities for growth when applying AI in the sports field. With time and additional research, these applications will improve and widen. And, with proper training, you can also be part of these advancements.

With our artificial intelligence specialization course at Tokyo School, you will acquire the necessary knowledge to begin delving into the exciting field of AI.

Ask us for more information now! Become part of an industry with multiple job opportunities.

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