Beyond the Data: Key Insights from Elite Sports Scientists at the Benfica Congress

The Benfica Health & Performance Congress is a showcase of the world’s brightest minds in sports science. 

Hosted at the iconic Estádio da Luz Stadium, this vibrant two day event included keynote presentations and panel discussions featuring expert speakers from the likes of FC Barcelona, Atletico Mineiro and Rosenborg BK. 

A core theme that emerged from these discussions was: the critical need to bridge the gap between complex data and practical, on-field decisions.

As Platinum Sponsor, Hudl Signal reinforced its position as a central tool to provide a solution to this theme and the advancement of the human performance community. 

Read on for the key takeaways from the most talked-about presentations from the event.

Beyond Tracking: Defining GPS Metrics that Drive Decisions 

Effective athlete monitoring isn't about collecting the most data; it's about defining the right metrics that lead to actionable decisions.

Presented by Hugo Silva, PhD, this presentation was centered around the concept of moving away from the process of simply collecting tracking data and towards interpreting tracking metrics in a much deeper context.

With millions of data points collected for every player, during every game, how can you separate the irrelevant data points from the important? How do you separate the signal from the noise in terms of your GPS data?

In his presentation, Hugo answered these questions as well as the role of Hudl technology in collecting and contextualizing physical data metrics at the elite levels of football research.

Panel Discussion Insights: “From Practice to Practice” 

Elite clubs across different international environments face a shared challenge: successfully embedding sports science within their unique footballing cultures.

In the presentation, “From Practice to Practice: The New Role of Sports Science in Different International Elite Football Environments”, we had a diverse range of perspectives from our panel featuring:

Javier Espasa Labrador (FC Barcelona), who explained to us why Sports Scientists can’t ignore the traditions of sport.

Pedro Menezes PhD (Atlético Mineiro), who spoke on the challenges for training and recovery in football. Explaining to us that understanding how elite players deal with game overload requires an integration of science, context and daily training reality. 

João Francisco Almeida (Rosenborg BK), who provided his insight into injury risk management for decision making and high performance.

Some pertinent insights from this experienced panel were: How does a club's philosophy influence data application? How do scientists build trust with coaching staff? What are the practical steps to ensure lab insights translate to the training pitch?

The Practical Application: The Hudl Signal Booth

The concepts discussed in the presentations and sessions cover the theoretical side of the discussion. Combined with practical application, these concepts are being solved today using Hudl Signal technology.

Hudl Solutions Consultants were on hand at the Hudl Signal and WIMU booth to demonstrate how to turn complex GPS data into simple, impactful visualizations and reports.

The Hudl Signal Booth bridged the gap between the in-depth panel discussions and the streamlined practical solutions shown at our booth.

The need to adapt actionable metrics and the practical integration of science is critical to bridging the gap between complex data and practical, on-field decisions.

So many great insights were shared at this year’s Benfica Health & Performance Conference, but the conversation doesn't end here. 

Take the next step to translate these insights into a competitive advantage for your club.

You have the ideas.
We have the technology driven by science to help you implement them.
See how it works and book your Hudl Signal demo today