How to improve sports performance using technologies?
Athletes spend thousands of hours into training every year intending to improve their performance. The training helps to build strength, enhance endurance and skill level which eventually translates into better performance. Recently, technology is helping coaches and athletes to improve their training approach by providing cutting edge movement tracking and analysis tools.
One such example is video analysis in sport. Video analysis is used in a wide range of sports like swimming, football, and track events. They help coaches to observe every movement of the individual athletes and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. Video analysis is sometimes also integrated with smart analytics to draw up an enhanced training plan. This makes tasks easier and training more specific for the coach.
Similarly, several such technology innovations provide the functionality to monitor the health, sleeping patterns, and potential causes of injuries for the athletes. In this post, we will discuss 5 technologies that can help to improve sports performance.
1) Data Analytics
Evaluating the performance of athletes is possible because of data. Coaches can track even a 0.001% improvement in performance as analytics is done based on hundreds of parameters and millions of data points gathered from the athletes. Wearables and sensors worn by the athletes collect real-time data from athletes and feed them into a sports training software.
Studying this data helps coaches to understand where there is potential for improvement and also reduce the chances of stress and injury. Coaches can also work on individual parameters of the athlete to promote marginal improvements in performance.
2) Sports Nutrition
Well-balanced food intake is important to provide athletes with a high source of energy. An optimal amount of proteins, carbs, fats, and amino acids in their diet is necessary to fuel their performance. Technology is helping coaches to better customize the athlete’s nutrition plan by providing a diet rich in macronutrients.
Technology is also helping to create supplements that enhance athlete performance. For example, ketone a chemical naturally secreted by the liver provides a more efficient source of energy than carbohydrates. Ketone breaks down fat and preserves skeletal muscle. Scientists have been able to create ketone drinks to fuel this energy synthesizing chemical into the athlete’s body, thereby enhancing their energy-generating potential.
3) Real-time performance tracking
Video technology has enabled coaches to track athlete movements from multiple angles. This allows them to analyze specific motions of the athletes and make alterations to improve performance. Video technology also helps athletes become more aware of their physiology, fitness, and aerodynamic movements. They can see themselves from different angles and better understand the areas they need to work into.
The introduction of VR training in sports can help simulate on-field situations. VR can give a better vision of the sports environment, anticipated actions from competitors, and improve their techniques. It also allows athletes to respond to diverse events without having to step out in the field. VR systems can also be used to measure the emotional and physical attributes of the athletes.
4) Reducing Injuries
Training management software collates information about the training hours, diet, energy sleep, etc. of athletes. This helps coaches to define optimum practice levels for individual athletes. Sports genetics, a method of exploring how genes influence athletic performance is also helping coaches design an ideal workout plan for the athlete.
All these technologies help to minimize injuries from fatigue and self-propagated activities. Any injury, even of a minor nature can lead to significant mental and physical disturbance that can impact the confidence and motivation of athletes. Reducing injuries and strain is also one of the most important parts of sports training to ensure consistency in the long-term performance of the athletes. The above benefits will result in the global sports management software market to reach $9.29 billion by 2024.
5) Hydrodynamics
Hydrodynamics is the branch of study that involves reducing resistance in the water. For those whose sports involve spending time in water hydrodynamics tracking technology is proving to be a gamechanger in elevating athletic performance. Coaches can analyze hand and leg motions with precision to determine how they can further reduce resistance to improve the athlete’s speed.
Recent advancements in technology have also enabled companies to create swimming costumes that have been manufactured from specialized materials. These materials are light and create significantly less resistance than materials that were conventionally used, helping them to improve performance.
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