Validity and reliability of a voice-recognition game analysis system for field sports

The purpose of this study was to assess the ability of observers to use voice-recognition analysis to accurately classify gait transitions and quantify gait durations typical of team games. Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability was also determined. Four males were filmed performing pre-determined gait protocols, each comprising different sequences of walking, jogging. running and sprinting. Two operators independently classified gait transitions and the time spent in each gait was determined by the voice recognition system. All gait modes as measured by trained observers demonstrated statistically significant correlations (p<O.O I) to predetermined measurement criteria. The mean absolute error for all gait transitions was less than half a second (0.32-0.36 5) with the maximum percentage error being approximately 4% for the walk, jog and run gaits and 10% for sprinting. Gait classification error was low at 1-9%. The intra-rater and inter-rater reliability was consistently high ranging from r =' 0.87 to 0.99. In conclusion, observers using voice-recognition software provided valid measures of time spent in each of the four gait categories with 90% or better accuracy achieved.

Monte Carlo analysis of a puzzle game

When a puzzle game is created, its design parameters must be chosen to allow solvable and interesting challenges to be created for the player. We investigate the use of random sampling as a computationally inexpensive means of automated game analysis, to evaluate the BoxOff family of puzzle games. This analysis reveals useful insights into the game, such as the surprising fact that almost 100% of randomly generated challenges have a solution, but less than 10% will be solved using strictly random play, validating the inventor’s design choices. We show the 1D game to be trivial and the 3D game to be viable.

Mapping Learning and Game Mechanics for Serious Games Analysis in Engineering Education

In a world where students are increasing digitally tethered to powerful, ‘always on’ mobile devices, new models of engagement and approaches to teaching and learning are required from educators. Serious Games (SG) have proved to have instructional potential but there is still a lack of methodologies and tools not only for their design but also to support game analysis and assessment. This paper explores the use of SG to increase student engagement and retention. The development phase of the Circuit Warz game is presented to demonstrate how electronic engineering education can be radically reimagined to create immersive, highly engaging learning experiences that are problem-centered and pedagogically sound. The Learning Mechanics–Game Mechanics (LM-GM) framework for SG game analysis is introduced and its practical use in an educational game design scenario is shown as a case study.

Time-motion analysis of test and one-day international cricket centuries

The aim of this study was to quantify movement patterns of batsmen scoring 100 runs (century), including analysis at 50, 80, and 100 runs, in Test and One-Day international (one-day) matches and between the first and second 50 within a Test century. Test centuries (n = 13) and one-day scores above 80 (n = 12) filmed during the 2005 - 2006 Australian international season were analysed for movement patterns of standing, walking, jogging, striding, sprinting, shot playing, and turning. At each run target, differences in total time, duration of individual movement pattern, movement pattern frequency, and number of balls faced were determined between Test and one-day matches (analysis of variance). Differences within Test centuries were assessed using paired t-tests. A similar fractional predominance of time spent in low-intensity activity (standing and walking) between Test and one-day matches at each run target (94 and 96% respectively) was observed, with no differences in duration of striding or sprinting (Test: 1.1 min, s = 0.5; one-day: 0.9 min, s = 0.5 for sprinting: P = 0.28). A 37% longer total duration occurred in Tests, resulting in longer recovery bouts between high-intensity efforts. There were no differences between the first and second 50 runs of a Test century for any measure (P at best = 0.34). In summary, Test and one-day centuries are characterized by much low-intensity activity and patterns of high-intensity activity similar to many repeat-sprint team sports and greater recovery breaks in longer matches.

Dynamic Match Analysis

Recent technological development has enabled research- ers to gather data from different performance scenarios while considering players positioning and action events within a specific time frame. This technology varies from global positioning systems to radio frequency devices and computer vision tracking, to name the most common, and aims to collect players’ time motion data and enable the dynamical analysis of performance. Team sports—and in particular, invasion games—present a complex dynamic by nature based on the interaction between 2 opposing sides trying to outperform 1 another. During match and training situations, players’ actions are coupled to their performance context at different interaction levels. As expected, ball, teammates’, and opponents’ positioning play an important role in this interaction process. But other factors, such as final score, teams’ development level, and players’ expertise, seem to affect the match dynamics. In this symposium, we will focus on how different constraints affect invasion games dynamics during both match and training situations. This relation will be established while underpinning the importance of these effects to game teaching and performance optimization. Regarding the match, different performance indicators based on spatial-temporal relations between players and teams will be presented to reveal the interaction processes that form the crucial component of game analysis. Considering the training, this symposium will address the relationship of small-sided games with full- sized matches and will present how players’ dynamical interaction affects different performance indicators.

