# Physical Metrics at Elite Level · Football Level 8: Expert

Football · Level 8: Expert · Insporta Book (https://book.insporta.app/football/level-8/physical-metrics-at-elite-level/)

Physical Metrics at Elite Level in Football (Level 8: Expert) on Insporta: 100 sourced facts behind 10 tests. Covers: how tracking measures speed and .

What football's physical data can and cannot say: how tracking measures speed, ball-in-play time, stats in broadcasts, referees' tests, the late-match drop, substitutions, running and results, goalkeepers, recruitment and reading a report.

## Test 1: How tracking measures speed and distance

- Systems such as TRACAB and Second Spectrum capture positions at around 25 frames per second. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Distance moved between two frames divided by the time between them gives speed, which is then smoothed. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Divide km/h by 3.6: 36 km/h is exactly 10 m/s. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- A few centimetres of error between frames becomes a large jump in speed, so the data is filtered first. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- The frame rate, the smoothing and the time window used for 'peak' speed all change the number reported. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Averaging over a short spell, often around a second, stops one noisy frame from producing an impossible record. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Satellite-based vests and optical cameras have different sampling rates and errors, so their speeds rarely match exactly. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Cleaning comes before calculation, and the peak is read from the smoothed speeds. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- 6 m/s is 21.6 km/h, which sits between 18 and 30 km/h. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- He covers 0.32 m every frame; 25 frames make a second, so 8 m/s, and 8 x 3.6 = 28.8 km/h. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)

## Test 2: Ball-in-play time and added time

- Throw-ins, free kicks, goal kicks, substitutions and injuries take up more than half an hour of a 90-minute match. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Officials were told to add the time lost to goals, substitutions, injuries and VAR checks, so long added time became common. (Source: IFAB Laws of the Game and competition statements)
- Long stoppages mean more walking and standing, so a match with little live time produces lower running totals. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- The time the review takes is time with the ball out of play, so it is added on like any other stoppage. (Source: IFAB Laws of the Game and competition statements)
- Two matches of 90 minutes can have ten minutes' difference in live play; per-minute figures compare like with like. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Dozens of throw-ins, goal kicks and free kicks each take seconds, and together they add up to far more than the rarer stoppages. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Slow throw-ins, goal kicks and substitutions cut live play, which is why referees are told to add the time back. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Live play is well under the 90 minutes, and added time makes the full match longer than 90. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- The board shows a minimum; stoppages during added time can extend it further. (Source: IFAB Laws of the Game and competition statements)
- Of about 98 minutes played, only around 55 have the ball in play; the rest goes on restarts and other stoppages. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)

## Test 3: Physical stats in broadcasts and apps

- The league and AWS turn its tracking and event data into live statistics for broadcasts and apps. (Source: Bundesliga and AWS announcements)
- Distance is easy to understand, which is why it appears on screen, even though it says little about quality. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- A player chasing the ball because his team is outplayed can top the distance table without affecting the game. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Leagues' tracking providers follow every player with cameras and pass the numbers to broadcasters. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Different tracking systems and settings can produce different totals for the same kind of match. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Most matches are decided by short, fast actions, and sprint counts capture them better than kilometres walked and jogged. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Clubs have full tracking and GPS data with their own definitions, which tell them far more than a graphic on screen. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- The chain runs from the stadium cameras through the data company to the broadcast graphics team. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Total distance mixes walking with running; high-speed distance and sprints focus on the demanding efforts. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Distance shows how much he ran, not what he did with it; it has to be read with the match events. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)

## Test 4: Referees' fitness tests and match running

- Referees cover distances similar to outfield players, much of it at high speed to keep up with play. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- It is the standard pattern of referee movement set out in the guidance to the Laws. (Source: IFAB Laws of the Game and competition statements)
- After the sprints, referees complete an interval test of alternating fast runs and recovery walks. (Source: FIFA refereeing fitness guidelines)
- Assistants move sideways and change direction along the touchline, so the test checks that movement. (Source: FIFA refereeing fitness guidelines)
- Being close to incidents at the right angle is part of getting decisions right, and that depends on keeping up. (Source: IFAB Laws of the Game and competition statements)
- A fast break covers 60 metres in seconds, and the referee has to get close enough to judge the final action. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Tracking shows how close a referee was to incidents and how he moved, which feeds into his assessment. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Sprints come first, then the longer interval test, and only then are the times compared with the standards. (Source: FIFA refereeing fitness guidelines)
- The fourth official barely moves, assistants run along one touchline, and the referee covers the whole pitch. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Keeping play between himself and an assistant means every incident is seen from two angles. (Source: IFAB Laws of the Game and competition statements)

## Test 5: The late-match drop

- Their Danish-Italian study of top players showed high-intensity running dropping in the final period, a sign of fatigue. (Source: Mohr, Krustrup and Bangsbo (2003), Journal of Sports Sciences)
- A temporary dip followed the hardest spells, showing fatigue can come and go during a match. (Source: Mohr, Krustrup and Bangsbo (2003), Journal of Sports Sciences)
- Tiring legs and stretched teams open spaces that were closed earlier, especially for fresh substitutes. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- A substitute has not run for 70 minutes, so he can press and sprint when others are fading. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Repeated sprints to close down opponents cost more than holding a compact block, so the bill arrives late. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Players who keep their intensity late are valuable in close matches, and the comparison shows who fades. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- With less recovery between matches, players have less to give in the final stages. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Running is highest at the start, recovers partly after half-time, and is lowest in the last period. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Live data helps the bench see fatigue before it shows in mistakes. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Intensity falls to its lowest in the final 15 minutes, the pattern Mohr and colleagues described. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)

