Best Practices and Challenges in Collecting Data in Training Programs
Booz Allen Hamilton’s Tactical Athlete Leadership Board met to conclude 2020 to discuss best practices and challenges in collecting data in training programs. With the understanding that it is vital for the military to continue advancing human performance and training protocols, board members from across the industry, who are experts in sensor technology, coaching, and data science, came together because of the benefits of collecting data from today’s warfighter can:
Better decision making. With more biometric and biomechanical data, coaches and leaders have better insight into how to support tactical athletes in the long-term. Members of the Board discussed that before determining if there is too much data to analyze, the focus needs to be on how data will be collected. Currently, there seems to be a lack of data collection hampering the analysis needed to decide how to alter training, conditioning, and operations.
Improved personal care. Leadership Board members identified the cognitive and nutrition benefits of putting better data in the hands of the individual. As soldiers educate themselves on the gains achieved through better sleep and recovery, leaders can expect to see long term behavior changes. Similar to elite athletes, warfighters are incredibly self-motivated to do the right things to improve their performance, and using data will help empower them to achieve that.
Reduction of injury. The Leadership Board identified markers like body temperature and hydration as key metrics to monitor in the field to avoid catastrophic breakdowns. To help in preventing long-term wear and tear injuries from knee problems, plantar fasciitis, and muscle tears, members flagged the importance of monitoring biomechanical data as well.
The Leadership Board identified 3 immediate recommendations for anyone collecting data based on their experience and best practices of what has worked in the field:
Identify and recommend accurate sensors that can operate in a secure environment. There is a tremendous push for the Leadership Board to come up with a list of approved and recommended sensors with form factors that work well under strenuous training and field conditions.
Use the same collection techniques and data models across multiple studies. There is an acknowledgment that sharing data sources is not a common practice but could benefit the warfighter if small studies were centralized to achieve larger sample sizes of data.
Store anonymized data (by warfighter specialty) securely over time. The lack of longitudinal analysis makes it difficult for elite sports and the military to establish thresholds and benchmarks. Data models and tools change quickly so there are few opportunities to review human performance data over a period of several years.
The Board highlighted some of the challenges that could still persist in collecting data off the tactical athlete:
It may be difficult to determine what individual data ties to team outcomes. The tactical athlete, unlike some elite athletes, does not operate alone. Some experts identify that the dichotomy between individual and team data collection is an area that needs clarity, from what data to collect, to how to apply the data to both the individual and the team.
Measuring inputs and their impact on outcomes remains difficult. With so many variables that impact performance, it may be difficult to determine which data points are most important in changing outcomes.
Clearly articulating the value of data to both the tactical athlete and those in charge is still a challenge. In order for data collection to become commonplace, both the coaches and leaders as well as the tactical athletes must buy into the system. Without buy-in from the top-down, data collection and use will continue to be administered without a coherent plan set forth for why, how, and what to collect.
Next up: the Leadership Board will meet again in January to discuss how to best deliver the data that is currently being collected and analyzed. Through the lens of what’s currently possible, the Tactical Athlete Leadership Board will drive toward consensus on the metrics that matter most at this time to the future performance of today’s warfighter.
About the Tactical Athlete Leadership Board:
Tactical athletes train to navigate and achieve situational awareness within complex and dynamic environments whether it’s for advantage and safety on the mission front lines or game-time decisions. To ensure readiness through peak physical and psychological performance, Booz Allen and Sports Innovation Lab have partnered to advance our tactical athlete paradigm.
Together, we're convening a board of leading experts in sports performance, technology, and science, to draw on and codify innovations about the ways that elite athletes train, compete and recover.
What is the Tactical Athlete: A tactical athlete is an individual with the cognitive and physical ability, mental agility, and tactical skills to excel and win on the battlefield.
Vision: Be the driving force behind a new model for what it means to improve the life of the tactical athlete.
Mission: Bring together visionaries, trailblazers, and leaders in the human performance space to publish research, create thought leadership, and bring together an interdisciplinary approach redefining the industry.