Overview
Duration: 10 Weeks
Location: Campus or Online
Want to take your coaching to the next level? The Performance Analysis Short Course is designed for fitness instructors, personal trainers, and sports coaches who already have a solid foundation—but want to sharpen their edge.
Whether working at school or club level, with athletes on the field, in the gym, or on the court, this course shows you how to see what others miss. You’ll learn how to capture, break down, and interpret performance using video analysis and data tools, helping you make smarter coaching decisions, track real progress, and give meaningful feedback.
This isn’t just theory—you’ll get hands-on with software used in modern sport environments, explore real examples from elite sports, and gain skills that make an immediate difference to your practice.
If you’re serious about helping athletes reach their potential, this course gives you the tools to coach with clarity, confidence, and insight.
Accreditation
This is a non-accredited short course designed to enhance your existing coaching or fitness qualification. While it does not carry formal accreditation, it is built to industry-relevant standards and includes applied assessments throughout. Students who meet all the assessment requirements will receive a certificate of achievement, confirming their successful completion of the course.
The course is delivered in a flexible format—fully online with practical support, and optional workshops or seminars may be offered at selected campuses.
Aim of the course
This short course equips you with practical tools and insights to become a more effective, informed coach. By the end, you’ll know how to:
- Understand what performance analysis really is—and how it can boost athlete and team outcomes
- Use video and software tools to break down technical and tactical performance
- Track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and build athlete performance profiles
- Capture and manage performance data using video, wearable sensors, and software
- Spot patterns and trends in game play with notational, tactical, and time-motion analysis
- Evaluate mental and emotional factors that influence athlete performance
- Make sense of data with simple statistical tools and clear visual summaries, and learn to build a stats dashboard
- Give meaningful feedback through performance clips, reports, and live coaching cues
No fluff—just the practical skills to help your athletes grow and your coaching stand out.
Course content
1. Introduction to Performance Analysis
Lay the foundation for understanding how performance analysis supports better coaching decisions, enhances athlete development, and improves outcomes.
- What is Performance Analysis?
Understand the role of performance analysis in modern sport, including how it is used across different levels and sporting contexts. - Introduction to Performance Analysis Software
Get familiar with tools and platforms (e.g., EncodePro and Nacsport basic) used for video tagging, data tracking, and analysis. Explore real examples from sport. - Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Learn how to identify, define, and track sport-specific KPIs to measure athlete and team performance over time. - Performance Profiling
Explore how to assess athlete strengths and weaknesses through profiling tools, and use the results to guide goal setting and targeted coaching.
2. Video Acquisition and Performance Analysis
Develop hands-on skills to capture, break down, and interpret performance using video and supporting tools.
- Data Collection Methods
Learn how to collect relevant performance data through video recordings, wearable sensors, observation, and assessment protocols. - Notational Analysis and Game Statistics
Understand how to track actions and events using coding techniques. Learn to translate raw game data into meaningful insights. - Tactical Performance Analysis
Identify team structures, movement patterns, and decision-making processes. Analyze transitions, defensive setups, and attacking play using video footage. - Technical (Skill) Performance Analysis
Assess individual technical skills—such as passing, striking, or jumping—by breaking down movement execution, accuracy, and timing. - Physiological Performance Analysis (Time-Motion Analysis)
Use video to assess physical demands, including work-to-rest ratios, movement intensity, and distance covered, without needing expensive GPS tech. - Psychological Performance Analysis
Learn how to evaluate psychological indicators (e.g., focus, pressure response) using observation and video cues. Understand their influence on performance.
3. Data Management
Gain the skills to organize, interpret, and communicate performance data effectively.
- Data Export and Analysis
Learn to manage raw and tagged data, organize performance files, and analyze trends using basic statistical tools. Build dashboards or summaries to guide coaching. - Feedback and Communication of Analysis Results
Translate data into clear, actionable feedback. Learn how to present video clips, visual reports, and coaching cues in a way athletes and teams can use immediately.
Admission criteria
You need to have successfully completed Grade 12 and achieved your National Senior Certificate with a minimum overall pass rate of 30-39%.
Campuses offering this programme
Bloemfontein
Cape Town
Durban
East London
George
Pretoria
Johannesburg
Stellenbosch
Port Elizabeth
Also offered via Distance Learning
Where can this take you?
After completing this course, you’ll be able to bring professional-level performance analysis into your current role as a:
- Sport coach (School or Club level)
- Personal trainer or strength coach
- Conditioning coach
- Team manager or analyst assistant
- Youth development coach
You’ll be better equipped to work with athletes, guide improvements, and even support higher-level teams with video-based analysis and data feedback.
This course can also be a stepping stone if you’re considering further studies in coaching science, sport technology, or performance analysis.
