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In sport, coaches are measured by their ability to improve performance, reduce injury risk, and support effective rehabilitation. Achieving these goals requires more than just motivation and experience — it demands a deliberate, data-driven approach supported by the right tools and strategies.
When we look at team-based, ball-carry sports such as Rugby, American Football, AFL, and others, there’s plenty we can learn from the most successful programs. The secret often lies not just in perfecting game-specific skills, but in mastering the fundamental movement skills that underpin every action on the field.
Game-Specific Skills
- Passing
- Catching
- Kicking
- Tackling
These skills are typically well-served by specialised coaches who dedicate training time to technical and tactical improvement.
Movement-Specific Skills
- Accelerating
- Upright running
- Shuffling
- Stopping or decelerating
- Running backwards
- Changing direction
- Jumping
These are the physical building blocks of high performance in ball sports. Yet in many programs, they receive less direct coaching attention than game-specific skills. The risk? Players may have strong technical ability with the ball but lack the movement efficiency to consistently get into the right positions or execute skills under pressure.
The Reality of Game Time
In an 80-minute rugby match:
- The ball is in play or in hand for ~40-45 minutes.
- The average player carries the ball for only 60–90 seconds total in a game.
That means over 98% of the match is spent without direct ball contact — positioning, accelerating, tackling, moving into space, and reacting to the flow of play.
While ball-handling skills are crucial, a player’s ability to cover ground quickly, change direction efficiently, and repeat high-intensity efforts has an enormous influence on performance outcomes.
The Question for Coaches
Are we truly optimising the elements that matter most for the majority of match time? If we can improve every area of movement performance, we give athletes the physical tools to apply their game skills more effectively — and teams a better chance of winning and staying on the field.
Technology, Measurement, and Movement Improvement
The path to improvement starts with accurate measurement. Without objective data, it’s easy to misjudge a player’s strengths and weaknesses or miss early warning signs of injury risk.
This is where advanced tools like VueMotion come in.
How VueMotion Helps Coaches and Practitioners
VueMotion is an advanced video-based biomechanics platform used by professional teams worldwide to measure, analyse, and improve key movement specific skills. For coaches and performance staff, it provides:
- Objective Movement Analysis
- Measures acceleration, upright running mechanics, deceleration, change of direction, and jumping — the core movements that make up the majority of game time.
- Injury Risk Identification
- Highlights movement asymmetries, inefficient mechanics, or load distribution patterns that may predispose an athlete to injury.
- Return-to-Play Confidence
- Provides clear before-and-after comparisons to ensure athletes have regained full movement efficiency before returning from injury.
- Individualised Performance Reports
- Delivers actionable feedback for players and coaches, including key metrics, focus areas, and suggested interventions.
- Integration with Skill Training
- Allows movement improvements to be targeted in the context of the sport, bridging the gap between physical preparation and game-specific execution.
The Competitive Edge
By combining traditional skill coaching with movement optimisation supported by objective data, teams can:
- Increase on-field efficiency
- Reduce injury incidence
- Enhance player availability and performance longevity
- Make more informed selection and training decisions
In the modern game, where the margins between winning and losing are razor-thin, coaches who prioritise movement quality gain a measurable advantage.
In summary:
- Game-specific skills win moments.
- Movement-specific skills win matches.
- VueMotion helps you measure, monitor, and master both.