Analytics and quantified action are the biggest developments in health and fitness tracking in the last decade, giving birth to a whole new field of wearable tech that allows users to accurately measure distance, time, speed, calories burned, and a wide range of other metrics. By applying data sorting techniques to the information gathered by these tools, it’s possible to gain detailed and highly actionable insights into almost every variable of the training process.
A new solution, however, has taken wearable analytics tech to the next level and brought it to the field. Designed solely for the purpose of tracking, quantifying, and measuring every aspect of the professional football game, Playertek is a revolutionary new platform that is delivering previously unseen levels of insight into the best way for players to improve their performance, game, and training techniques.
Offering a massive amount of data gathered from a range of biometric, GPS, and movement sensors, the Playertek platform is the most advanced piece of sports technology in the last decade, and is set to redefine the way professional players train. In this article, we’ll check out the Playertek solution and find out what it does, how it works, and how accurate it is to help you decide whether it’s the right solution for you.
What is Playertek?
Playertek consists of a wearable GPS tracker and sensor suite that is paired to a compatible smartphone via a dedicated app. The Playertek platform uses a variety of different sensor techniques to track every variable possible during both game performance and training to generate a comprehensive top-level picture of the way in which a player moves, how much distance they cover, their top speed, their average sprint distance, and their total number of sprints, in addition to a broad spectrum of other metrics.
The Playertek solution is based around the Playertek Pod, which houses all of the necessary sensors and tech, which attaches to the Playertek vest. The pod is extremely small and lightweight, while remaining rugged and sturdy, able to stand up to the rigors imposed by a professional game. All of the data gathered by the Playertek Pod can be viewed and interpreted on the Playertek app, which is provided free of charge with earth Playertek platform.
Design & Construction
The Playertek Pod houses a powerful array of cutting edge tracking sensor technology with which the attached app collects data. Each Playertek Pod contains a 10Hz GPS that provides a high degree of locational accuracy with minimal battery impact, able to track the player to a high resolution across the field to generate comprehensive movement maps.
The Pod also contains a Tri-Axial Accelerometer that gathers a second level of movement information, gathering 400Hz data compressed to a 100Hz stream for speed and storage efficiency. The powerful 500mAh rechargeable battery of the Playertek Pod can operate the entire sensor suite for a massive 7 hours of operation, with an incredibly long battery shelf life- the unit can be charged on a Monday and still retain enough charge for a full training session and game on the following Saturday.
The 8GB onboard storage of the Playertek Pod can retain more than 1,250 hours of football data, and with the low-energy bluetooth capacity, there’s no concern of burning out the battery of either the paired smartphone or the device itself while connected. The only small drawback of the device is that it can’t be used indoors- the high accuracy GPS of the Playertek Pod only operates outside.
Playertek Features & Functionality
The analytics insights created by the Playertek platform simply can’t be found elsewhere. The Playertek system assists in tactics development by using highly accurate heat maps that are procedurally generated from the positional GPS data gathered by the Pod, allowing coaches and players to see how the position of the player changed during the game and how consistent each play is with the overall game plan.
The Playertek system is also able to compare the results of users to match outputs of Premier League players, helping footballers determine how they measure up to some of the biggest names in the sport. The performance metrics of the Playertek platform are similarly accurate, able to measure distance covered, speed, sprints, movement, and more.
Similarly to the overall match performance comparison feature, the fitness insights gained by the Playertek platform can also be used to measure players up against Premier League players, providing players with a way to see how their physical performance stats compare.
Using the Playertek platform is simple and easy. During training or game, players wear the Playertek Pod on the upper back. The Pod syncs wirelessly with a paired iPhone- unfortunately there’s no Android app at this point in time- and progress, game data, tracking information, and positional data is all streamed live back to the device for later viewing.
Playertek Verdict
The Playertek platform is a groundbreaking analytics suite that puts tools that are typically only available to Premier League coaches into the hands of everyday footballers, enthusiasts, and pros alike. If you’re looking for the ultimate way to up your game, the Playertek platform is the best solution available.
