Important: the device is very smart, so, it can detect if you are playing a game and for how long you are playing. The reason why I want to mention this, is because I thought if I wear the playermaker for the warm-up, it will collect all the data together. That is wrong, it can detect your movements during a game and is very accurate. In addition to that, it will tell you how often you used your left and right foot. That is very important to know because an elite athlete uses both foots. Even though, one foot will always be dominant, it helps you to get aware of your foot balance, so that you can improve it. Wrist-based devices such as the Apple Watch, Fitbit, or WHOOP would almost certainly be disallowed by an attentive referee during a match; for the same reason, such devices pose a risk to teammates during training and should be avoided. With the PlayerMaker largely out of the way on the outside of the ankle, this is the best possible location for safety and to measure stride and striking data. Indeed, PlayerMaker informed me that their device has been accepted into the FIFA Innovation Program as the first instance of wearable technology. Here is a sizing guide for the Smartvest, measure the length around the biggest part of the player’s chest and use the guide to choose. If a player is in between two sizes PLAYR recommends choosing the smaller one because a tight fit is preferred over a loose fit. The PLAYR SmartPod contains multiple sensors in addition to the GPS that capture a lot of data about your soccer player. According to Catapult it stores about 1250 data points per second including:

We wanted to find a way to reach any athlete, in any sport, at any age, and provide them with insights or information that can help them to make smarter decisions," he tells me in an interview. The app also saves your previous sessions so you can see how you’re improving over time. You can also use the previous information as a benchmark to beat the next time you’re playing. Insights and Advice It’s best to charge it the night before a game but if you forget you could always plug it in the car on the way. If the game is 20-30 away and you usually get there 30 minutes before it starts you could probably put on enough of a charge to get in a game – however Catapult does recommend fully recharging it before use once the battery is dead. Reviewing the data in the app is easy but requires internet access... unless copied into a spreadsheet. The truth is that Playermaker is a pricey piece of sports technology, but I think it has a lot to show for itself.These include the provision of context of why certain skills matter and for what, position-specific instructions, as well as training exercises which can be practiced individually or with other players. In this review, I’ll do a deep dive into the specifics and capabilities of this latest soccer tech.

I also waited a long time to do this review because I was still hoping with the next software update, they would work better. Data collection is easy. PlayerMaker and CityPlay collect slightly different data points such as acceleration/deceleration versus turns respectively.

Jorgina Busquets, Managing Director – Football Education and Recreation, City Football Group, said: “We’re delighted to launch CITYPLAY in collaboration with Playermaker today. Given the custom nature of the advice the app offers Catapult recommends syncing the device with the app right after a match or practice so it can provide up to date recovery information. Our expectations are being met. The CityPlay data revealed: areas below benchmark that can be monitored and improved; and, areas above benchmark that she can feel good about. Guy Aharon, a former Israeli Navy officer and CEO of Playermaker, says this was always the goal of the business he co-founded in 2014 after seeing data become more important in sports. The benchmark metrics are very useful for goal setting. Some benchmark metrics differ slightly between PlayerMaker and CityPlay.

I know all too well how products get hyped up but are just as, if not less, functional than market competitor products. This can be a beneficial way of monitoring how a player is doing and potentially advising them on how they can improve or be more effective while the game is still underway. Heart Rate Monitoring Guy Aharon, CEO of Playermaker said: “CITYPLAY is a significant milestone in our long-term mission to allow equal opportunities in the game for all players with the use of advanced technology for player evaluation.In this article, I want to show you what I believe are the best two options. I’ll describe their pros and cons and help you make the best decision for you.

As you can see, PLAYR provides a wide range of metrics to assess a player’s performance. These include;Keep in mind that all metrics would be expected to demonstrate improvement over time, especially if starting with younger ages. There is perhaps a decreased need for monitoring a more developed player, which is why I would begin using this sensor with players who are old enough to manage the application but also young enough to benefit from and be motivated by the results.