Sports Performance & Tech, Issue 11

ISSUE 11 | OCTOBER 2014

RFID TEEING OFF AT THE RYDER CUP

2

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Welcome to Issue 11 of Sports Performance & Tech Magazine.

Firstly we would like to apologise for the late publishing of the magazine, we had a few technical issues that meant we could not upload the magazine to our site.

However, good things come to those who wait and we we have brought you a great issue to make up for it.

We look at how RFID is going to be playing a big part in the way that people are interacting with their environment and teams at sports competitions. This is after the technology has been successfully used at the Ryder Cup. As wearable technology hits the headlines with Apple and Google launching their first offerings, we see why the uptake has been so poor amongst younger demographics.

After a poor season for Andy Murray, following Federer’s dissappointing 2013, is there still a Big Four in tennis? Using data we see if there is numberical answers.

With the transfer window in

SPORTS

PERFORMANCE & TECH

European soccer closing, we look at the data to analyse the bargains and steep prices paid by clubs.

As always, if you like the magazine please share it. If you have any comment on the magazine or if you want to have a product reviewed or submit an article, please let me know.

George Hill Managing Editor Are you are looking to put your products in front of key decision makers?

For Advertising contact Hannah at hsturgess@theiegroup.com

Managing Editor: George Hill Assistant Editors Simon Barton Art Director: Joe Sanderson Advertising: Hannah Sturgess hsturgess@sportsperformancetech.com

Contributors: David Barton William Tubbs Nathan Meyer Ellie Proffitt Richard Angus General Enquiries: Editor@sportsperformancetech.com

OCTOBER 2014

CONTENTS

10

28 SPORTS TECH

RFID & THE RYDER CUP

REVIEW:

We look at how RFID is being used to help track crowds at the Ryder Cup

4

14

IS THERE STILL A ‘BIG FOUR’ IN TENNIS?

HOW HAS STRAVA CHANGED AMATEUR SPORTS?

The past decade has been dominated by 4 players, is this still the case?

The App has seen phenomenal success, but what has it changed?

16 WEARABLE TECH Wearable tech is spreading to younger audiences, what effect is it having on them?

20

29 NIKE PEGASUS 31 30 ON CLOUDSTER TRAINER 31 NEW BALANCE FRESH FOAM

32 TISSOT SOLAR TOUCH 33 UP24 34 RAPHA PRO-TEAM RACE CAPE

35 WAHOO

24

ANALYZING THE TRANSFER WINDOW THROUGH DATA

VALUING THE SUPPLEMENTS MARKET WITH ISUPP

As the soccer transfer window has closed, we look at its success through numbers

Supplements are big business, we look at this through ISUPP

IS THERE STILL A

’BIG FOUR’ IN WORLD TENNIS?

Simon Barton | Assistant Editor

5

IS THERE STILL A ‘BIG FOUR’ IN WORLD TENNIS?

This year’s US Open was the first time that a Grand Slam final didn’t include a member of ‘The Big Four’ in nine years, a term that’s commonly used to describe the collective dominance of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray. It was an unexpected change with a senior representative at William Hill, a betting company stating, ‘A final between these two was incomprehensible and nobody backed these two to go all the way and meet’.

To put this into perspective, there have been 39 Grand Slam tournaments contested since the 2005 Australian Open final, the last time a Grand Slam didn’t include one of the Big Four. In that time, 36 of them have been won by either Murray, Federer, Nadal or Djokovic.

Despite these dominant statistics, there has been an expectation surrounding the chasing pack since the start of this year. Giles Simon, a former Top 10 player, said,

Image Credits: Neale Cousland / Shutterstock.com

‘It was tough to win one [a tournament] because in the last four years the big four just won them every time and it was like no one had a real opportunity to make a difference there. I think this time will be over soon’. Simon’s words came true perhaps earlier than he had anticipated when Stanislas Wawrinka beat Rafael Nadal to take the Australian Open crown, the first man outside the Big Four to win a Grand Slam since Juan Martin Del Potro won the 2009 US Open.

The difference between Del Potro’s victory and Wawrinka’s was that Del Potro’s didn’t dent the confidence of the Big Four.

Wawrinka’s seems to have done, and can perhaps be attributed to the new found confidence that we are now seeing from other players.

