Sportsmith × PlayerData | Top Five Most-Read Articles – February 2026

Each month, we partner with PlayerData to track what’s resonating most across the Sportsmith community. Real engagement from coaches, physios, and performance staff worldwide.

January’s top five reflect where applied practice is actually moving:

1. S&C programming for goalkeepers: Meeting position specific demands || Craig Musham

2. Monitoring and training for hip and groin health in-season || Edward Gannon

3.The growing importance of anticipating, managing, and developing high-speed actions in football || Tom Allen & Matt Taberner

4. Speed before “fitness”: Reordering preseason priorities in rugby union || Pierre Austruy

5. What are the most valuable tests for assessing hip and groin function and why? || Steve Short, Michael Giakoumis, Enda King, Michael Palladino, Edward Gannon, Patrick Pröller & Matthew DeLang

If you’re interested in performance data that actually informs decisions, check out PlayerData.