Have you ever wondered, “Why do male soccer players wear sports bras under their shirts?”
There is a huge science behind sports bras that is a lot more complicated than you might think!
Prepare to discover why footballers wear bras and how they aid professional football players in improving their performance.
What Do Footballers Wear Under Their Shirts?
Part of the male footballer’s clothing can be a chest vest that is widely popular under the name of a sports bra. However, that is not just an ordinary bra, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marco Reus, Lionel Messi, and Franck Ribery are just a few athletes who wear it.
Football players wear a sports technology garment during the football match or while they are training. The sports vest is similar to a sports bra in that it has a unit on the back of the footballer’s shoulders.
Actually, they’re called GPS bras, and this is where you probably start wondering, “What does the GPS device do inside of the sports bra?”. Well, its purpose is to collect statistical data on the football players’ movements. The data is later analysed by a data scientist or a club coach.
But why do football players wear sports bras rather than sports watches?
To begin with, football players are not allowed to wear any accessories while playing. As a result, the wearable chest is the best option for advancing sports science.
Here’s a fun fact for you: Athletes could only wear vest tracking devices during training until 2019, when they were allowed to wear them during live matches.
Second, the GPS chest vest can track at 10Hz, unlike the one track per second of the regular sports watch. As a result, the GPS tracker is far more accurate and useful. It can collect and monitor the movements of players up to 1,000 times per second.
Related: What is a foul throw-in in football?
Why Do Football Teams Use GPS Tracking Data Bras?
There is no simple answer to the question “Why do football players wear bras?” because the tracker has multiple benefits.
The data collected is recorded from the GPS tracker and is run through software.
The device monitors a variety of factors that affect the player’s overall well-being and physical performance. This data can then be viewed on a tablet, smartwatch, or laptop by the coach and used to create training programmes that are tailored to the specific needs of each footballer.
The tracking data that is collected includes:
- The distance athletes have run
- Their running speed
- Accelerations and decelerations
- Heart rate
- How heavy the workload has been on the footballer’s bodies
Tracking their performance, preventing injury, and measuring their energy input are just a few of the reasons why male footballers wear sports bras with GPS trackers.
Let us go over each of the advantages of wearing sports vest trackers.
Tracking the performance of the players
The physiological data that the coach and data scientist analyse will help them determine whether the footballer is in peak condition or is exhausted.
The footballer’s strides and sprint speeds are frequently used as performance indicators.
Based on the information provided from the GPS vest, the coaches receive better insight into when to replace the players. It also assists them in making critical half-time decisions.
Preventing injury
The safety of the players is always the number one priority of the clubs.
Every match and training is a high-intensity activity for professional football players. And with the intensity comes a risk of injuries like groin tears, abductor pulls and hamstring strains.
All the data collected by the GPS tracker helps to prevent injuries caused by a lack of conditioning and over-training.
For example, if a player is tired or prone to injury, the coaches and manager will notice a drop in the player’s statistics and will rest the player to avoid injuries.
Related: Why do footballers wear masks?
Measuring energy input
Another reason male football players wear sports bras with GPS trackers is to measure their energy input.
While players are undergoing rehabilitation, they must understand how to manage their energy in order to achieve adequate rest.
Professional footballers frequently rush back to the field, and they will often push themselves to do so.
That is why the vest tracker considers the player’s lower body energy, exertion, and maximum output to assist physical therapists in making an effective rehab, avoiding injuries, and preventing players from burning out.
Related: What is a cap in football?
Football clubs that use GPS tracking devices
More than three-quarters of clubs in the Premier League use the outstanding undershirt technology for training and live games. Some of them include some of the most successful clubs in Europe such as Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Southampton, Tottenham and many more.
Did you know that the England national team uses GPS tracking technology for its players?
Wrap Up
Were we successful in answering the question, “Why do footballers wear bras?”. I believe we have covered the entire science of training or playing on the field while wearing a GPS device.
The high-tech vests are a game-changing invention that assists players and coaches in gathering information about professional football players.