GPS Performance Trackers Part 2
In a past blog I have mentioned heart rate monitors and athlete monitoring GPS performance trackers. However, in this blog we are going to go through the GPS performance trackers in much more detail and give our opinion on which ones we feel work best.
Today, athlete monitoring GPS performance trackers are everywhere. It seems like one google search of the previously mentioned criteria and you get a kick back of almost 10-15 different brands. The hardest part for the athlete is to decide which one they want to invest in and get the best stats possible to enhance their training/match performances.
Let’s start with the background of what GPS trackers do, in both of simple metrics, and more detailed metrics. These trackers are able to accurately track an athlete’s location and movement in real time. They will have a GPS receiver in the unit that will communicate with satellites to determine an athlete’s exact location, and uses sensors, such as Inertial Movement Unit, Accelerometer, Gyroscope and Magnetometer that will help measure other metrics. In general, for fitness training and matches, they measure overall distance, max speed, sprints, max heart rate, and average heart rate. For the more detailed side of things, they will measure high speed running, high speed distance, sprint distance, time spent in different heart rate zones, accelerations, deaccelerations, training load, efficiency, work rate, strain. All of this information can be very overwhelming, especially when trying to break it down to understand it for becoming a fitter athlete on the field.
This is where in lies the problem sometimes with these devices or any sport science tech wearable. Numbers are just numbers until they are broken down and mean something to the athlete or the coach that is breaking that data down. Saying “I ran 9 miles or 12km” in a match with max heart rate reaching 202 bpm is very general when it comes to data breakdown. Each number or dissection of data must be broken down to/for the specific athlete not just for bettering their own training and matches but to also figure out if that training/match load is too much or not enough; understanding that as a coach can help fitness in the short and long term. Once the establishment of what the data is, how to interpret it, and how to utilize it best for matches/training the referee can then start to gain a better understanding of not just fitness but also the amount of recovery they need, and not just wearing it because it looks “cool.”
The trackers that will be discussed in this article will be ones that are readily available to most referees/athletes on a personal level; meaning you will buy one for yourself, or you buy one as part of a bigger group/team but you get to keep the devices and equipment when done. The advantage to this is saving money and being able to see your own data on your own time. The full team ones that have a minimum of 5, 10 or more to buy tends to get into a higher price range, and may need extra equipment, such as live tracking tablet, full charging case, local positioning device for triangular positioning accuracy.
I have been using GPS Trackers since 2017, when they started becoming more readily available for the individual athlete. The individual devices work great, and track anywhere from 10-20 data points/metrics when using them. Depending on the device you can also edit which metrics you would like the device to track. There will only be a certain amount that you will be able to track based upon what the device and software will allow or can handle. All of them will track overall distance, number of sprints, sprint distance, work rate, high intensity running distance, and efforts, accelerations, deaccelerations, etc. Not all use a heart rate monitor as part, but if you do you can opt in for those metrics as well; these include heart rate zone tracking, average heart rate, max heart rate, red zone percentage. All of these metrics are great, but as stated previously, what is most important is being able to interpret the data from each training or match and then re-apply that data into a program that will work on how to improve those trouble fitness areas that pop up on a match or training run. What is also important is being able to have the right software to easily understand what you are looking at and what it means.
Let’s start with some of the more well-known devices - probably the biggest one that is always on social media or advertised is StatSports. On their website StatSports claims their Apex Athlete Series is the “most advanced wearable tech on the market.” They also state they can help you track and analyze your game like the Pros. You upload each session to the StatSports Apex player app and it gives you feedback about your training session or match. It will track the Intensity level, strain, calories, overall distance, max speed, high speed running or hard running yardage, heat map, accelerations/decelerations, and if using a heart rate monitor, it will give the average and max along with red zone time. Also, after about 7 sessions you will get a pro score, which is your recent performances tracked and how to increase it over time; you then can compare your score to any pro player using StatSports and compare. You can also run the App on your phone and record a live session, so you can see numbers as you complete each set or rep of your workout, which is great to have as an option. I think the StatSports Apex Athlete series is a good device for someone who is just starting to get into tracking their data. It gives a great concept of comparing to professional players, however that may not work out so well when it comes to referee numbers, unless they start getting professional referees use their product and giving them a pro score.
From my personal experience with this particular device, I had some issues connecting my third-party heart rate sensor, sometimes it would connect, and then abruptly disconnect. I have heard that if you use their heart rate monitor that they sell with their device, there is fewer connectivity issues. The one thing, I feel that this company is missing in regard to this device is the data break down on the app and seeing how it looks in a graph/chart over the period of a match or run. However, they do offer higher-end devices and software for an increase in price and has a minimum number of units to order. However, at the end of this day, with this individual device I feel that it comes up a little short for myself, but I know others have used it and love it.
