By Jamie Kyte
The University of Birmingham has significantly upgraded its sports performance analysis capabilities by integrating Catapult’s pro video suite, including Focus and the Hub, with their existing wearable technology. This enhancement will provide an enriched context for analysing physical performances across university sports teams.
Here are some perspectives from the stakeholders at the University.
Jamie Kyte, Applied Sport Scientist at the University of Birmingham, highlights the educational benefits: “Adding Focus to our suite has not only enhanced our curriculum with industry-relevant knowledge but also prepared our students to deliver immediate results in professional settings.”
Students will now be able to handle match data, pinpoint key performance indicators, and use the latest tools from industry. The tools from Catapult are designed to offer intuitive, customizable, and efficient workflows, thereby improving the analytical capabilities of both staff and students.
Mark Moss, Head of Hockey, shares his experience with Focus: “As someone new to Focus, I found it extremely user-friendly, allowing me to quickly get up to speed and even instruct other coaches on its use. It has been integral to our team’s development, enabling detailed performance analysis, opposition scouting, and a collaborative team culture where everyone has a voice. This software has transformed our approach, linking our game model to practice effectively.”
Moreover, the software’s capability to produce XML files and MP4s simplifies the sharing of data across platforms, enhancing collaborative review sessions.
The acquisition of Focus and the Hub by the University of Birmingham into their analysis product suite enhances the capacity for collaboration between athletes and coaches, alongside providing a great learning tool for current students, the next generation of analysts. The ability to objectively measure key aspects of performance, linking to a specific game model, is an essential aspect of the coaching process which both products will facilitate.” – Paul Travis, Product Specialist – Catapult
J.L.Kyte@bham.ac.uk