From observation to immersion: A comparative analysis of emerging technologies for developing decision-making in team sport.

Abstract

In many high-performance team sports, physical ability alone is insufficient for consistent success. Increasingly, perceptual-cognitive skills, such as in-game decision-making, have been recognized as critical differentiators among elite athletes. We conducted a comparative analysis to explore how emerging technologies can be used to study and enhance decision-making in situ, within dynamic environments representative of team sport. In doing so, we discuss strengths and limitations of four popular technologies: 2D video analysis, 360° video, mobile eye-tracking, and immersive virtual reality (VR), alongside four main criteria: fidelity, implementation cost, time investment, and appropriateness for individual and team-based training. As an overview, we suggest that whereas 2D and 360° video methods provide accessible and timely feedback, their static and observational nature restricts representational accuracy. Mobile eye-tracking offers insights into visual attention patterns but is limited by cost, labour demands, and practical challenges in contact sport environments. In contrast, and despite high resource demands (i.e. cost and time), VR offers an immersive and customizable training environment that facilitates both individual and team decision-making skills through repeated exposure to game-relevant scenarios. We conclude our analysis by emphasizing the importance of ongoing research to enhance these technologies and tailor them to real-world sport performance settings.