Representative movement measurement in sport: gold standard measurement versus gold standard data

Newell's constraints-led model [1] suggests that boundaries or instructions (constraints) placed on the task, performer and environment affect the affordances (opportunities for action) of movement production. Therefore,
when measuring movement behaviour, the data recorded represents the interaction between the impose constraints in those experimental conditions. Here, using the theoretical framework of ecological dynamics (i.e., constraints-led model and representative design) we propose the idea of 'gold standard data', meaning data collected in an everyday sport environment with no interference to the typical constraints of the performer, environment or competitive/training task. We propose that a continuum exists between 'gold standard data' and 'gold standard measurements' (i.e. highly accurate systems that can measure kinematics with precision which are often used to validate other technologies [2, 3]); suggesting this continuum as a method to help movement scientists reflect on the measurement techniques used in research and applied practice (see Figure 1). Finally, we suggest the term 'co-operative data' to describe data collected during experiments that negotiate a balance between measurement precision and representative design.