## Test 6: Substitutions and physical output

- Crowded fixture lists after football's shutdown led IFAB to let competitions allow five changes. (Source: IFAB Laws of the Game and competition statements)
- IFAB made the change permanent in 2022, and competitions could adopt it from that season. (Source: IFAB Laws of the Game and competition statements)
- The limit on stoppages stops teams breaking up the match with five separate substitutions. (Source: IFAB Laws of the Game and competition statements)
- A rich squad can replace tiring starters with players of similar quality, which a small squad cannot. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Attacking players do many high-intensity runs and are the usual changes when a coach wants fresh legs or a new plan. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Twenty minutes of running cannot be compared with ninety as a total; per minute puts them on one scale. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- More changes let coaches replace more tired players, so more of the late sprinting is done by fresh legs. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- The 1970 World Cup was the first with substitutes, three were allowed from 1995, and five from 2020. (Source: IFAB Laws of the Game and competition statements)
- Averages over 90 include the late drop; the first hour is higher, and a fresh substitute runs hardest per minute. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- The substitute covered 20 high-intensity metres a minute against the starter's 14, which is why coaches make late changes. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)

## Test 7: Running and results

- Studies of top leagues find total distance tells you little about who wins; what the running achieves matters more. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- A side without the ball runs to close spaces, and a side behind pushes forward, both of which add distance. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Keeping the ball makes the opponent chase, which costs the chasing side more running. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Closing down the ball is done in bursts, which total distance, dominated by jogging, hides. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- The same pitch has to be defended by fewer players, so each one runs further. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Volume is the total distance; intensity is the share or rate of fast running within it. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- A sprint into the right space at the right moment achieves more than a lot of running in the wrong places. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Keeping the ball saves running; a normal contest costs more, and playing a man short costs most. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Possession and score change running, so they must be accounted for before any link to results is claimed. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- The champions ran the least of the three, while the mid-table and bottom sides ran more, a common pattern in league data. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)

## Test 8: Pitch size and physical demands

- The touchlines may be between 90 and 120 metres long outside international matches. (Source: IFAB Laws of the Game and competition statements)
- International matches use a narrower range of lengths so that conditions are closer from ground to ground. (Source: IFAB Laws of the Game and competition statements)
- The goal lines must be between 64 and 75 metres long for international football. (Source: IFAB Laws of the Game and competition statements)
- Defending a wider pitch means more shuffling from side to side, and attacks can use more space. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- A compact defence has less ground to cover sideways, and opponents have less room to switch play. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Most modern grounds are built to 105 x 68 metres, the standard size UEFA and FIFA ask for at major matches. (Source: UEFA Stadium Infrastructure Regulations)
- Speeds and distances come from positions in metres, so the system has to be calibrated to the real pitch. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- The international minimum is 100 m, most top pitches are 105 m, and no pitch may be longer than 120 m. (Source: IFAB Laws of the Game and competition statements)
- Calibration comes first; reports are then scaled so that grounds of different sizes can be compared. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- A 105 m pitch at a UEFA final is 68 m wide, well inside the international range of 64 to 75 m. (Source: UEFA Stadium Infrastructure Regulations)

## Test 9: Physical data in recruitment

- A player moving to a faster league has to show he can produce the sprints and intensity it asks for. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- A winger in a pressing side will sprint far more than one in a deep-lying team, whatever his own capacity. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Wide players must attack and track back again and again, so the number of fast efforts matters most. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Figures that are average in one league may be well below the norm in a faster one. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Moving from a pressing wing role to a more static one changes the demands, and the numbers follow the role. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- A fall in repeated sprints can come before any drop in passing or goals, which makes it an early warning. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- A player who covers ground well still has to pass, move and decide well, which physical data does not measure. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Physical data is one input: it has to be put in context and then weighed with everything else. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- A player's top speed is his own; how often he runs fast, and how far overall, depend heavily on the team's plan. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- He makes 22 sprints per 90 where wingers in the new league average 30; the gap needs explaining before a deal. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)

## Test 10: Reading a physical report

- His own baseline shows whether a low or high figure is out of the ordinary for this particular player. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- A player who fades after an hour and one who is steady throughout may have the same total. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- A player who came off after 60 minutes cannot be compared with one who played 95 without adjusting. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Staff compare the numbers with his pre-injury baseline to decide how quickly to build his minutes back up. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- A comfortable lead or a deep game plan can lower running without anything being wrong with the player. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Benchmarks show whether a full-back's output is normal for full-backs in that league. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Weather, score, opponent and role all move the numbers from one match to the next. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Context first, then his own baseline, then his position's norms, and only then a conclusion for the coach. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Each step widens the reference, from one game to his season to every player in his role. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)
- Twelve sprints against a usual 25 may simply mean he played an hour, or his team sat on a lead. (Source: Tracking-data documentation and sports-science literature on match running)

Sources: IFAB Laws of the Game / FIFA & UEFA technical reports / Opta, StatsBomb and FBref definitions / club and analyst publications / peer-reviewed research

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