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The rise of the super coach: How technology is changing sport

From digital coaching sessions to post-play assessment, we look at online apps and tools helping make training and gameplay a seamless experience.

In today’s connected world, the use of technology is making a significant impact on the way many sports are played, watched, and analysed.

Technology is providing access to new and in-depth feedback, offering fresh perspectives for coaches, allowing them to improve traditional training regimes and even create new ones tailored to specific players.

Thanks to this, athletes and sporting legends around the world have taken their fitness to the next level.

However, professionals aren’t the only ones who can benefit from high-tech aids to assist training sessions.

We look at ways technology can help anyone - from everyday Aussies to professional coaches - to get the most out of their training.

Assisted coaching

Professional coaches and aspiring sport stars can now connect with each other, thanks to the availablity of a number of digital tools.

From guided training sessions to post-play assessment, these apps and websites and helping make learning and gameplay a seamless experience.

Complete League Coach

Photo courtesy: Complete League Coach

For coaches and players to train like their NRL sporting heroes, Complete League Coach is an easy-to-use digital and mobile platform on iOS and Android, that can help you make the most out of training sessions.

Coaches and players can log in to find over 350 skills, drills and plays, all with instructional video, as well as over 270 ready-made sessions*.

The Match Tracker function allows the coach to record game comments, scores, and statistics, then report findings back to the players to help target areas of improvement for the next training session.

Players can replay game and training videos on their phone or computer, allowing them to review their performance in person and identify areas for improvement. Not only does this save time for the coach, it motivates the players to improve their skills more rapidly. 

Hudl Technique

Hudl Technique, is another great app to use on iOS and Android devices for performance analysis.

With key features like slow-motion playback, athletes and coaches will be able to decipher areas of improvement, with the ability to make notes directly on a video before sharing.

There is also an online community where feedback can be sourced from other users worldwide, further enhancing the feedback.

Soccer Dad

Photo courtesy: iTunes

For the weekend coaches, apps like Soccer Dad are the perfect tool to manage teams. In one simple app, available on iPhone and iPad, you can manage teams, create schedules for games and training, manage on-field rotations, and “illustrate animated plays and drills.”

Helping your young team improve is just as easy – Soccer Dad also can provide player and team statistics both during and after the game so you can see where the areas of improvement are.

Brad Fittler, former rugby league footballer and NRL legend, commissioned by nbn says the use of technology in sports training, coaching, and matches has drastically shifted the way Aussies analyse and consume sport.

“Technology has certainly redefined the landscape of sports we all know and love. From downloading the same training drills and exercises as players, to examining their every move on the field, the access to sports via fast broadband has never been so extensive.”

Sports fans can get closer to the action with access to countless educational and instructional videos from YouTube and other streaming services. Thanks to instructional videos featuring functional drills and exercises, to strength and conditioning training sessions, anyone can improve their abilities for greater performance on and off the field. 

Fitness

Photo: iStock

Some professional coaches now have access to 3D motion capture and analysis systems that can track, trace, and assess every moving muscle.

Technology used by the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) uses eight cameras to capture movement at up to 1000 frames per second, and reports accurate biomechanical feedback of human movement, including heart and respiratory rate.

This allows coaches a far clearer image of what’s happening with an athlete’s body – inside and out.

Ralli

When it comes to group fitness, look no further than Ralli, available on Android.

In one place, weekly training goals can be set and team progress monitored. Strengths can be identified both collectively and individually, which also shapes areas of improvement for each player.

By being able to monitor as a team, each individual athlete is able to see how they compare to their team mates, while being able to focus on what they need to improve.

NRL legend Wally Lewis says innovative technologies are more accessible than ever before; Aussies can now improve their skills from anywhere, at any time.

“It’s incredible to see sports fans, young and old, get involved and embrace new ways to get closer to the action. From video streaming to connected tests that assess every moving muscle, both coaches and players can get a better understanding of their strengths and areas of improvement.”

Technology and the use of fast broadband speeds have had a profound impact on the sporting industry.

Training processes have become more comprehensive and targeted, while consumers can closely monitor their own strengths and abilities in order to become the best they can be. 

Special series: Check out the nbn™ Connected Coaching Clinic to find out how budding sport stars are kicking future goals, thanks to connectivity.




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