“

Was 2014 just an off year for the Big Four? Nadal’s season has been plagued with injury, which saw him almost retire from the Australian Open final when he lost to Wawrinka.

Whilst Andy Murray’s poor season can be attributed to back surgery and a change in coaching staff, replacing his long time coach, Ivan Lendl.

The apparent break up of the Big Four has had little effect

on Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic who both have win percentages in excess over 83% in the past 2 years, with Nadal winning three majors and Djokovic two. It is Andy Murray and Roger Federer whose form threatens to break the Big Four’s dominance.

In 2013, Roger Federer had a win percentage of 72.58% - the first time since 2007 he had dropped below 80%. He also only won a single calendar title, causing a drop to 7th in the world ranking, his lowest in 11 years. To compound this further, his recent Grand Slam record was poor by his high standards, with a second round exit at Wimbledon being the biggest embarressment.

Despite these dominant statistics, there has been an air of optimism surrounding the chasing pack since the start of this year.

Murray’s 2014 was even more calamatous. He won only 70.83% of his matches, down from 85.42% the year before.

Despite dodging an early exit in the Grand Slams, Murray only made it past the quarter final’s at the French Open, a won by Nadal.

SPORTS

PERFORMANCE & TECH

6

IS THERE STILL A ‘BIG FOUR’ IN WORLD TENNIS?

When David Ferrer reached the French Open final in 2013, it was the first time that someone outside the Big Four had made a final since Tomas Berdych’s at Wimbledon in 2010. At the time, there were no singals that the Big Four was coming to an end. This tournament coincided with Andy Murray not entering the competition and Federer in bad form. Ferrer, in effect, had a clear route to the final. He was also beaten by Nadal in the final itself.

Looking at the data, Ferrer’s appearance in the final could have been a catalyst for players such as Tsonga, Dimitrov and Cilic to go further into the Grand Slams.

With Federer lacking form in 2013 and Murray having issues in 2014, it has created an opening in the semifinals of many of the Grand Slams. Since Wimbledon 2012, there have only been two occasions where three of the Big Four have all been present in the semifinals.

Prior to the US Open in 2012, ten consecutive Grand Slam finals had been contested by at least three of them.

“

SPORTS

PERFORMANCE & TECH

So do we actually have a Big Two now? The data would certainly suggest so. Nadal and Djokovic’s form, especially in the Grand Slams, continues to put them head and shoulders above the rest of the field, including Murray and Federer. Combined,

But looking back at the data, Ferrer’s appearance in the final could well have been a catalyst for players such as Tsonga, Dimitrov and Cilic to go further into the Grand Slams.

IS THERE STILL A ‘BIG FOUR’ IN WORLD TENNIS?

7

they’ve won nine of the last twelve Grand Slams and both have a win rate of over 85%.

2012 was probably the last year where there was a real Big Four with each competing for, and winning, top competitions.

Since then, there’s been a Big Three with Murray and Federer dropping from that group in the years in which their form has dipped.

It could be insulting to players like Dimitrov, Cilic and Nishikori to still refer to the Big Four, as both Murray and Federer have lacked form and trophies to merit their inclusion.

Unless something changes we are likely to see a couple of seasons of Nadal/Djokovic domination, with the Big Four downsizing to a Big Two.

SPORTS

PERFORMANCE & TECH

Sports Performance & Tech Summit 5th & 6th November Manchester, 2014

#SportsInnovation Speakers Include:

Sir Clive Woodward

For more information contact Zain Yasin +44 (207) 193 0569 zyasin@theiegroup.com theinnovationenterprise.com/summits

theinnovationenterprise.com/summits/sports-performance-tech-summit-2014

RFID TECHNOLOGY AND THE RYDER CUP

Nathan Meyer | Sports Analytics Evangelist

11

RFID TECHNOLOGY & THE RYDER CUP

The UK hosted to the Commonwealth Games, Wimbledon and even a stage of the Tour de France this year. This summer of sport was wrapped up by golf’s most exciting event, the Ryder Cup - a face off between Europe and America’s best golfers.

The Ryder cup has been the proof that golf can be a spectator sport. Drama unfold across all three days of the competition. It has a worldwide television audience of 500 million people, making it one of the most popular sporting events in the world.

