Soccer players wear what appears to be a sports bra, but is actually a sports vest designed to store GPS trackers. These vests are adjusted to ensure the capsule that collects data is placed on the back of the vest, and can monitor player performance. The GPS monitors help record heart rate, calorie burn and energy production during practice or games. The portable chest vest is ten times more accurate than the normal portable watch, and is important for coaches to know if their team is training optimally to perform on game day, or if they are at potential risk of injury.
The application and device detail the speed, sprint, distance, power, intensity and positioning data using heat maps. The first reason soccer players wear sports vests is that they are not allowed to wear anything else on the field of play. The second reason is that the portable chest vest is ten times more accurate than the normal portable watch. This data is displayed in an application for athletes, sports scientists, physical therapists, strength and fitness trainers and anyone else related to the sport.
Team managers and coaches collect this data to know precisely how far and how fast players have run during training and during games. The tracker connects directly to the player and all data is measured on a smartphone instead of a computer. Coaches can also track a heat map where the injury occurred on the field of play or where the player is more likely to be less explosive as the match continues. Women's soccer players benefit so much from a sports bra that one researcher compared them, in importance, to wearing the right shoes. Sports vests help soccer players stay healthy and productive by providing accurate data for coaches and team managers. This data helps them know if their team is training optimally to perform on game day, or if they are at potential risk of injury.
Women's soccer players benefit from wearing a sports bra for support, while men's soccer players don't seem to need that support.
