A Beginner's Guide to Performance Analysis

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Raby Diallo, June 11 2025

The Secret Weapon Elite Coaches Are Starting to Use

You’ve implemented everything you could think of in order to improve your athletes' performance: building muscle, cold water immersion, new training regimens, interval work, recovery techniques, and more. At first it worked. You noticed real gains. But lately? Not so much.

Do you feel stuck? Like you've exhausted every tool in a coach's toolbox? If so, you might be missing one thing: an assistant. One that sees what you can't, tracks what you overlook, and helps you make data-informed decisions. Not a person, but a system.

Let me introduce you to sports performance analysis.

Sports performance analysis is a coach's second brain, offering precision, accuracy and immunity to bias. These man-made tools are designed to support multiple areas of training, making your coaching smarter, sharper, and more efficient.

Picture of an athlete wearing an Archinisis sensor getting ready for a sprint

What is sports performance analysis?

Sports performance analysis is where sport and technology intersect. It involves using simple tools, like sensors, or cameras, to track how athletes move, train, and recover. The data is collected based on various metrics, such as pacing, speed, distance, and technique. An app will then do the job of analyzing the data and translating it into information that's actually useful for humans. The results help you and your athletes identify areas for improvement and make smarter training decisions. From optimizing workouts to reducing injury risk, sports analysis doesn't replace your coaching, it gives you sharper insights to coach even better.

Example: How it works in real life

Let's look at a real-world example from Archinisis' performance analysis system. It works for a variety of sports, including winter sports, rowing and track and field. For this example, we'll use a track and field sprint session. To collect the data, Archinisis uses a sensor that fits inside a specially designed shirt. The data is then analyzed by the Archinisis webapp.

Step speed graph for a sprint obtained through Archinisis webapp
Step Speed during the first 100 m of a 300 m sprint interval training. Each dot marks a foot strike event. The orange dots indicate left foot strikes and the blue ones indicate right foot strikes. The light blue "zig-zag" curve is the instantaneous center of mass speed, measured 200x per second.

The step speed figure allows coaches to pinpoint details that wouldn't be noticeable through the naked eye. The first thing you'll notice is that the speed curve shoots up quickly at the start, then slowly increases to remain roughly constant just over 7 m/s. But here's where it gets interesting: if you look at the light blue ground speed curve, you'll see that every left step is just a bit slower than the right ones. This difference between speed on the left and the right foot could indicate an area for improvement. Spotting this is nearly impossible without the help of sports performance analysis.

Want to dig deeper? Hover over any dot on graph and it'll turn green, showing you the exact numbers for that step. For example, the third step (which is a right foot step) happened at 3.56 m from the start, and the athlete was moving at 4.65 m/s.

This is just a taste of what you can see with Archinisis. All you have to do is put the sensor on your athlete. The system does the heavy lifting, and you get clear, actionable insights.

Why are coaches turning to tech?

Coaches turn to sports performance analysis both for themselves and for their athletes. With data driven insights, coaches can make informed decisions based on objective performance metrics. It is precise and objective, no more guesswork. With real-time data, you're not prone to blind spots. For the first time ever, nothing slips through the cracks. Strategies flow, communication is clearer and creating an individualized training plan is easier than ever. And all that in less time than it takes to say: "How can I enhance my athletes' performance?"

The best competitive edge is an athlete with better training, which is achieved with the help of sports performance analysis. Many elite teams use systems like Archinisis to gain and maintain this edge. In rowing, for example, four national teams using Archinisis' system won Olympic medals at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

"But I'm not a pro team coach..."

You don't need to be a pro to use performance analysis. It's for anyone who wants to help their athletes get better, no matter the level. Nowadays, there are so many different sports performance analysis tools, there is something for every ambition, skill set, and price range.

"It seems too complicated"

Start simple. Don't think too much, look at it objectively. When you see all these number and graphs and colors, I get it - it's a lot. But remember the example from the figure above? It wasn't that scary. Let the software guide you. Before you know it, reading the data will feel as natural as celebrating a win.

"The learning curve is too steep."

You don't have to learn everything at once. Start with one feature or metric and build from there. Archinisis provides a free instruction call to help new customers get comfortable, and we are always here to support you and answer any question you might have. There's plenty of additional information that you can find, while browsing through the website and on the webapp's help section.

"I don't have enough time."

Performance analysis actually saves you time. You won't have to takes notes on your athlete's performance, you won't have to put the timer on, and off. The system will do all that for you, and you'll be able to truly focus on watching your athletes. Automated results and clear visuals mean you spend less time guessing and more time coaching what matters.

"I don't have a dedicated analyst or support staff."

You don't need one. The analysis software does everything for you. It's designated in a way that doesn't cause significant additional work, it integrates seamlessly into you training routine. With Archinisis, the data is automatically transformed into actionable insights. You just have to apply them.

"I'm used to traditional coaching methods."

Technology doesn't replace your experience, it enhances it. With this technology, you can track your athletes' performance while you are away, making sure there are no blind spots. Like I said, it's an assistant, the difference is that it won't need to take coffee breaks.

Coaching smarter, not harder

Picture of a coach discussing rowing performance data with Benedikt

It's not about working more, it's about seeing more. Imagine how your coaching program would change if you had better feedback. Imagine how much more confident your athletes will be when they can visualize their progress and smash every performance goal with a curated training plan.

If you want to learn more about how sports performance analysis can benefit you, browse through Archinisis' website and book a demo call with us.