Not only did fans welcome a number of the world’s biggest names to Pertshire, Scotland, but they were also introduced to Radio Frequency Identification technology (RFID). This was incorporated into a wristband that the spectators were given at the event, it allowed them to be more interactive with the sport than ever before. This new experience was courtesy of Intellitix, and was the first time that data was used as a platform

for spectator engagement at a golfing tournament.

The first use of RFID technology was just before The UEFA Champions League final in 2013, when UEFA’s ‘festival’ came to Stratford, London.

RFID technology has several uses from capturing photos to sharing points scored on one of their football assault courses. It was a great success, and that’s why Intellitix rolled it out for the Ryder Cup. One of the reasons the Ryder Cup continues to be so popular is that it fosters a friendly rivalry that is often lost when during regular tournaments.

As an extension of this, RFID technology allowed fans to give their favourite team a ‘virtual high-five’ that registered on a worldwide supporter leader board. This allowed individuals to rank on the amount of online support they give.

The card was also used as a mobile payment device.

This hope is that this cut down queues and made

“

the event go far smoother for spectators. With this payment data being trackable it allows organisers to see what is popular and why, making it possible to organise the event better next time.

But it’s important to add that the product is mainly for social media engagement. The data from the wristbands show how people are documenting the event on social media networks.

Not only will people feel more in touch and involved with the tournament, but it will mean that tournament organisers

It has a worldwide television audience of 500 million people, making it one of the most popular sporting events in the world

SPORTS

PERFORMANCE & TECH

12

“

This acts as a form of gamification and is a sure-fire way of drumming up attention will better understand what their consumers want from the event and how to target advertisements. As with everything that has data at its heart, RFID’s purpose is to create a holistic profile of spectators so that the experience can be improved in future.

Whatever you think of golf as a sport, the use of RFID technology within a competition as prestigious as The Ryder Cup shows that it is capable of being

SPORTS

PERFORMANCE & TECH

RFID TECHNOLOGY & THE RYDER CUP

used across many sporting and entertainment events. It also caters to the consumers’ desire to document their experiences online through social media. RFID technology will certainly act as a platform for the organisers of the Ryder Cup, allowing them to create and even better user experience for 2016.

RFID TECHNOLOGY & THE RYDER CUP

“

13

Not only will people feel more in touch and involved with the tournament, but it will mean that tournament organisers will better understand what their consumers want for the event SPORTS

PERFORMANCE & TECH

HOW HAS STRAVA CHANGED THE WAY WE LOOK AT AMATEUR SPORTS? George Hill | Managing Editor

STRAVA & AMATEUR SPORTS

Amateur cycling and running used to be a murky area that people did in their spare time purely for enjoyment. There was always the idea that you could join a local team and race, but the reality was that you wanted to have the competitiveness without the commitment of training every evening.

For years there was a grey area stuck between joining an amateur team and doing nothing. Everything was off the radar and you may have been able to tell people with a beaming smile that you have completed your personal best the day before, but it meant nothing to anybody apart from yourself.

Then Strava came along.

Strava is an app that allows amateur cyclists and runners to record their speeds, times and ‘segments’ throughout their workout. It also utilises GPS meaning that you can see the route that you have run/cycled afterwards on an interactive map and record your timings at different areas.

These aspects are not new, you can find hundreds of apps online that would do the same thing. What Strava have done to make their app great, is the use of competition.

I can see, for instance, that there is a segment near where I live that has been attempted by 500 cyclists and that I sit in 14th for my time. I can see my average speed through that 0.3 mile segment is 21.4mph and that I am 12 seconds slower than the person in 1st.

This gives amateur runners and cyclists genuine racing experiences, without the commitment and difficulties associated with joining a club or a team.

15

got talking to a fellow cyclist.

When we both left, we didn’t know each others numbers or email addresses, but having discussed Strava, we knew that by looking at the routes we had taken, we could find one another.

I truly believe that Strava has been, and will continue to be, a genuine revolution in personal analytics, making the quantified self, the competitive self.

In addition to this, it genuinely makes people more in tune with their analytics.

As a sports technology geek, I can track my heart rate, cadence, speed and power output. With this information I can compare myself to those above me in the charts for these metrics and attempt to beat it myself. People can get ‘kudos’ (similar to a ‘like’ on Facebook) for particularly impressive times or efforts.

