Top Tech to Get the Most Out of Sport

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Technology and sport have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship over the last 60+ years. Ever since the Yankee Stadium in New York unveiled the first electronic scoreboard in 1959, technology companies have been enhancing both our experience and engagement with sport.

Indeed, moving forward through the years, the Wilson T2000 harnessed the power of chrome tubular steel to create a lightweight tennis racket that transformed the speed of tennis in 1960. Beyond the world of tennis, cyclist Chris Boardman was able to break untold records when you rode the Lotus 108. Thanks to its unique design and monocoque frame, Boardman’s bike changed the face of professional cycling for good back in the nineties.

In line with technology becoming more advanced and pushing the boundaries of sport, it’s also become more accessible. While innovations such as the Wilson T2000 and monocoque frame enhanced our enjoyment of sport (because athletes were able to perform at a new level), technology was often reserved for the pros.

Fortunately, today’s sporting enthusiasts can enhance their own enjoyment and performances using modern technology from wearables to websites. With this in mind, here are some of the latest innovations to help you stay ahead of the game.

The Wonderful Web

People often participate in football, tennis, or MMA because they’ve seen the pros do it and they want as much information about their sport of choice as possible. For example, a football fan will want to know the latest fixtures and results and who the hot picks are for a particular match. Using the Internet, a football fan can visit bet365’s news hub for the latest betting options, news reports on the top players, social media feeds, stats, and expert advice.

Similarly, Fight Metric is an online hub where MMA fans can get a wealth of information about the latest fights. Breaking down everything from a fighter’s takedown defense to their strike rate, this site is like an anorak’s guide to all the latest MMA action.

A Wrist Full of Data

Once you’ve loaded your mind up with sporting information, the next way to use technology to your advantage is to buy a fitness tracker. Over the last five years, the market has literally exploded with experts now predicting it will be worth $5.4 billion by 2019.

Leading the way for casual consumers and budding health nuts are the products from Fitbit and Jawbone. Capable of tracking everything from your daily steps and heart rate to the number of REM sleep you get each night, these trackers are like portable doctors.

Having the ability to track, store and analyze all the most important aspects of your daily life not only allows you to live in a healthier way but improve your sporting performance. For example, if Jawbone’s UP 3 told you that you were sleeping less during the weekends and this correlated with a decline in physical performance over that period, you could address this as necessary.

Wearables are basically like affordable versions of the advanced technology professional athletes have been using in science labs for the past two decades.

The Perfect State

Of course, to really enjoy the sport as a fan or competitor you need to be in the perfect state of mind and body. Today, thanks to the ever-improving capabilities of our smartphones, you can now monitor our vital signs and alert us to any potentially nasty health issues.

For example, the Kito+ is a small credit-card-like device that sits between your iPhone and a specially designed case. Placing your fingers on a special sensor, the device is able to read your heart rate and relay it to your iPhone.

Although not as detailed as a hospital ECG, the device can detect the electrical signals of your heart and give you an insight into your heart rate, blood oxygen levels, respiration rate and skin temperature. Using this information, you can then see when you’re in a fit state to participate in sport and when you may need to take some time off. Moreover, the device can also provide an early detection system for issues such as heart attacks.

As you can see, technology has the power to enhance both our enjoyment of and performance in almost any sporting activity. Whether it’s the way we watch or the way we play, there’s now a service or device that can optimize our experiences to the max.