A PRACTICAL GUIDE

TO DATA AND
ANALYTICS
Tips and advice for practitioners on what works,
and what doesn’t work.
By Derek McHugh, PhD and Martin Buchheit, PhD

After years of research, working with more than 700 sports teams, Kitman Labs has developed
a set of practical guidelines that will help you maximize the impact of data and analytics across
your organization to enhance player performance and increase health and longevity.

Consider the guidelines and questions in this guide to see if you are making full use of the data
you collect and if everyone in your organization is in a position to best leverage valuable insights.
1 | STRATEGY
In order to take a team from good to great, everyone must be on the same page with a shared vision
and shared expectations. Be clear about where you want to go, how you plan to get there based on
your unique environment and culture, and what role data and analytics play in your organization.

GET ALIGNMENT AROUND THE ROLE OF DATA AND ANALYTICS

݈ Is there broad acknowledgement that data has a purpose in your organization?

(i.e. to be a data-informed organization?)

݈ Is there a set of shared goals and alignment/buy-in across the organization around how you
plan to use data?

݈ Does everyone understand that the right role of data is to support — not replace — coaches’
expertise and authority?

݈ Is there an understanding of the questions that may benefit from analytics, and how results will
be incorporated into the daily workflow? Analytics can help provide objectivity but should not
be used to make decisions by itself.

KNOW YOUR QUESTIONS

݈ Are your questions related to analysis i.e. knowing what has happened?

݈ Are your questions more about understanding what has happened, and interpreting the
patterns in the data i.e analytics?

݈ Once you have the questions then what data do you need to answer them?

UNDERSTAND THE PURPOSE OF DATA

݈ Are you collecting / reporting data simply to check it off the list?

݈ Do you know the question(s) you’re trying to answer through the use of data?

݈ Are you collecting the right data? Does the data you’re collecting help to answer your
question(s)?
ª Is it for daily feedback and programming or some longer term view? e.g., collecting pitch
stiffness may not be useful on a daily basis but could be for a medium/long term project

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1 | STRATEGY (cont.)

SET REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS

݈ Where can you have an impact? (For example, collecting GPS is relatively easy, but can it
influence how the team operates?)

݈ How often can and should data be collected? (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.)?

݈ How quickly can you get off the ground to have data available on a regular (daily, weekly,
monthly) basis?

݈ How much data do you need to be in a position to confidently implement changes based
on the data?

݈ Are you investing the time to do it right? It is certainly better to start with imperfect data but
need to have a plan in place to improve.

“If you don’t have time to do it right,

when will you have time to do it again?”
John Wooden

TURN INSIGHTS INTO ACTION

݈ What conversations would benefit from having data available?

݈ What decisions can you realistically affect/influence?

݈ What is your plan to operationalize the analytics findings? (e.g., do you have a mechanism to align
people (practitioner to athlete, practitioner to practitioner, practitioner to coach) through shared insights?
Do you have defined processes for shared decision-making based on insights?)

For customers not already familiar with Kitman Labs, our IP365 process allows you to successfully
leverage the powers of data and the Intelligence Platform. The first step is to understand the goals of
your organization, how you operate day-to-day, which tools you use, your workflows and processes,
how you collaborate with other members of the team, and how decisions are made.

Armed with this information, we configure and deliver your unique Intelligence Platform to support
your goals. Not only do we measure our progress against the objectives we have created, we help
you optimize your approach where necessary, create realistic tasks, and re-set goals as needed.

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2 | DATA COLLECTION
A model is only as reliable as its data. It’s important to identify data relevant to the questions you need
answered and to continually assess the health of the data for quality, consistency, and volume.

DATA INFORMED BY PERFORMANCE SCIENCE

݈ What data is currently being collected and where are the gaps?

݈ Do you have at least one measure in each category (e.g., load, response to load, athlete
profile, etc.) to start your framework?

݈ How consistent are your data practices and processes? (i.e., is your data infrastructure stable?)

݈ Do you have a clear path to take a team from nothing to a higher-performing level? If not,
we can help you build a strategy to mature your data practices.

ª For example, start with medical data and exposure (training and games participation)

ƃ Add a measure of load (e.g., RPE or GPS)

ƃ Add a measure of response to load (e.g., wellness, sleep quality or muscle soreness measures or
periodic monitoring of strength and power)
ƃ Add pre-season performance tests + medical screening. Etc.