People even use the map feature to create art, like a man who rode 365 miles in one day to draw a giant bike on the map above the New Forest in the UK. Strava has become a true social network for like-minded people with a passion for fitness. I was cycling in Richmond Park in London last weekend and

SPORTS

PERFORMANCE & TECH

WEARABLE TECH David Barton | Wearable Tech Evangelist

17

WEARABLE TECH

It is hard to argue that wearable technology has yet to live up to its billing as the next big thing.

Fitbit, Jawebone and Nike have experienced a degree of success, but we are still a long way from the 100 million adopters predicted by 2016.

There was a story in ‘The Guardian’ about someone trying to sell their Samsung Galaxy smart watch for £100, a free but unwanted gift. It retails for £299 normally so £100 would seem a good deal. At least one person in a 10,000 employee company would be expected to be interested. However, after two weeks there had been only 2 bids, and the value was £0.99.

“

It’s been reported that young people aren’t interested in wearables with 80% of young adopters taking off or forgeting about their wearables within the first 6 months. Even Nike couldn’t capture the imagination of the youth. Their Fuelband

was discontinued due to poor sales.

Older people have not taken to them either. They’re the demographic least likely to use wearable tech, despite being the group who could profit from them the most.

In-fact, for many of us the wearable aspect of wearable technology is what puts us off. People don’t want to wear anything unnecessary.

This is why Ralph Lauren’s new ‘smart polo’ caught our eye.

With Ralph Lauren’s success in fashion, are they the catalyst that will bring wearable tech to a wider audience?

It’s a sleek black shirt, both unassuming and stylish. In the words of Mr Lauren, ‘We want to control the technology and make it applicable to our life in a way that is refined and comfortable’. There are no wires and no device to strap to your waist. It’s just looks like a polo

shirt, but importantly a polo shirt that has biosensing tech running through its fibres.

As it will be worn by young stewards, Ralph Lauren are hoping that the smart polo will show the acceleration in heart rate when they pass a ball to Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic – The New York Times reported that it’ll show when their breathing spikes and when these young kids experience stress on the court.

Design and tech have been synonymous for a long time.

Apple’s products have a design-centric vision and their competitors are realising that consumers choose based on looks as well as specifications.

Apple’s dedication to style was shown when they hired Paul Deneve, formerly the President and CEO, of Yves Saint Laurent.

As a former head of a fashion house, Deneve’s knowledge and experience should be a huge benefit for Apple. Deneve

It’s been reported that young people aren’t that interested in wearables – 80% of young adopters take off or forget about their wearables in the first 6 months

SPORTS

PERFORMANCE & TECH

18

“

If you’re looking for style, it’s fair to say that Ralph Lauren have hit the nail on the head undoubtedly had a major say in the Apple Watch’s design allowing Apple to avoid the same fate as the Samsung version. It certainly looks as if Apple have designed something that is more fashionable than any smart watch that has gone before it.

It’s not the first time that wearable technology hasn’t breached the boundaries of clothing. Two manufactures, Hexoskin and Athos, have released smart shirts and have attracted positive initial reviews.

However they are products for the gym, they aren’t designed to be stylish.

For Ralph Lauren, the fact that their brand is on the shirt won’t be enough. The tight fit needed for measuremetnts will certainly be divisive, but Ralph Lauren’s vision is simple, ‘Eventually it will just be part of your outfit. You won’t even think about it.’ They are trying to make wearable tech more of a lifestyle choice, not just a garment for the gym. It is also clear that their experienced fashion designers will play a pivotal role in the success of the product.

SPORTS

PERFORMANCE & TECH

WEARABLE TECH

In order to attract the younger generation, wearable companies must place more of an emphasis on marketing their products.

For example, we looked at Babolat’s Play Pure Drive in the last edition of the magazine, and despite its strengths, without Rafael Nadal’s endorsement, young people are unlikely to be interestested. This use of endorsements is something that wearables need if they’re to capture the attention young demographics. The problem is that Nadal is unwilling to use the racquet competively due to weight fluctuation, which damages the endorsement.

