Dynamical Systems Theory Of Sport Performance Analysis

Sport performance is commonly represented by the ability of an athlete to carry out a predetermined outcome with maximum proficiency. As a result, a criticism of sport performance analysis is that it is too focused on outcomes rather than the underlying process and mechanism that produce those outcomes (Torrents & Balague, 2006). In recent years, the constraints-led perspective on movement variability has taken abundance throughout the literature. Constraints are informational or physical limits that enable behaviors. As adjuncts to the overall construct of the dynamical systems theory, this new avenue of research advocates for fluctuations and perturbations in movement as a pertinent contributor to accurate and adaptive motor behaviors during

The bulk of this review will focus on how constraints-led training can better equip an athlete to achieve more stable movement behaviors during sport performance. Thereby, starting a dialogue for the application of this theory in improving current and future ACL prevention programs. Previous research has used a dynamical systems approach to investigate lower extremity coordination during running (Stergiou, Jensen, Bates, Scholten, & Tzetzis, 2001), internal variability in running (Haudum, Birklbauer, Kroll, & Muller, 2012), adaptive behavior to constrains in swimming (Siefert, Komar, Barbosa, Toussaint, Millet, & Davids, 2014), and decision making in boxing ( Passos, Araujo, Davids, & Shuttleworth, 2008). However, no previous research has applied this approach to ACL prevention programs. This review encourages scientists to examine how manipulating constraints during training positively affects movement behavior. Thus, reducing the rate of

Researchers coined this phenomena as noise or error which prevented the final outcome from matching the planned motor program (Preatoni, 2010) . In contrast, the emergence of the dynamical systems theory soundly conceptualizes movement variability as an integral characteristic of goal directed motor behavior. For instance, researchers now view it as a phenomena that allows for flexibility by facilitating abrupt changes in modes of coordination in response to changing constraints. This permits a distribution of forces through compensatory and covariant mechanisms, which plays a role in reducing the impact for possible injury (Robins,