Scientific Programme
Applied Sports Sciences
IS-AP04 - Advancing Performance: The Applied Use of Wearable Technologies in Sports Science
Date: 04.07.2025, Time: 08:00 - 09:15, Session Room: Anfiteatro
Description
Wearable technologies have become vital tools in sports science, providing researchers, athletes, and professionals with real-time data to enhance performance, optimize training, and reduce injury risk. This symposium will explore the practical use of wearables, focusing on their integration into research and practice, while addressing challenges and opportunities across various sports contexts. Recent advances in wearable sensors, from heart rate monitors to GPS and IMUs, have transformed athletic data collection. These devices offer insights into parameters like load management, fatigue, and recovery. With improved accuracy, wearables allow personalized training and real-time monitoring, facilitating evidence-based decisions. The symposium will present key research findings on how wearables are used to monitor and enhance performance, from recreational to elite athletes. It will also discuss challenges, including data accuracy, athlete compliance, and the effective interpretation of data. Solutions like interdisciplinary collaboration between data scientists, sports professionals, and medical experts will be explored. Dr. Lepley will address accuracy in smartwatches, Dr. Olthof will discuss performance optimization and tactical analysis, and Dr. Coutts will cover holistic athlete monitoring. This session is aimed at sports scientists, coaches, and research professionals seeking to leverage wearables to improve outcomes.
Chair(s)
Adam Lepley
University of Michigan, Kinesiology
United States
Speaker A
Adam Lepley
University of Michigan, Kinesiology
United States
Read CVECSS Rimini 2025: IS-AP04
Accuracy and Practical Applications of Wearable Smart Watch Technology in Sports Science
Wearable technology is widely used by athletes and physically active individuals to monitor their health and fitness, record and document workouts, and enhance the overall exercise experience. Smart watch wearable technology has become increasingly popular in both recreational and professional sports settings due to its accessibility, ease of use, and ability to continuously track a variety of physiological parameters. However, questions remain regarding the accuracy and reliability of the physiological and performance metrics these devices provide. This session will explore the capabilities and limitations of smart watches in the context of sports science, with a focus on evaluating their accuracy in measuring key parameters such as heart rate, energy expenditure, sleep patterns, and physical activity levels. Dr. Lepley will present research comparing the data accuracy of smartwatches with that of gold-standard laboratory equipment, including electrocardiograms (ECGs), metabolic carts, and motion capture systems. Emphasis will be placed on identifying the conditions under which smart watch accuracy excels or falters, such as environment, participant skin tone, task completed, etc. and how these devices can be best utilized by researchers, coaches, and athletes to gather actionable data. Practical case studies will illustrate how smartwatches are currently being used to monitor athletes’ health and performance during training and competition. Additionally, the session will discuss user compliance and other practical considerations for implementing smartwatch technology in long-term monitoring protocols. Dr. Lepley aims to provide attendees with insights into the practical application of smart watch data for personalizing training programs, assessing workload, and evaluating recovery, while also addressing the key accuracy concerns that can influence decision-making in both research and practice. Dr. Lepley will also discuss emerging trends and future directions, such as the potential for non-invasive biomarkers, real-time injury prediction algorithms, and the use of wearables to enhance the mental as well as physical performance of athletes.
Speaker B
Sigrid Olthof
Liverpool John Moores University, School of Sport and Exercise Science
United Kingdom
Read CVECSS Rimini 2025: IS-AP04
Player Tracking Technology for Team Tactical Analysis
The implementation of sports technology has transformed how teams and individual athletes approach performance optimization. From real-time tracking devices to advanced video analytics, modern sports technologies offer a wealth of data-driven insights that enable coaches and sports scientists to make informed decisions aimed at maximizing performance outcomes. This session will focus on the practical integration of player tracking technology into team environments and training programs, highlighting their impact on improving both player and team performance from a tactical perspective. Player tracking technology has traditionally been employed to evaluate the physical exertion and workload of athletes during both training and competition. However, its utility extends far beyond physical metrics. By examining spatial and temporal data, team tactical analysis can provide insights to coaches in collective behavior during competition and game formats during training sessions. This enables a holistic approach to integrating player tracking technology in the coaching process, where tactical analysis can support the decision-making in training program design. Dr. Olthof will explore how wearable technologies such as Global or Local Positioning Systems (GPS and LPS, respectively), are being used for tactical analysis. She will demonstrate how GPS and LPS data can be used to analyze team dynamics and player movements during competition and training sessions, providing a comprehensive view of team tactics. This can provide feedback to coaches and players on tactical performance during match-play and training sessions, facilitating adjustments during training sessions and competition. The presentation will illustrate how the integration of these technologies has led to improved training strategies for elite team sport athletes. Topics covered in this presentation will include technology and analytics for team tactical performance, the use of game formats for match preparation, and optimizing training strategies for talent development. In addition, this session will address practical aspects of using wearable technology for tactical analysis, such as ensuring data synchronisation, analyzing offensive and defensive phases of the competition, and making the insights accessible and actionable for coaches and players. Ultimately, the presentation aims to provide an insight in the variety of applications of player tracking technology in a team sport environment and the applications of tactical analysis for training program optimization in team sports.
Speaker C
Aaron Coutts
University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Sport & Exercise Discipline Group, UTS: Health
Australia
Read CVECSS Rimini 2025: IS-AP04
Using Wearable Devices for Holistic Athlete Monitoring: Strategies for Integration
Wearable technologies are commonly utilized tools for monitoring and assessing athletes during training and competition. These are often employed to assess athletes’ readiness to perform and reduce injury risk. Over the past two decades, these devices have significantly impacted the role of the sport scientist, transforming how coaches, sports scientists, and medical professionals monitor athletes. This presentation will explore how wearable devices can be integrated into a comprehensive athlete monitoring system. Initially, we will provide a framework for designing such systems before outlining best practice approaches for selecting, applying, and integrating measures into athlete monitoring systems. Wearables are central to athlete monitoring as they provide real-time, objective data on training loads as well as measuring athletes responses to training. However, the ease of use and availability of these tools often lead to challenges due to the sheer volume of data, the integration of blackbox algorithms and continual creation of new metrics. Without appropriate selection and application, this data can create unnecessary noise that can interfere with decision-making processes. Furthermore, with the rise in artificial intelligence and promise of injury prediction models highlights the need for quality data systems. Without these best practice approaches, the false promises will ultimately result in loss of trust in monitoring from both athletes and coaches. To address this risk, this presentation will emphasize an athlete-centered, holistic approach to monitoring, advocating for the judicious selection of essential data. We will also examine athletes’ perspectives on the effectiveness of monitoring that can be used to improve current methodologies. This session is designed for sports scientists, coaches, and medical professionals seeking to optimize the potential of wearable technologies within a holistic, evidence-based approach to athlete monitoring. We will highlight the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration between sport scientists, data scientists, coaches, and medical professionals, to ensure that ethical, safe, and effective methods are applied. Real-world examples of successful implementation of wearables in athlete monitoring will be discussed to provide attendees with practical insights.