Preparing to fly high

Still, looking for an edge? Sport may be off for now, but the quest to improve, innovate and scrutinize continues. Lucy Higginson investigates behind the scenes in British sport

- Lucy Higginson

COULD fighter pilot technology help give Britain’s equestrian teams a competitive edge for Tokyo next year? What sounds like a comic teaser on Have I Got News For You, in fact is not: the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) and BAE Systems really have been working together to develop a “bespoke environmental monitoring unit” called Equus-Sense.

The unit builds on the sensors used to monitor cockpit conditions and air quality in Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft. Now our horses should benefit from technology developed for pilots, as the system will monitor sound, vibration, humidity, dust and more as they fly all the way to Tokyo.

Welcome to the diverse and often secretive world of performance analysis, whose tendrils extend to data and video analysis, nutrition, performance lifestyle coaching, strength and conditioning, sports psychology and mental readiness, and much more.

For many of us, the words “performance analysis” conjure up ideas of video and data crunching, and ranks of boffins watching cricket, rugby and soccer matches from behind their laptops.

“People can only recall about 30% of what’s happened in a game,” explains Emma Bird, a performance analyst for hockey and climbing working at the English Institute for Sport. “So statistics give a more objective picture.”

Her job includes looking at key performance indicators – “who’s had more shots, corners and so on – but in a lot more detail than that”.

“A sport like hockey will need more tactical support, video delivery and providing statistical feedback,” explains Emma. “Other sports like swimming or cycling might have more biomechanics involved.”