Technological advancements made in the field of Sports have been immense. The advancements have been really been taken up a lot more in the past decade, something which has further enhanced their usage in the industry. The usage, at both the amateur level and at the professional level, has increased. Results of which have been pivotal in the development of the athlete. In the past, sports training required extensive paperwork and post-practice effort from both the trainer and the athlete. The system worked but was grueling and the room for error within the data was perhaps high. Advanced technology has become smaller, more resilient, and less burdensome over recent years, paving the way for new opportunities. Now athletes wear sensors that convey real-time information to a trainer’s tablet, GPS accurately pinpoints motion, smartphones keep everyone current and wearable tech can prevent injuries.
The technology and the advancements have been crucial both at the youth level and at the professional level. The immediate results though differ at both levels. The youth level remains more about the basics, the overall technique and the overall growth of the individual. Be it improving the physical condition of a young Athlete, perfecting skills, and sharpening techniques, technology has made it all relatively easy. Sensors with GPS tracking ability which can be placed on the body or in some modern form of clothing can measure and track performance in real time. Measurements that could include metrics such as breathing, heart rate, to hydration and temperature. Metrics that can help the trainer determine what aspects each youngster might need to focus on more to get ready for the bigger levels.
Each Athlete is unique and real-time individual performance measurements can set a more precise and accurate reference level. Video analysis is another major component of Athlete development in this day and age in the industry. Video data is available in abundance for a lot of Sports, something that can be used to teach and affect the development of a young athlete or a professional looking to make an impact. To bolster education through watching a film or discussing plays, athletes and trainers can upload and watch the necessary videos during practice or on their own time. Batting stance, grip holding techniques can be very effective for budding Batsman in Cricket. Similarly, wrist positioning, run-up routines, bowling rhythms can be effected amongst young bowlers.
Technology and its usage at the professional level is a different ball-game altogether. With the level of competitiveness and fight that comes at the topmost level, technology needs to re-invent and perfect itself at every given opportunity. The room for use of technology is massive at the higher levels be it for the betterment of the Athletes/ teams, the betterment of the officials involved in the sport or the sport as a whole. All of this is possible with the huge finances that are involved in the industry nowadays.
The goal-line technology currently deployed in Football is something that can truly be called revolutionizing. The referees wear watches which helps them in knowing whether the entire of the ball has gone past the goal-line. This information is transmitted within one second, which ensures an immediate response from the referee and that there are no stoppages or other forms of interference in the game. The technology not only gives a fair on-field result but also is not too interfering with the running game. Setting a proper reference as to what technology in sport should exactly do.
More recently, with the development of software with respect to specific sports, the scope for tactics and strategies has evolved further. Softwares through which training sessions can be organized, coaches can dissect opponents strategies and weaknesses and prepare accordingly. Statistics have played an important role too, these softwares use various degrees of statistics to compile specific plans for each opponent. Softwares are now good to go from an athlete point of view as well. Professional athletes need rigorous and planned methodologies prepared for major events. Training management software can assist coaches and trainers in monitoring all aspects of training: diet, energy, sleep, etc. When coaches and trainers can define individual practice for optimum results, they are preventing fatigue and self-created injuries.
Taking the example of Cricket, a sport where technology has been a key component over the last decade or so. Much of the technological involvement has been with regards to enhancement with the decision making within the sports. However, advances have also been made regarding to athlete improvement as well. Hawk-Eye has a simulator that helps both amateur and professional athletes refine their game. The simulator creates a real-feeling situation, showing bowl speed, batting speed, as well as how many overs have been played. This helps the athlete get a true feeling for how intense the match can be. Aimed in the beginning toward helping students and county-level athletes get better, PitchVision also offers athletes and coaches a way to gather data, or analytics, on such things as how fast bowlers are bowling or, for batsmen, seeing a virtual view of their aerial and ground shots. This is perfect for training sessions, giving athletes and coaches a chance to review and share video instantaneously via the internet. With the amount of money now being brought into the industry, we could see technology advancing further, something which might enable the future to maybe see injury-free athletics.
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