݈ Do you know how your

team currently compares to
comparable teams across all
data categories as well as
within specific types of data?

Kitman Labs has designed the Performance Science Index process whereby we work alongside you
to enhance current data practices. We also share anonymized results from all teams to provide an
industry benchmark that shows how you compare to current practices.

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2 | DATA COLLECTION (cont.)

DATA HEALTH MONITORING

We ensure data health quality through continuous monitoring and a 360° feedback loop to better
assess its ongoing relevance to the team and ensure the model adapts to your changing requirements.

݈ Are you employing best practices in terms of data collection and data management?

݈ Are you collecting data consistently and in line with how you planned in order to meet
your objectives?

݈ How are you assessing the data quality and health?

PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS
OF COLLECTION
We help you reach an optimal use of Performance
Science to achieve your goals and improve success
within your unique environment.

݈ When and how often is data being collected?

݈ Is your data collection practice sustainable?

݈ Have you buy-in from staff and players around your

planned data collection approach?

݈ Is historical data being maintained, and if so, where

is it stored?

݈ Is there low hanging fruit in the areas you want to

focus? (e.g. collecting RPE vs heart rate monitoring?)

݈ Have you considered the cost/benefit trade-offs in

your decision-making? (e.g. while it’s possible to do
strength testing at every session, there may not be time
and/or players disengage (data fatigue)).

Through the Kitman Labs IP365 process, we work to

understand the critical questions teams need to answer
to perform better. In our experience, we recommend that
you have a strong bias for action and don’t get too mired
in cost-benefit analysis or ensuring you have the perfect
data before you begin. Getting started is more important
since the data and methods will grow and be finetuned /
optimized along the way.

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3 | ANALYTICS
Analytics can be extremely helpful in unearthing new insights — as long as these insights can be turned
into clear actions that have a direct impact on your organization. Often, partnering with a provider who
is familiar with elite, high-performance sports teams can help enrich and improve outcomes.

TURNING INSIGHTS INTO ACTION

݈ Once you have results, is it practical and possible to do something impactful with them?

݈ Do you have the infrastructure/processes in place to implement the results?

CHOOSING THE RIGHT APPROACH: BUILD, PARTNER OR BOTH?

݈ Have you thought about your approach to resourcing this initiative whether that is hiring in-
house, working with a third-party, or both?

IN-HOUSE PARTNERSHIP

Pros Pros
T Ability to control everything T Stability - team may change but the analytics
approach and level of expertise remains the same
T Immediate implementation
T Leverage expert resources + strategic long-term
T Develop talent internally thinking mindset

T Access to industry best practices and continuous

innovation
Cons T Ability to leverage a partner’s ongoing and focused
‫ ן‬Scope of the problem plus the multidimensional skills investment strategy
required exceeds the capacity of internal resource(s)

‫ ן‬Often inwardly-focused - learning, innovating and

growing can be a challenge in the whirlwind Cons
‫ ן‬Setting up the analytics infrastructure, and the lessons ‫ ן‬Risk of choosing the wrong partner
learned along the way, is a huge cost
‫ ן‬Trade-off: Cost (headcount, CapEx) vs. value (vendor
‫ ן‬Loss of institutional memory when key personnel leave best practices, proven approach, global experience, etc.)

‫ ן‬Desire to own everything

In our experience, the decision to keep analytics in-house or partner with a third-party is not an either
or decision. Most organizations invest deeply in analytics internally and partner externally where
it makes sense. This allows them to leverage expertise in areas they are unable to due to lack of
expertise or bandwidth.

For example, the organizations that choose to partner with Kitman Labs are able to leverage our
focus and on-going investments in innovative solutions, take advantage of 50+ Performance Experts,
and gain a broader industry perspective as a result of our work with 700+ elite teams. In addition,
organizations not only get short-term, tactical advice but critically important long-term, strategic
insights informed by our Performance Intelligence Research Initiative (PIRI).

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We hope that you found this exercise useful. If you’re satisfied with the level of

thoroughness and rigor applied to your data analytics practices, then keep up

the good work! If you feel there are areas that could be enhanced, we invite you

to learn more about our analytics approach at www.kitmanlabs.com/analytics,

or reach out to one of our performance experts at [email protected].

Derek McHugh, PhD Martin Buchheit, PhD

Head of Data Science and Research Head of Performance Intelligence Research