In recent years, technology is becoming an essential part of success in sport. Sport science is changing the way sport is played and Global Positioning System (GPS) technology is at the heart of this change. GPS technology wasn’t originally designed for sport, but has been growing in popularity in recent years. They are wearable devices which track athletes positions and movement patterns. At the beginning, more professional teams were adopting the technology, with the Australian Football League and professional soccer being among the first to incorporate the technology into their regime. However, more and more teams and organisations are seeing the benefits of these devices, and now it is unusual for teams not to have them!
As mentioned, a wide range of sports now incorporate GPS to enhance athletic performance, with the technology being very prominent in team sports, such as GAA. Although an expensive investment for teams, its benefits outweigh the expense. The technology can provide coaches and athletes with extra information and insights which they can use to design training programmes. It is also used for assessing performance during games, by assessing work-rate by looking at metrics such as total distance covered, total sprint distance and top speeds to name a few, with different brand of GPS technology offering numerous different metrics. Playertek is becoming the brand of choice for many GAA teams as of recent. For more information on this brand visit their website: https://www.playertek.com/gb/
One of the most valuable uses of GPS technology and the information gathered for teams, is the ability to detect fatigue of players. Workload of athletes can be monitored by the sports scientist and the coach in training and in games, which is an important measurement in the prevention of injuries in players. This is very valuable information, as time spent on the bench due to injury is not something the player or the coach wants! Research has grown exponentially in this area, as anything that can reduce or predict injury, and can look out for player welfare should be central to the team or organisation, as their players are their tools! GPS technology measures external training loads, independently to internal training loads, such as heart rate. Research has found the importance of a multi-dimensional approach when it comes to injury and monitoring workloads, incorporating both GPS data, and internal measures for the best outcome in injury reduction. For a more detailed explanation of this, click the link to examine some recent research in the area: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316641686_Monitoring_Athlete_Training_Loads_Consensus_Statement
Although excellent technology, and a very valuable tool for sport scientists, coaches and athletes, we must remember that it is a combination of variables which lead to success in sport. Often, teams can get very caught up in the metrics from GPS devices, and forget the fundamentals of the sport. GPS wasn’t always available and teams managed then! Articles focusing on the GAA and its heavy reliance on GPS have been published in recent weeks, with caution being urged. One such article was published in the Irish Times this weeks and can be found here: https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/over-emphasis-on-technology-affecting-sport-at-all-levels-conference-hears-1.4101256
Also, to conclude, GPS technology, to have any chance of being valuable, must be used correctly, and not the way Mayo have used it in the past; As a weapon!
Emma's Blog 