A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Wearable Satellite System Technology for Linear Sprint Profiling: Technological Innovations and Practical Applications

Abstract

Cormier, P, Meylan, C, Agar-Newman, D, Geneau, D, Epp-Stobbe, A, Lenetsky, S, and Klimstra, M. A systematic review and meta-analysis of wearable satellite system technology for linear sprint profiling: technological innovations and practical applications. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000–000, 2023—An emerging and promising practice is the use of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) technology to profile team-sports athletes in training and competition. Therefore, the purpose of this narrative systematic review with meta-analysis was to evaluate the literature regarding satellite system sensor usage for sprint modeling and to consolidate the findings to evaluate its validity and reliability. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, an electronic search of the databases, PubMed and SPORTDiscus (EBSCO), was conducted. Concurrent validity and reliability studies were considered, and 16 studies were retained for the review from the initial 1,485 studies identified. The effects on outcomes were expressed as standardized mean differences (SMDs, Cohen's d) for each outcome (i.e., maximal sprint speed [MSS], the acceleration constant [τ], maximal theoretical velocity [V 0], relative force [F 0], and relative power [Pmax]). Effect magnitudes represented the SMD between GNSS-derived and criterion-derived (i.e., radar and laser) and resulted in the following estimates: small for MSS (d = 0.22, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.42), τ (d = −0.18, 95% CI −0.60 to 0.23), V 0 (d = 0.14, 95% CI −0.08 to 0.36), relative F 0 (d = 0.15, 95% CI −0.25 to 0.55), and relative Pmax (d = 0.21, 95% CI −0.16 to 0.58). No publication bias was identified in meta-analyzed studies and moderator analysis revealed that several factors (sampling rate and sensor manufacturer) influenced the results. Heterogeneity between studies was considered moderate to high. This highlighted the differences between studies in sensor technology differences (i.e., sampling rate, sensor fusion, and satellite network acquisition), processing techniques, criterion technology used, sprint protocols, outcome reporting, and athlete characteristics. These findings may be useful in guiding improvements in sprint modeling using GNSS technology and enable more direct comparisons in future research. Implementation of all-out linear sprint efforts with GNSS technology can be integrated into sport-specific sessions for sprint modeling when robust and consistent data processing protocols are performed, which has important implications for fatigue monitoring, program design, systematic testing, and rehabilitation in individual and team sports.