To give you some background on these pathways, essentially all our complex movements are written as motor programs within the brain and stored in motor areas and supplementary motor areas in the parietal lobe of the brain. A series of motor programs can be integrated to form one motor plan. These can be influenced by ‘higher centres’ such as long-term memory and these can cause adaptation of the plans according to past experience etc. The key to the execution of these plans is the basal ganglia, which sit at the top of the spinal cord in the brain stem (and why Parkinson’s patients have such a problem with both initiating and executing movements).

All very interesting (I hope!) but how does this fit into sport? Well here’s what I know. Most of these motor programs whilst they are stored in the parietal lobe are actually executed entirely by the spinal cord and basal ganglia. This means that most movements are not consciously thought about but happen automatically. The very complex integration of muscles, joints and movements just in standing up from a chair do not generally require conscious thought – we do it without thinking at all.

So this got me thinking about complex movements in sport. Surely there must be movements made by elite players e.g. Beckham striking a free kick or Nadal hitting an early ball that cannot by their very nature be ‘thought about’. They happen immediately, reflexly and without involvement of higher centres. And there must be many more sequences of movements in all sports that happen like this. This where training comes in – if we can train drills focusing on such events, then we can write a motor plan for this eventuality. In the game setting we can execute these plans without conscious thought, instinctively, reflexly and at high speed and accuracy.

The training of drills now can have real purpose and with this understanding athletes can realise how crucial the repetitive training aspect is and how it really can give them that extra edge.

Need more convincing….take Robin Van Persie’s goal last night for Arsenal (sorry Barcelona fans). He was around three yards from the baseline, not really facing the goal and hit a tremendous strike in at the near post and into the goal. Incredibly tight angle and the commentators described how he saw the goalkeeper give him a space and he went for the shot. I beg to differ! There is no way that was a conscious decision – he instinctively hit that ball and there was only one place it was going. He has practiced it, drilled it and there’s a motor program in there for it I’m sure!

Final words on this closer to home and also to me of amazing relevance to those of us involved in grass roots sport. This automated movement is not something that is confined to elite sport – it can be taught from a very young age. The young brain is very plastic (just see how well a young brain recovers from injury / illness compared to an adult one – or take my word for it!) and its ability to learn and re-learn is incredible. So I watched my nine year old (right footed) son play for the U10 Sabres football team I coach. Last week he was through on the right with only one player to beat. He cut inside and hit the ball without changing pace immediately with his LEFT (see above) foot. Totally reflexly, no thought involved. How do I know that? Well here’s the very interesting thing…..not 5 minutes later I spoke to him about the shot at the half time talk. He totally denied hitting the ball with his left foot, that the event had even happened – he had absolutely no recollection of the shot! Why – because I am certain that that decision came totally spinally with a motor plan execution that had no higher thought involved. No decision to do it, no using past experience, no long-term memory input. The pathway had never involved his higher centres so he actually had no memory of it! Amazing!

Okay lots more to say on this topic which as I am sure you can see I am very passionate about! Just so I don’t leave you hanging here’s the other pieces of information you might want to know to finish with – in Parkinson’s the motor plans are in fact intact but the execution is at fault and alas the shot was saved and we went out of the cup

Hope that was of interest to you all – let me know your thoughts!

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!

TIME MODE – Hotspot club / XL / PRO

In Time mode we firstly set the amount of time that we will be working for.  For example we may have a drill that requires an athlete to work for 20 seconds.  During this time the Hotspot is open to triggers from the spots and will record a “hit” every time a spot is activated.  In time mode the score at the end is simply the number of spots hit during the pre set time frame.

Time mode has a number of real world applications.  If you can imagine a “Zig Zag” pattern consisting of 4 spots.  The athlete has to move in this pattern touching each of the spots with his/her foot forwards and then backwards.  This pattern is then repeated for the set time.  The use of Time mode will increase the intensity and effort level of the athlete whilst forcing good body control, precise footwork and a rhythmic, fluid movement ability.   The score at the end of the activity will reflect the athlete’s ability in these areas.  Time mode allows up to 95 seconds, in increments of 5 and can really pressure all energy systems.

COUNT MODE – All Hotspot Systems

Count mode is essentially the opposite to Time mode where the system is configured to accurately time a set number of triggers.  In Count mode we set the number of spots required to be hit in the activity.  In the above example we could use a count of 4 (just the forward pattern) or 8 to include the backward pattern also.  We could set it to 16 for two repetitions of the forward and backward patterns, get the idea?  The result is a Time value, accurate to 100th of a second.  Obviously in this mode it is more discriminatory and can provide indications of marginal improvement (key for elite athletes) and also between groups i.e. in talent detection.  For athletes to achieve the fastest time’s certain movement techniques, fatigue levels etc will impact the time.  There are a variety of uses for this mode.

Split Time Mode – XL and PRO only

Split time mode is an extension of Count mode where each received trigger splits the running time.  To explain further if the count is set to 2 then there will be two time’s in the display cycle post activity.  The first time will be from the start of timing to the 1st received trigger and the 2nd time will be the total time for the activity.

Split timing can be used to look at movement to the left and the right, fluidity of movement i.e. if the splits are equal in difference then there is a a rhythmic component to the athletes movement.   Another use of split timing is to run a repeat of an activity touch a spot after each set.  Let’s say we are doing set’s of 5 medicine ball squat jumps.  After each set the athlete touches a trigger point.  After say 3 sets of this the hotspot will have 3 times.  With a bit of simple mathematics we can determine how much the athlete has fatigued over the course of the drill.  This would be useful in telling us whether the athlete starts strongly and finishes poorly or is pretty consistent throughout.

SUMMARY

So there are 3 timing modes on the hotspot system’s that can be used in a variety of ways.  In all cases the athletes get immediate performance feedback and are externally motivated to give 110% to the activity.  Like anything where there is improvement to be made and one can see that it is possible an athlete will strive to beat times/scores and may even be inclined to practice outside of formal training.  Athletes will begin to own their training, effort and performance becoming more aware of themselves.   This is essential to reaching potential and fulfilling dreams!

Remember…MAKE IT COUNT!

Mike

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 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.