Scientific Programme

Applied Sports Sciences

IS-AP01 - Integrating Human Performance Systems: From Concept to Application

Date: 07.07.2026, Time: 12:00 - 13:15, Session Room: Auditorium A (STCC)

Description

Chair(s)

Dominique Pioletti

EPFL, Laboratory of Biomechanical Orthopedics

Switzerland

Speaker A

Véronique Billat

Université de Paris et Université Evry Val d'Essonne, ile de France

France

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ECSS Rimini 2025: IS-AP01

Rethinking Performance Integration: From Single Metrics to Systems Thinking

Current approaches to human performance are still largely dominated by single metrics such as maximal oxygen uptake, anaerobic threshold, running economy, or isolated biomechanical variables. While these indicators are useful, they fail to fully predict day-to-day performance, tolerance to training load, and the emergence of fatigue or injury. I propose a shift from a reductionist view to a systems-thinking framework, in which performance is considered as an emergent property of interacting mechanical, metabolic, neural, and cognitive subsystems. Building on experimental work in endurance running, I will show that the so-called "noise" in heart rate, oxygen uptake, speed, and stride parameters is not random, but structured according to complex, fractal-like patterns that reflect the adaptive capacity of the organism. Healthy performance is characterized by multi-scale variability and flexible coupling between mechanical variables (stride frequency, contact time), metabolic responses, and cognitive-behavioral markers (perceived exertion, attentional focus, pacing decisions). Conversely, states of fatigue or overload are associated with a loss of complexity and a rigidification of these couplings. Therefore, I will present a conceptual framework in which performance emerges from the dynamic interaction of three dimensions: equilibrium (maintenance of internal stability and robustness), engagement (ability to mobilize reserves and move transiently far from steady state), and optimization (learning to exploit beneficial variability through training). I will use field-based protocols, including intermittent and oscillatory pacing tests, to illustrate how analyzing transitions, fluctuations, and recovery windows – rather than only mean values – provides a more integrated picture of the athlete's functional state. The marathon is used as an example of an integrated performance system, where pacing is not just holding a constant speed, but continually renegotiating equilibrium among mechanical constraints, metabolic cost, thermoregulation, and cognitive-emotional state. I will show how oscillatory pacing and micro-variations in speed, perceived effort, and running pattern can improve tolerance to intensity and delay the loss of complexity in the final third of the race. This perspective naturally leads to "training by feel", in which athletes learn to couple internal sensations and external constraints, using perception of effort and movement fluency as real-time sensors of system integration rather than relying exclusively on pace or heart rate zones. Finally, I will discuss the implications of this systems approach for assessment and training design: moving from fixed thresholds to individualized "system profiles", integrating variability-based metrics, and bridging biomechanics, physiology, and cognition to support both performance and long-term health.

Speaker B

Dominique Pioletti

EPFL, Laboratory of Biomechanical Orthopedics

Switzerland

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ECSS Rimini 2025: IS-AP01

Multimodal Sensing and Data Fusion: Capturing the Couplings that Matter

In this talk, we will present a technical development toward an integrated, field-ready platform designed to capture the mechanical, physiological, and metabolic couplings that underpin human performance. The system is built around a novel clip-on intra-oral device anchored to the teeth, providing a stable and minimally invasive sensing interface. Our goal is to unify three key domains: training, recovery, and nutrition within one multimodal framework. During training, the device quantifies multi-axis head stability and jaw-clenching force as indicators of movement quality, stress, and airway function. In parallel, intra-oral air sensors capture ventilatory and metabolic parameters, while embedded PPG technology derives cardiorespiratory metrics (HR, HRV, SpO₂). Together, these signals may reveal meaningful coordination between head mechanics, breathing, and gas exchange and can ultimately improve performance output. For recovery, the same platform is being developed to extract high-fidelity sleep metrics comparable to those obtained through polysomnography, enabling connections between daily load and recovery dynamics. By combining these data streams, our approach aims to create a coherent, sensor-fusion ecosystem that quantifies performance in an integrative, ecologically valid manner. This ongoing work seeks to bridge laboratory precision with field applicability, advancing the science and practice of holistic athlete monitoring.

Speaker C

Ben Jones

Leeds Beckett University, Sport Science

United Kingdom

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ECSS Rimini 2025: IS-AP01

Translating Complexity into Practice: From Insight to Intervention

Ben Jones will share real-world examples of how complex information has been translated into policy and practice in sport. Over the past decade, sports science research outputs have grown rapidly, fuelled by advances in technology and the unprecedented availability of data. Yet a gap remains between research, policy, and practice. This talk will explores how embracing the complexity of sport can bridge this divide, transforming evidence into action that enhances performance and welfare. Case studies include developing minimum performance standards for technologies through validation studies, league-wide data programmes that informed player load guidelines, and research that shaped global public health policies during COVID-19. The talk also examines how evidence led to the reduction in legal tackle height in rugby league to improve player safety, and how data-driven talent identification systems reflecting the nonlinear nature of athlete development have been adopted. Together, these examples demonstrate how embracing complexity fosters adaptive, evidence-based practice, ensuring that sport science can transform performance, sports policy, and player welfare.