Next in line is Catapult One/Playertek Plus/Vector Series - ah yes! The well-known but still sometimes not a well known company. This company originated in Australia and did a lot of heavy athletes tracking in AFL; I highly recommend watching this sport as it has probably some of the most gifted, athletic athletes I have ever seen; it’s also exciting to watch. I had first seen and heard about Catapult when I started noticing these little bumps between the shoulder blades of PRO/MLS Referees while working a match; this is where I first gained an interest in Catapult and GPS Performance Tracking Devices. Depending on which model purchased, they all will give great data points to track, however each “level up” version will tend to track more and more which comes at a higher price point. Catapult One and Playertek Plus offer a up to 16-20 data metrics that can be measured in volume and intensity of a session or match, it will also give you a player load score, as a total training score between the volume and intensity, which is great to monitor rest, recovery, and injury prevention.
The Vector Series has 3 separate devices in this line - Vector Core, Vector Core Plus, and Vector Pro. All of these devices are top of the line state of the art tracking and incorporates heart rate data tracking into their devices. The Vector Core will track 11 live metrics and 43 post session metrics, where the Vector Core Plus will cover up to 200 live metrics and up to 1800 parameters post. The Vector Core and Core Plus will only track outdoor GPS metrics, while the Pro will have indoor and outdoor capabilities. The Vector Core data will be made available to upload via a dock into a cloud system for easy computer access use and login. While the Vector Core Plus and Pro will need to be a computer that is able to handle their OpenField Software as well as using a provided dock for upload. Also, the Core Plus and Pro also uses GPS and Local Positioning with their antenna receiver.
Now, the only issue with Catapult right now is that they are moving away from individual solutions/devices and focusing on teams or groups. For Catapult One devices, they have a minimum purchase of 10 units or more. For the vector line it is a minimum 5 or more. Each system also comes with a dock for downloading and syncing your devices/charging data. However, they do operate under a 3-year contract for these devices or longer. I have personally used the Vector line, and it is worth every penny when it comes to GPS Data tracking. It is my preferred device and company when it comes to tracking and customer service.
Next on our list is SPT - Sports Performance Tracking - they also originated as part of sports teams GPS performance tracking in Australia. In 2015, when Sports Performance Tracking (SPT) launched its GPS tracking solutions. Teams and individuals at all levels had access to a platform and monitor, to track and manage physical output, at a much lower price point then what was currently on the market at that time. SPT has built GPS tracking solutions designed to tackle outdoor sports such as football, rugby and soccer. Their platform has been simplified so that coaches and individuals can easily understand speed, endurance, injury prevention, and training load. SPT now has customers in over 100 different countries
SPT is one of the smallest, thinnest, and lightest GPS tracking devices on the market today. It comes with two different options in terms of vests - with a heart rate monitor and without. The company has paired with Wahoo for the heart rate data monitoring, that connects into a pocket on the backside of a special vest and works with the tracking device simultaneously. The special heart rate vest has two sensors that sit on the front the vest that will take a reading from chest/heart of the athlete, which eliminates the need for wearing a separate heart rate monitor strap, and then trying to piece the data together later on two separate platforms, which can be tricky to do. The other vest doesn’t include a heart rate device, but still works very well and is comfortable. The SPT software named “GameTraka” is an excellent platform that collects and breaks down your sessions data. It will collect - distance zones, hard running distance, sprint distance, heart-rate zones, top speed, average/max heart rate, overall distance, hard running efforts, sprint efforts, work rate, heart rate time in red zone (zone 5), 2D load, 3D load, acute-to-chronic work load score, and total amount of impacts. What I also love about their software is that it provides each user a user-friendly experience to learn how to understand what each data point means to each athlete.
From my personal experience with this device, it works very well in terms of data tracking and software for data analysis. However, I did run into some issues with the reliability of the heart rate monitor when it came to accurate readings on the special vest unit. But overall, this product and company provides great individual solutions for referees/athletes, meaning you don’t have to buy a minimum of 5 or 10 if you are just one person. I feel SPT is a solid choice for the individual looking to get the most out of their data and is new to the GPS performance tracking game.
Next is McCloyd; which has now changed to Fiyrpod here in the US. Fiyrpod can be bought as an individual solution or a team solution depending on how many units you would like. They offer just about the same measurements and capabilities of all the other devices previously listed. They do live-streaming for sessions through their app on a phone or you can download the session post training session to get all the numbers. The software they use is entitled 1Tul. 1Tul was designed to be a one stop fits all software, where you can upload training sessions for athletes, upload data from your device, analyze the data, upload videos, and much more. The vest that is provided is great fitting and very comfortable. They are currently still trying to incorporate extra data analytics into the device and software as well as adding heart rate data. I have personally used Fiyrpod and the device is excellent as well as the 1Tul Software for data collection. For the device and software, they operate on a monthly payment subscription based which works out well for monthly budgeting purposes and can cancel at any time. I love this option for an individual solution for referees, it provides real time feedback, and the software is great, especially if you are just starting off.
Overall, these devices can provide a extreme wealth of data for each referee. However, how the data is collected and interpreted is up to each individual, as per which device they purchase and how much knowledge they have. Breaking down my list of previously listed GPS Performance Tracking devices, I would rank them in this order based upon reliability/amount of data collected, ease of use, software, and customer service.
1.) Catapult Sports
2.) SPT - Sport Performance Tracking
3.) StatSports/Fiyrpod
Now, this is just my own listing based upon my experience with these devices, these numbers can change based upon other individuals and their experiences.