Essais en économie de l’environnement et des ressources naturelles sous incertitude

Cette thèse comprend trois essais en économie de l’environnement et des ressources naturelles sous incertitude. Le premier essai propose un modèle de jeu différentiel qui analyse la pollution globale à travers la quête à l’hégémonie politique entre pays. Le second essai utilise des données boursières pour estimer une version stochastique de la règle de Hotelling et ainsi inférer sur le rôle des ressources naturelles non renouvelables dans la diversification du risque. Le troisième essai montre comment la prise en compte des perspectives futures modifie la règle de Hotelling dans un contexte de diversification du risque.

Avaliação das variáveis técnicas no contexto esportivo

Assessment is a theme explored in various areas of human performance, particularly for the analysis of an athlete performance and/or all team members in game situation. Assessment requires different tests and models to quantify strengthens and weaknesses of an athlete and of the team. With that in hand, it is possible to develop an intervention program, with consequent improvement of techniques and tactics play systems. The present study aimed to identify, in the literature, the athlete's performance ratings and of the team in game situation for team sport. Based on the literature review, we propose a set of variables to include in an instrument for basketball performance assessment. The methodology for the present study involved a collection of materials, including scientific articles, books, websites, academic papers. The present research comprises the concepts and definitions related to: team sport; the relevance of game analysis and its development; the advantages and disadvantages of different assessment techniques, particularly in team sports; and lastly, the instruments used for assessment in the context of team sport athletes. From the literature review we propose a set of variables that may be useful to consider in an assessment instrument for basketball performance

Operacionalização do processo de treino no futebol feminino:situações de bola parada no meio campo ofensivo

Relatório de Estágio apresentado para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Desporto com especialização em Treino Desportivo – Futebol

The Increasing Power of the European Parliament: Negotiating the EU-India Free Trade Agreement

Since the Lisbon Treaty increased the legal role of the European Parliament (EP) in EU trade policy, there has been a debate about the extent to which these legal competencies have translated into actual influence over the content and outcome of EU trade negotiations. Using the case study of the on-going trade negotiations between the EU and India, this article argues that the impact of the EP has indeed been significant. Through two-level game analysis, which extends its domestic focus to include the EP as a domestic constituent, it demonstrates how the EP has affected the EU win-set in ways that have both hindered and facilitated agreement at the international level between the EU and India. It also shows how the EP has affected the negotiating dynamics and how the EU negotiators have had their preferences somewhat compromised by the EP in their attempt at reaching an agreement with India.

Operacionalização do processo de treino no futebol feminino:situações de bola parada no meio campo ofensivo

Relatório de Estágio apresentado para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Desporto com especialização em Treino Desportivo – Futebol

Relatório de estágio profissionalizante : equipa profissional do Estoril-Praia, Departamento de Análise de Jogo

A importância da observação e análise de jogo no futebol tem crescido substancialmente nos últimos anos. As diferentes disposições tácticas e padrões comportamentais de jogo que se tem verificado, a exigência competitiva a que assistimos actualmente tem levado os clubes a investirem na formação e contratação de profissionais nesta área, potenciando, desta forma, a performance e sucesso das equipas. Este documento procura caracterizar e descrever um ano de estágio inserido no departamento de análise de jogo na equipa profissional sénior do Estoril-Praia Futebol, SAD. Os principais objectivos deste processo foram: (1) contribuir para o desenvolvimento do departamento de análise de jogo, criando um documento em software Excel que permitisse maior organização e rigor na análise e tratamento da informação, (2) organizar os dados para que estes pudessem ser facilmente interpretados por equipa técnica e jogadores. Para além do trabalho realizado ao longo de toda a época na área da análise de jogo, este documento contêm ainda dois estudos realizados com a equipa sénior do Estoril-Praia, Futebol SAD: (1) estudo de grupo que aborda o nível de coesão da equipa e (2) um estudo de investigação que procura avaliar os comportamentos da equipa quando está organizada ou em recuperação defensiva.

