What Kind of Shoulder Straps Do Soccer Players Wear?

As a professional footballer, I know the importance of having the right gear, and that includes everything from your boots to what you wear under your jersey. You’ve probably seen players wearing something that looks like a sports bra under their shirts and wondered what it was. Those straps are part of a performance tracking system that helps us and our coaches understand how we’re performing on the pitch.

Decoding the Tech Vest: It’s Not a Fashion Statement

Those black straps are not some new fashion trend in the soccer world; they are sports science at its finest. The straps are connected to a small device, usually positioned between the shoulder blades, that’s called a GPS tracker. While it tracks location, it’s much more than a simple GPS you’d find on your phone. It collects data on everything from your speed and distance covered to your heart rate and even your jump height.

Data is King: How GPS Trackers Elevate the Game

You might be wondering why we need all this data. The answer is simple: optimization. By analyzing the information collected by the GPS tracker, our coaches can:

• Tailor training: Identify our strengths and weaknesses to create personalized training programs.
• Monitor fatigue: Understand when we’re at risk of injury and need rest.
• Analyze game performance: Assess our work rate, movement patterns, and tactical positioning during a match.

Coach analyzing player data on a tablet

The Future of Performance Tracking

The use of GPS trackers in soccer is constantly evolving. New metrics are always being added and the technology itself is becoming more streamlined and comfortable to wear. Who knows what the future holds? We might see even more detailed data points being tracked, like muscle activation and energy expenditure.

These advancements mean that players, coaches, and even fans can have a deeper understanding of what it takes to perform at the highest level of the game.