So in a number of sports a straight line sprint features in many assessments for talent identification, fitness and general baseline measurements. It is standard in the LTA and used in many football clubs. But here’s some conundrums for you :

1. Is it relevant to the sport / game play?

2. Does it have positive predictive value for athletic success in that sport?

3. Is there a better test that might address points 1 & 2?

Firstly we need to look at point 1. The straight line sprint is used as we have mentioned in both tennis and football in a talent identification setting. But I wonder how often in these games do athletes ever run a long distance in one go? Very seldom I would suggest. Both sports actually have much shorter sprints within the game and the movement is rarely isolated to one direction.

In terms of predicting success then clearly the test needs to replicate some kind of functional movement within the game. What straight line sprint shows is how quick an athlete is over a certain distance. No-one can dispute that and the ease and simplicity of the test. But what we are testing is acceleration but missing the very crucial element of deceleration – what use is it if in running so fast the athlete cannot then decelerate and change direction? He may be quick across the tennis baseline but if the point isn’t won on that shot then without good deceleration skills he will be hopelessly out of position for the next shot. In football that sprint back to regain position as a defender is pointless if as a result he cannot slow and change direction, the attacking forward merely has to cut inside and the defender is now beaten and too far out of position to regain the ball.

So how might we better assess movement skills that are game specific?

I decided when I started coaching my Under 10s in July 2010 I would look at 4 areas of fitness, agility and movement skills in the players and see which (if any!) could address the points above. The four tests were :

1. 80m straight line sprint

2. Illinois Agility Test

3. HotSpot 4 square agility test ©

4. Bleep test

The HotSpot 4 square agility test is a simple figure of eight with 8 changes of direction around a 2.5m square testing precision, acceleration and deceleration movement skills. The points are marked by HotSpot discs so there is drill precision and every test is identical with reliable timing by the system.

I benchmarked each player and collated the data with a view to regular interval tests to see any changes – hopefully for the better! The training sessions each week have a heavy emphasis on movement training, agility and fitness with this comprises around 50% of the time.

I have summarised the data below comparing the 80m sprint with HS 4 Square Agility Test. The athletes are scored according to their position in the group for each of the tests and the difference shown in the far column. An improvement in rank from 80m to HotSpot Agility is showed as a + with rank position change and a – for a drop in their rank :

So what does all this data mean?! Look at the end column and see the change in rank between the two tests. If we take that moving in an agile fashion and moving quickly are not only equally important but comparable then there would be very little discrepancy between the two activities ie if you were fast in a straight line then you will also be fast round an agility circuit. This would be reflected in a small change if any in the rank difference.

Well this is clearly not the case. Only 1 athlete of the top 4 in the 80m sprint is in the top 4 for the 4 square HotSpot agility test. And only 2 of the bottom 4 ranked in the sprint are in the bottom 4 in the agility test.

If as we have suggested then the ability to move with agility and to be able to change direction is actually more relevant to the sport, then this data suggests the 80m sprint test  has poor positive predictive value for the attributes necessary for the sport.

By using an automated (and affordable) system such as the HotSpot I know my times are accurate, the drills identical each time and my data is robust and is therefore useful and meaningful and can be safely interpreted.

In summary if we are designing tests then these need to be reflect the qualities we want to see in our athletes. In this experiment the HotSpot 4 square I feel proved more useful in predicting the better athlete at both extremes – quicker runners are not necessarily more agile nor are slower runners necessarily less agile.

So here’s the message – look at the attributes that you see best reflect the qualities and requirements of your sport and design a test based on that!

So what really struck me the most was the knowledge, dedication and passion of the coaches on the ground. Every single one who visited the stand (quite a few I can tell you) really wanted to see what the HotSpot had to offer and how it could help their sessions and ultimately their teams.

The level of conversation I had with each one was at a far higher level than I have experienced in this country – the discussion started with the obvious need for agility and movement training in sport, in this case soccer. By the time they had left the stand they had thanked me for my time in talking with them and demonstrating the system and all its features. And for me after 3 days of demonstrating it on my own, my thighs and calves certainly felt it!

I was lucky to be able to attend a few key note sessions, the most notable with Shad Forsythe – Head Fitness trainer for the German National Football team. He gave a great field session on simple plyometrics and its relevance to soccer (football!) I was fortunate to be able to chat with him afterwards about fitness and agility training in soccer. What this confirmed was what Mike and I strongly believe, namely that fundamental movement skills and agility training are the cornerstone of developing young athletes into great sportsmen and women. It also reassured me that my style of football coaching with my U10 Sabres which has a heavy emphasis on agility and movement skills is exactly right – Shad feels that an hour fifteen session with developing athletes should comprise at least 30mins conditioning and agility without a ball in sight – Sabres your coach is right!

