The All-New Playing Field

Ruwandi Perera considers how digitalisation has changed exercise forever

While the pandemic has affected our lives in so many ways, how about its impact on sports? Have we normalised remote playing and sports training? Can we really learn how to run, play and shoot hoops using online learning?

Digital sports training might sound alien to those of us who can’t separate the sport from the field or the game from the coach. But it’s been happening for some time and athletes have begun to appreciate the silver lining.

The fundamental concept behind digital sports is digitalised performance tracking. Whilst empowering sportspersons to monitor, track and improve their performance, it also helps them train smarter – with the added ability to learn from their mistakes.

For instance, if you’re playing basketball on your own, digital trackers will record all your misses, speeds and dribbling efficiency. You can then either upload the info and send it to your coach, or peruse your learning points and improve yourself.

To adapt to digital sports training, all that’s needed is for trainees to wear an activity tracker all the time so that the equipment tracks every game, movement and break. The built-in sensors and trackers are able to capture activities, and seamlessly synchronise them with their smartphones.

Going one step ahead, most of this specialised equipment will supply trainees with a dashboard that provides charts, graphs and figures on trends, insights and performance ratings. Most of these trackers are lightweight and almost undetectable; and with many being waterproof, perspiration will not interfere with the readings.

Cyclists wear heads-up display glasses that monitor their heart rate, speed, incline and calorie burning rate. With flawless information being tracked accurately, they can focus on points to improve and even make adjustments during their ride.

Baseball players use swing tracking systems where sensors placed on the knob of the bat capture swing motions to record performance.

When it comes to basketball, players can even opt to use a digital sports ball. Traditional in size, these balls contain tiny motion sensors that record information such as shooting percentages, distance from the hoop and so on.

Digital sports tracking devices perform well in the water too.

Swimmers and divers now use sensors to measure performance and monitor their body functions including oxygen usage to ensure that training is done safely with reduced risk. Some specialised water sport sensors even track rotational speed, dive angles and hydrodynamics that help divers understand what’s needed to perfect their movements underwater.

For professional athletes, using wearable tech is necessary to liaise with their trainers who will remain remote. The sensors will be linked to the trainer’s smartphone or tablet, pinpointing every motion and rest period – much like a whiteboard or clipboard used in the field.

Trainers can see their athletes perform and practise in real time, and work on improving critical performance points post-practice.

Digital sports performance trackers also help sportspersons reduce injuries by giving them a snapshot of how parts of their body perform during a workout. While highlighting risk areas, the technology can highlight their strengths and help increase athletes’ overall potential.

Some experts say that with the advancement of sports tracking gear and wearable tech, there can even be digital codes created for winning an Olympic gold medal.

With technology providing insights into the human body and its performance potential like never before, trainers and coaches can mould an athlete to reach the levels of movement required to win big.

Digital sports tracking gear offers athletes and coaches a unique view of the sport as well as the person’s individual performance. For team sports, this kind of revealing information really kicks things up several notches where team synergy, chemistry, partnerships, strength matching and even the probability of failure can be determined during practice sessions to ensure that everyone is in their best form.

For those training alone, these specialised digital trackers can also be linked to nutritional intake where sportspeople are able to track their daily diets in line with their practices, focussing on energy intake variations to align with the intensity of the practice routine.

Whether sports will revert to its pre-pandemic state isn’t known as yet. But one thing’s for sure – digital sports training has elevated the playing field and there’s no turning back.