Lately, there’s been an increase in male footballers wearing what looks like sports bras. While this may look like a sports bra, it is not. What is the sports bra clothing that footballers are wearing?
Footballers wear what looks to be a sports bra to hold a GPS-tracking device. These chest GPS monitors help track heart rate, calorie burning, and energy output throughout practice or games.
This article will break down why these male footballers wear sports bras and what these GPS monitors do.
Why Footballers Wear Sports Bras
It has nothing to do with what you think it has to. The sports bra is a chest vest for a GPS tracker.
Catapult Sports gives the trainer or team’s data scientists all the necessary numbers to track an athlete’s performance.
All the data points are collected rapidly, which helps analyze heart rate, explosion rate, and how much energy is exerted with each movement.
This is important because if a coach wants a player to move at a specific rate, they can be sure they exert more energy than they need.
Measures Energy Output
During the rehab process, players often need to be limited in how much energy they exert for the rehab process to go smoothly.
If the footballer needs only to run 1 mile during their workout, this vest will track the mileage and how much energy was exerted on the field.
Especially dealing with lower body energy, exertion, and maximum output is a common factor that trainers and physical therapists look for.
During rehab, athletes often want to get back on the field as fast as possible.
They will do whatever it takes and push the limit to return to the area.
For example, when Antonio Brown was injured during training camp, we saw that he was only supposed to work 75% on HBO’s Hard Knocks.
Players with a big-time motor and who don’t know how to slow down will always exert energy at 100%.
When rehabbing, limiting the explosion is essential so the wound, ligament, or bone has time to heal.
Catapult Sport’s vest allows coaches and trainers to manage this properly.
What Does The GPS Device Do Inside Of The Sports Bra?
The first and most obvious reason is that footballers aren’t allowed to wear anything during the field of play.
The second reason is that the wearable chest vest is ten times more accurate than the regular wearable watch. According to Ryan Warkins, director of Business Ops for Catapult:
“Most GPS watches only record at one hertz. So one time per second. If you think of what an elite athlete can do in one second, it’s pretty significant,” said Ryan Warkins, Director of Business Operations for Catapult, the company at the helm of this technology. Collecting data one time per second is inaccurate — especially when tracking superstar athletes like Thomas Müller or Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Catapult system tracks at 10Hz. “So you’re getting ten data points per second. You’re getting a much more refined system to increase the accuracy.”
As mentioned, superstar athletes can cut on a dime, explode out of their stance, and perform numerous actions in just one second.
Having the ability to capture data points at every movement is vitally important.
These data points are not only working throughout a match; they’re working to supply 10 data points per second.
You can track every step and explosive movement an athlete endures throughout a game.
Coaches and trainers can also track a heat map where the injury occurred on the field or where the player is more likely to be less explosive as the match continues.
All of these data points can be used to enhance a player’s game.
These sports bras also allow footballers to be more aware of the areas they need to improve on.
By seeing a heat map and individual data points, players can be more conscious of sprinting less in the first half and more in the second half.
These are all the injury prevention measures that coaches and trainers are taking.
Where Can I Purchase A Footballer GPS Sports Bra?
While the catapult and professional versions do cost a good amount of money for professional use, they offer an individual package.
We’ve found the catapult monitor and tracker on Amazon for relatively cheapmoney.
The tracker hooks directly up to the player (similar to the picture above), and the data are all measured on a smartphone rather than a computer.
The tracker works for both iOS and Android devices.
The app and wearable device can detail speed, sprint, distance, power, load & intensity data, and positioning via heat-maps—a full report on the athlete and every movement’s tracking.
Track every movement from your player with the GPS device available to fit all-sized players.
As science and data improve each year, it’s essential to ensure athletes utilize the proper technology to measure performance.
Catapult’s chest vest has revolutionized the athlete’s workload and will continue to improve their energy output.
Conclusion
Footballers aren’t wearing sports bras when they work out; they are wearing a tracking device that provides many data points for both teams’ data scientists and trainers.
Although it looks like a sports bra, the tracking vests help keep football players healthy and productive.
These vests provide a new wave of scientific research that helps athletes both rehab smarter and more efficiently. We often see these vests worn by professional players.
However, some vests can be purchased individually to help even younger athlete track their work output.
Data is everywhere, and when it’s used effectively, it can be a great tool to help athletes load and unload when it’s appropriate.
