Following the recent partnership between McLloyd and the Surinamese Football Federation, the national soccer team has started using GPS tracking technology to support performance optimisation, training workload adjustments, and injury risk reduction with return-to-play initiatives.
As the fitness coach of Suriname, Iwan Redan has been responsible for implementing the GPS trackers with his players to optimise the performance of the team.
“We have integrated the McLloyd GPS in all our training and games, making sure we have enough data to make informed, accurate decisions on our team. The players have been very positive about this use of this technology, investing in the data collected and feedback we provide on their performance.”
The addition of McLloyd trackers has proven to be essential in the preparation of the Concacaf Gold Cup 2021, an international soccer competition comprising the top twelve countries in North America. Iwan and his staff have utilized the system during training to carefully monitor the workload put on players, putting them in the best conditions possible for the start of the competition. This year marking an historic achievement as Suriname has recorded a first ever win in the international event.
Monitoring athletes with key performance metrics.
“With the data collected, we can really define what training should be like in the build up to the competition and official matches. We are able to make sure every athlete is getting what they need physically in order to be in the best shape for the upcoming matches.”
The McLloyd software provides more than 210 indicators, max velocity, acceleration, total distance, this gives coaches plenty of data to work with to create an accurate force and velocity profiling for each of their athletes.
“The performance metrics are a great tool to optimize our training sessions. By setting certain objectives per players or training drills, we can analyse how much workload has been put on the athletes and adapt the rest of our session depending on the data. For example, we might end up with a physically heavier session than expected or not as tough as planned, so we readjust the following training session with the data feedback, controlling the intensity during the week. By better understanding the performance we have at training, the better we can prepare for the upcoming match.”
Injury prevention and return to play.
To ensure that each of his players are healthy, Iwan makes sure to keep an eye on specific metrics to control the risk of injuries.
“Another great use of the GPS data is with injury anticipation and returns. Our players have many games during the season, so we have to be very careful on how much physical effort is put on them. We can identify specific indicators that will help us anticipate injuries. From that we can make proper adjustments on an individual level to tailor our training session based on intensity, volume & work rate. We can also follow the physical therapy of our injured players with accurate data, so we know exactly when a player is fit to come back to play.”
Detailed coaching debriefs.
“The data we collect through the GPS tracking system also allows us to give richer feedback to players. Because we use the trackers during all our training sessions, we can generate comprehensive reports for the athletes and staff to really dive into each of their performances. This way we can track the numerical progress of players during and between sessions and games with the historical data collected.”
McLloyd is committed to provide the best tracking solution for coaches and athletes in various sports, helping them generate a competitive advantage through accurate and insightful data. Learn more about the McLloyd GPS tracking solution by clicking here.