Another great conversation I had was with Scott Moody of the SoccerFit Academy. He is a strong believer in breaking down the components of any athletic game and dedicating training sessions to these specific areas. He spent some time with the HotSpot and could see that the system can really help with the acquisition of movement skills and at the elite end be able to measure activities that previously haven’t been measured.

So all in all a great show! For me the only question that remains is closer at heart…. Why is it that USA coaches really seem to get the whole movement training and agility aspects of sports coaching and yet in the UK if the training doesn’t involve a ball or a racquet then people seem very reluctant to listen? And this is not just at elite level but permeates right through every level of US sport.

Here endeth the lesson! Answers on a postcard or via this site!

http://www.gameseducation.co.uk/images/webgraphics/295.pdf

Make it Count – Team Hotspot

VIDEO OF PRO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fiew5hIjri4

It builds on the Hotspot concept of providing a system that is affordable yet versatile enough to fit into any training program for any sport.  The wireless “hotspots” offer  a simple way to create movement patterns and drills for your training program whilst offering an easy way to be flexible adhering to the needs of your athletes.

The PRO system comprises of 4 Hotspot’s (with improved sensitivity for increased reliability) and a “test” spot that is configured to be used with the vertical jump function in the base unit.  Also on the base unit are the standard “count” and “time” modes with split timing  as an extension of the “count” mode.   Now you really have every option for your training.

The PRO system now has the capabilities to be used in a variety of training settings.  Time and Count modes offer a training option where we can have our athletes work for a duration of time or be timed over a set number of spot hits.  We can use split timing to measure reaction abilities and differentiate between movements to the left and right.  Finally the jump mode does exactly as we expect using the time of flight as the basis of measurement.

Now, with the addition of the “test” spot we open up a few new training options.  We can use the “test” spot in drills that require only a single spot.  For example imagine a drill where athletes are required to start from a central point, sprint to the left, sprint past the centre to the right and return to the start (T test).  The test spot can accurately measure the drill using “count” mode and a single count of 1.  Due to the increased sensitivity we can effectively use the “zero” mode to start the timer by having the athlete place a foot on the spot prior to starting the activity should we want to eradicate reaction times and measure pure athletic ability.

The “test” spot is greater in sensitivity and also has a lower settling time of 0.25s (compared to the 0.5s of a standard hotspot) meaning that we can now accommodate hop tests where athletes have to return to the spot  in a time less than 0.5s.  For example in a hop test where athletes have to hop on to a low box and back down onto the spot or in a step up drills.

Earlier I mentioned the “time” and “count” modes and I would like to go into a little more detail.  Time mode is where we set a period of time we want the athlete to work, for example 20s.  We set up drills where athletes repeat movements and each spot trigger constitutes the final score.  In count mode we set the number of spots we want the athlete to trigger and the system provides the time (accurate to 100th of second) to complete the exercise.

The impact of the Hotspot PRO system is huge in that it is extremely adaptable to the training requirements.  The system itself forces athletes to control their movement and bodies much more and provides measurements that can be used to monitor progress, current performance and used in learning.   There really isn’t a better training aid and for the price can you afford not to add the PRO to your inventory?  Make It Count with Hotspot PRO!

www.gameseducation.co.uk

order now –  order@gameseducation.co.uk

The background to this is the fundamental core of Games Education as a company – the one thing that led Mike and I to set it up. Not making huge sums of money (although maybe one day it would be nice to pay off all the loans!) but the strong belief and desire that every child playing sport and exercise should be able to use techniques and equipment similar to the professionals…

..why should only a very privileged few have access to such things…BECAUSE all the technology is too expensive and alas there aren’t many coaches out there like Mike who are passionate enough about coaching to try new things, to replicate the training of elite players and bring that coaching to the young players. I say this not as Mike’s business partner and friend but as the father on one of his protégés in tennis, my son Angus. It was hearing Mike say before a Sunday session that he had been looking at Nadal and Federer on You Tube the night before and was trying some of their drills with my son that stood out for me as a parent. That’s creative coaching and not confined by rigid guidelines of governing bodies. And the technology bit? Use scientific nowse, start from the very beginning and create a piece of technology that can be bought by the very entry point of sport and exercise. And so we created the HotSpot. And that’s accessible technology for sport and fitness. By definition.

