Using GPS to understand HOW someone moves, not just where they move through SpeedSig with Jason Weber

·1 hr 7 min·5 clips

A player cleared to play after running 80% speed was actually galloping, leading to a massive hamstring strain.

This episode of the Pacey Performance Podcast features host Rob Pacey in conversation with Jason Webber, CEO and founder of SpeedSig. Webber has appeared on the podcast twice before, and this marks his third appearance. The episode opens with Pacey recounting his enthusiasm after their first interview and noting Webber's career shift from high-performance manager in AFL and A-League soccer to leading his own analytics company. Webber explains that SpeedSig uses teams' existing GPS units (like Catapult or STATSports) to extract biomechanical data, such as vertical, anterior, posterior, and medial-lateral forces, as well as hip lock and thigh angular velocity. He emphasizes that this approach helps understand how athletes run, not just how far they run, addressing injury prevention and performance optimization. Webber shares the origin story of SpeedSig, stemming from his frustration with traditional monitoring during his time at Fremantle in the AFL, particularly citing the case of player Michael Barlow, whose running mechanics were overlooked post-injury. He details how he learned to code to extract raw GPS data, leading to a PhD and published validity studies in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. The discussion touches on data privacy concerns, with Webber highlighting GDPR compliance and SpeedSig's focus on athlete data security and portability. Webber contrasts SpeedSig with computer vision and AI solutions, noting its scalability for team sports and statistical modeling based on large datasets. He mentions collaborations with practitioners like Zach Higginbotham at Cal Berkeley and Terence Cannell at the University of South Florida. In the latter part, Pacey asks Webber what he would change if he returned to a high-performance manager role; Webber admits he overcomplicated data communication in his past roles and would now prioritize simplicity. He also stresses the importance of transferable skills, like coding, for career resilience in sports performance. The episode concludes with Webber inviting listeners to connect via SpeedSig's website for consultations.

As heard by us

A grounded look at how GPS data can move from distance covered to a clearer picture of how people run.

GPS can tell a performance team how far an athlete has run. Jason Webber, CEO and founder of SpeedSig, is more interested in what sits inside that distance: the shape, quality, and meaning of the movement itself.

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Why you'd press play

You want GPS to explain how people run, not just how far they run.

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