Heart Monitor ??

When physio was seeing to Potts during M'bro game noticed he was wearing a black belt around his chest.

Is that to monitor heart rate/blood pressure or does it record the amount of 'mileage' etc covered in a match?

 

I could be completely wrong, but I always thought it was just a support to avoid injury

 

Think they monitor everything now , distance covered , GPS ,where they go on the pitch and when, heart rate etc

 

They're GPS devices, gives all the performance data and I think some of the stats shown on TV are pulled from the device too, such as metres run by a player etc.

Rugby I think was the first major sport to use it in this way to manage player welfare. Was lucky enough to work with the medical team during the last Rugby World Cup, the science around player peformance management and health is now staggering. View attachment 111122 SK IRB GPS introduction presentation.pdf

 

I saw an interview a couple of years ago with Wenger at Arsenal and they have a guy with a lap top covering these devices in real time, he identified a player who on the surface was the hardest working man on the pitch but all his work was in the wrong area of the pitch so they subbed him, cue cries of "you don't know what you're doing and boo's and jeers, the sub came on , scored and they won the match. I know at times I scratch my head at some of the substitutions but you have to put faith in the manager and his staff that they use all the available information at their disposal correctly, sometimes it will work and at other times it won't. Hecky's got a masters in sports science so he will be well informed about these systems.

 

Don't rugby union players have a little device in the back of their shirts rather then monitors on there chest?

 

Yes, just below the neckline. Same sort of thing , GPS etc. They were looking at incorporating some sort of sensor to help monitor impact/collision forces to help with concussion management. International elite matches have a TV Medic using Hawkeye to assess tackles and they can demand players are taken off the field of play for assessment. Effectively have more authority than the referee, coaching staff and team doctors.