Okay so where’s all this going….my concern is this. Why can’t we harbour the knowledge and passion that Mike and I have for sports coaching and combine it with tools and technology that are affordable and fun for children? You can I hear you say! Well we’d like to think so too, but we’ve faced an uphill battle with PCTs for obesity and schools for inclusion trying to convince them that by introducing healthy competition, by making sport and exercise fun and enjoyable, you will get more kids being active, having fun and ultimately all getting something out of it. My favourite expression that I have coined about this is it’s not about inter-competition but intra-competition. (Alas I guess this message my be lost on some audiences!) What I mean is we don’t want James to be better than John we want James to be better than James before! Why not get some times and scores and get some motivation. I work with children all day every day and they love competition! Everything is competition – but it’s about making that competition fun and using it to help each individual themselves. With me so far?!

So all the non believers that getting competition into schools and young people’s lives is a good thing, take note of the next bit. And the reason for me writing now…

I spent a very humbling afternoon yesterday with the group I mentioned at the beginning. I was asked by my friend and colleague from our football team if I knew who could help with his after school session that afternoon as the organisation (who I’d better leave nameless!) who had been booked to run the session had cancelled literally hours before. So in for a penny in for a pound I said I’d run a session. Having rushed down the motorway back home, out of a playground, some cones, footballs, ladders and a little goal I created an agility course for the ten or so kids assembled. Needless to say HotSpot was integral to mark out the way points and give me some scores. Urban Agility and Football had been born! Okay don’t want to labour the point but an hour later and two runs of the course, the header challenge and a crazy playground cross bar challenge later we had kept 10 kids very entertained and given it was around -3degrees, warm and entertained. Quick certificate giving for all and off they went.

Okay no need to feel smug but it really taught me something – most kids whatever their background can be entertained, helped and encouraged by good people skills, knowledge and fun and can get a lot from sport and exercise. That by having a little competition everyone got more from it. And that the most able and the least able all competed on the same level and all achieved.

And that’s what I want all those involved in sport and physical education who might doubt the fact that competition is good and healthy and right if conducted in a sensible manner to take on board.

If there’s still some non believers then this is the email I received today and I have entered it word for word…..

Nothing more to say huh but happy times and let’s give the kids what they deserve.

The truly unique HotSpot® system consists of touch sensitive; Wi-Fi enabled remote spots or pods that communicate directly with a unique base station. The athlete activates the remote spots by applying pressure and the time is instantly registered on the base station. The system can be incorporated into any imaginable movement drill with emphasis on developing technique, speed and agility. With the ability to significantly improve technical efficiency, speed and agility through accurate data capture, the HotSpot® can be adapted to further develop athletes competing at any sport and at any level.

The HotSpot® originally launched in October 2009, has become an instant global success and is now being actively used in over ten countries worldwide including the USA, Germany, Spain and the UK by internationally recognised organisations including the English Premier League team, Blackburn Rovers and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). They are already reaping the rewards from using the HotSpot® to individually tailor athletes training programmes and measure performance.

Games Education Founder, and Design and Innovation Director, Mike Crooks said: “It is great to see all levels of sport fully embrace the HotSpot® training philosophy to develop the next generation of sporting stars. It is becoming a firm favourite, helping to inject fun and competiveness into training.”

Dr Fraser Harban, children’s specialist doctor and Games Education’s Commercial Director added: “It is recognised that a major factor in performance ability is how the brain learns patterns of movements which it then uses to develop specific motor programmes. Using the HotSpot® facilitates this brain training which enables athletes at all levels to enhance their performance”

The LTA are currently in the process of incorporating HotSpot® technology into their mini-tennis talent identification programme. With the aid of this exceptionally adaptable product the LTA will shortly be able to identify more effectively, talented children between the ages of six and 10 as the tennis stars of the future.

HotSpot® has also been firmly integrated into schools across the UK and is being actively used within physical education programmes to develop students’ mental and physical aptitude through fun and engaging movement drills.

The HotSpot® training system is extremely flexible and allows accurate data capture to occur across all sports over infinite activities. The HotSpot® capabilities are only restricted by the imagination and creativity of the coach and athlete.

The HotSpot® originally launched in October 2009, has become an instant global success and is now being actively used in over ten countries worldwide including the USA, Germany, Spain and the UK by internationally recognised organisations including the English Premier League team, Blackburn Rovers and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). They are already reaping the rewards from using the HotSpot® to individually tailor athletes training programmes and measure performance.