Complex Systems in Sport

Complex systems in nature are those with many interacting parts, all capable of influencing global system outcomes. There is a growing body of research that has modeled sport performance from a complexity sciences perspective, studying the behavior of individual athletes and sports teams as emergent phenomena which self-organise under interacting constraints. This book is the first to bring together experts studying complex systems in the context of sport from across the world to collate core theoretical ideas, current methodologies and existing data into one comprehensive resource. It offers new methods of analysis for investigating representative complex sport movements and actions at an individual and team level, exploring the application of methodologies from the complexity sciences in the context of sports performance and the organization of sport practice. Complex Systems in Sport is important reading for any advanced student or researcher working in sport and exercise science, sports coaching, kinesiology or human movement.

Keith Davids is a Professor of Motor Control at the Centre for Sports Engineering Research at Sheffield Hallam University, UK. Robert Hristovski is Professor in the Faculty of Physical Education at the University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Republic of Macedonia. Duarte Araújo is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Human Kinetics at Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal. Natalia Balagué Serre is Professor of Exercise Physiology in the INEFC at the University of Barcelona, Spain. Chris Button is Associate Professor in the School of Physical Education at the University of Otago, New Zealand. Pedro Passos is Assistant Professor of Motor Control in the Faculty of Human Kinetics at the Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal.

Preface Section 1: Theoretical Bases for Understanding Complex Systems in Sport Chapter 1: Basic Notions in the Science of Complex Systems and Nonlinear Dynamics Chapter 2: Coordination Dynamics and Cognition Chapter 3: Why Coordination Dynamics is Relevant for Studying Sport Performance Chapter 4: Psychobiological Integration During Exercise Performed Until Exhaustion Section 2: Methodologies and Techniques for Data Analyses in Investigating Complex Systems in Sport Chapter 5: Nonlinear Time Series Methods for Analyzing Behavioral Sequences Chapter 6: Interpersonal Coordination Tendencies Induce Functional Synergies Through Co-Adaptation Processes in Team Sports Chapter 7: The Measurement of Space and Time in Evolving Sport Phenomena Chapter 8: Self-Organizing Maps and Cluster Analysis in Elite and Sub-Elite Athletic Performance Chapter 9: Single Camera Analyses in Studying Pattern Forming Dynamics of Player Interactions in Team Sports Chapter 10: Using Virtual Environments to Study Interactions in Sport Performance Chapter 11: Methods of Measurement in Studying Team Sports as Dynamical Systems Chapter 12: Team Sports as Dynamical Systems Part 3a: Complexity Sciences and Sport Performance Chapter 13: Ecological Dynamics as A Framework for Notation Analysis Chapter 14: Talent Development and Expertise in Sport Chapter 15: Creativity in Sport and Dance: A constraints based soft-assembly of action. Part 3b: Complexity Sciences and Training for Sport Chapter 16: Variability in Neurobiological Systems and Training Chapter 17: Individual Pathways of Change in Motor Learning and Development Chapter 18: A Constraints-Based Approach to the Acquisition of Expertise in Outdoor Adventure Sports Chapter 19: Skill Acquisition and Representative Task Design