NFL hopefuls’ movement analysis data offers ‘a blueprint for motion’

Data has transformed the personnel side of coaching in football, with GPS tracking and machine learning being used to to anticipate player success from college through to the NFL, but there are still significant gains left to be had. Elite coach Pete Bommarito and sports scientist Dr. Monique Mokha are taking football analytics to a new level using motion capture.

The data are already changing the way Dr. Mokha looks at different types of athletes. “The magnitude of how much better the biomechanical metrics get in the heavy players, like your offensive and defensive linemen, is huge,” she says. “It makes sense from a practical standpoint but that’s data that has surprised me: how much better they can get at applying the force to accelerate, and accelerating the thighs at just the right time. They’re over 300 pounds!”