Automatic tracking of indoor sports players using a video-based deep learning approach: a concurrent validity study
This study aimed to assess the concurrent validity of DeepLabCut to estimate a player`s position and velocity in a pre-delimited course in an indoor environment. Ten young male basketball players (age: 16.5 ± 0.5 years; height: 181.7 ± 2.4 cm; body mass: 75.7 ± 3.6 Kg) were submitted to static and dynamic tasks. The proposed tracking method with a single camera was compared to an optoelectronic system. Validity was analyzed by means of absolute and relative errors, Bland-Altman plot analyses, intraclass correlation coefficients, root mean square errors, and statistical parametric mapping for velocity time series. Overall, intraclass correlation coefficients values showed good to excellent (0.78-0.94) reliability between systems. Errors were higher as the proposed speed of the task increased. Statistical parametric mapping indicated significant differences (p < 0.05) in velocity curves of both systems during moments of 90-degree change of direction. However, no significant differences were found regarding linear displacements or on change-of-direction instants at lower velocities. Collectively, our results showed that DeepLabCut can be considered a valid and cost-effective method for determining the distance traveled and the instantaneous velocity during on-court activities, making high-quality tracking accessible to organizations with limited resources.
© Copyright 2026 Sports Engineering. The Faculty of Health & Wellbeing, Sheffield Hallam University. All rights reserved.
| Subjects: | |
|---|---|
| Notations: | technical and natural sciences sport games |
| Tagging: | deep learning Position position measurement Validität |
| Published in: | Sports Engineering |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2026
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| Volume: | 29 |
| Issue: | 1 |
| Pages: | Article 1 |
| Document types: | article |
| Level: | advanced |