Observação e análise numa equipa de futebol de elite : relatório de estágio na area de observação e análise do Benfica LAB, Sport Lisboa e Benfica, equipas profissionais, época 2014-2015

Este relatório teve como objetivo a sumarização das práticas realizadas de um estagiário na área de Observação e Análise de Jogo do Benfica Lab-Sport Lisboa e Benfica. Consiste neste trabalho a descrição das diversas tarefas operacionais e complementares realizadas por um estagiário na área já referida. Acrescendo a essas descrições, é apresentado em detalhe um estudo de investigação iniciado durante o processo de estágio, tendo sido todos os dados recolhidos nesse período e fornecidos quase exclusivamente pela área de observação e análise do Benfica Lab. Este estudo demonstrou existirem diferenças significativas em medidas de centralidade individuais (nível de intermediação numa rede social; influência numa rede social) da equipa A para a equipa B na mesma posição (posto especifico). A descrição detalhada de todo o processo envolvente à realização de uma conferência (relação com a comunidade), também está presente neste documento, evento esse que teve como seu principal objetivo demonstrar o “Processo de estágio Benfica Lab/ FMH – Observação e Análise de Jogo”.

Do modelo de jogo ao processo treino de uma equipa sénior de futebol

Este trabalho consiste no trabalho desenvolvido no estágio profissionalizante, no Sporting Clube de Lourel – equipa sénior – integrado no Mestrado em Treino Desportivo, da Faculdade de Motricidade Humana. O Relatório de Estágio Profissionalizante inicia com o enquadramento geral do contexto de estágio, o trabalho desenvolvido, as características do local de estágio, das condições de trabalho e, por fim, das finalidades e objetivos do estágio realizado. Após a contextualização do Sporting Clube de Lourel, local de estágio, é desenvolvida a Revisão da Literatura, onde são apresentados as temáticas que suportam a prática profissional. A Realização da Prática Profissional teve como foco a descrição do planeamento, programação, condução e avaliação do processo de treino e competição da equipa do Sporting Clube de Lourel. O Sistema de Observação do S.C. Lourel, corresponde ao projeto de investigação ou inovação, teve como foco os métodos de jogo ofensivo, procurando criar uma ferramenta de observação e análise que possa ser utilizado por todas as equipas técnicas dos quadros do clube. A par da criação do sistema de observação pretende-se avaliar os métodos de jogo ofensivo da equipa sénior. A Ação de Formação Contínua para Treinadores de Futebol corresponde á Área de Relação com a Comunidade e, teve como principal responsabilidade a organização em colaboração com o Núcleo de Lisboa da Associação Nacional de Treinadores de Futebol, de um evento dividido em duas ações de formação contínua, promovendo a partilha de conhecimento e a evolução dos conhecimentos dos treinadores de futebol. Após a realização do estágio profissionalizante, podemos concluir que é de extrema importância a constante evolução das ideias de jogo, dos processos de treino e análise de jogo, tal como, do conhecimento das áreas que influenciam o rendimento das equipas e dos jogadores.

Team performance according to ball possession characteristics : a social networks approach

Over the last few years, football entered in a period of accelerated access to large amount of match analysis data. Social networks have been adopted to reveal the structure and organization of the web of interactions, such as the players passing distribution tendencies. In this study we investigated the influence of ball possession characteristics in the competitive success of Spanish La Liga teams. The sample was composed by OPTA passing distribution raw data (n=269,055 passes) obtained from 380 matches involving all the 20 teams of the 2012/2013 season. Then, we generated 760 adjacency matrixes and their corresponding social networks using Node XL software. For each network we calculated three team performance measures to evaluate ball possession tendencies: graph density, average clustering and passing intensity. Three levels of competitive success were determined using two-step cluster analysis based on two input variables: the total points scored by each team and the scored per conceded goals ratio. Our analyses revealed significant differences between competitive performances on all the three team performance measures (p < .001). Bottom-ranked teams had less number of connected players (graph density) and triangulations (average clustering) than intermediate and top-ranked teams. However, all the three clusters diverged in terms of passing intensity, with top-ranked teams having higher number of passes per possession time, than intermediate and bottom-ranked teams. Finally, similarities and dissimilarities in team signatures of play between the 20 teams were displayed using Cohen’s effect size. In sum, findings suggest the competitive performance was influenced by the density and connectivity of the teams, mainly due to the way teams use their possession time to give intensity to their game.