There was a quote on Voxburner, a website dedicated to youth opinions, from Katie, a member of their academy, which says, ‘I wouldn’t wear them [wearable technologies] yet – they seem a bit rubbish at the minute, like technology companies are just going ‘look what we can put a computer in’. This responseis similar to many of the products we have seen so far. The same site states that the younger generation feel that wearable technology will become integral to their lives eventually, similar to the way that Facebook has.

“

With this in mind, the fact that Apple and Google have put a lot of effort into the design shows

that big tech companies are trying to win over people like Katie.

With both Apple’s and Google’s smart watches being released, it could well be the moment where they take notice of the benefits that wearable tech can offer. ‘Smart’ apparel like Ralph Lauren’s polo, with its sleek design, may also allow wearable companies with a template to copy. Getting world-famous athletes on board remains an important marketing theme for wearable manufacturers and with the lack of endorsements around, it seems as if athletes are as sceptical as the younger generation about the need for wearable technology.

Apple’s dedication to style was cemented even further when they hired Paul Deneve, formerly the President and CEO, of Yves Saint Laurent

WEARABLE TECH

“

19

With both Apple’s and Google’s smart watches being released, it could well be the moment where they take notice of the benefits that wearable tech can offer.

SPORTS

PERFORMANCE & TECH

ANALYZING THE TRANSFER WINDOW THROUGH DATA William Tubbs | Organiser, Sports Performance & Tech Summit

ANALYZING THE TRANSFER WINDOW THROUGH DATA

This year’s World Cup did not put The CIES Football Observatory in a good light. Before the start of the tournament, their econometric model predicted that Spain would beat Brazil in the Final and that France and Argentina would battle it out for third place. These results casted a fair amount of doubt over whether analytics can be used to identify the outcome of a football match After the World Cup, the transfer market took center stage. During the year there are two transfer windows that give clubs around the world the opportunity to add to their squads. The windows fall in January and during the offseason, which lasts from the start of June to the beginning of September.

The transfer window is always a matter of debate for the news media, with opinions rife about whose overpaid and whose underpaid for players.

In a previous edition of Sports Performance and Tech, we looked at the CIES Football Observatory and how its econometric model can assess the valuation of football players.

With the summer market just closed, we wanted to find out what their model had made of the transfer market and which clubs they felt had done the

best business.

The valuation of a player is not just determined by their performance, clubs are interested in a player’s age and the time left on his contract.

The CIES Football Observatory’s statistical model assesses the value of a player by gathering information from a sample of 1,500 players transferred for a fee from the top-5 European Leagues. It takes into account a number of variables such as the player’s age, the years he has remaining on his contract, international caps and position.

Lionel Messi is the world’s most valuable player, worth almost twice as much as his nearest rival, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Predicting the value of a player is not an easy feat, as like the stock exchange, the transfer market is susceptible to fluctuations. The price that clubs pay for players has rocketed over the past decade and it appears that the CIES Football Observatory’s predictions have yet to catch up with this.

In general, CIES’s analysis revealed that clubs spent 16% more on players this year than they did with players of a similar ability five years ago, confirming that their has been a general trend towards inflation. According to the

“

21

model, Angel Di Maria, David Luiz and James Rodriguez were the worst deals of the window, with their current clubs spending around 30 million euros more than they should have. Despite this, all three players have enjoyed successful starts at their respective clubs and have to a degree, lived up to their high fees.

Manchester United spent in the region of £150 million on 5 players during the transfer window. According to the data, they overspent on three of them, including Luke Shaw, Ander Herrera and Angel Di Maria. It was seen as a transfer window Manchester United had to spend significantly in, but the fact that they spent £42 million more than they should have shows that financially they were one of the biggest losers this summer.

The model also showed that English club, Chelsea, faired the best in the transfer window, under-paying for Francesc

The transfer window is always a matter of debate for the news media, with opinions rife about whose overpaid and whose underpaid for players.

SPORTS

PERFORMANCE & TECH

22

“

ANALYZING THE TRANSFER WINDOW THROUGH DATA

The madness that surrounds transfer deadline day is just one of the hurdles that databases like CIES have to overcome Fabregas, Loic Remy and Diego Costa. The data showed that Diego Costa had an upper valuation of 54.5 million euros, whereas Chelsea only paid 40 million euros for him. The general consensus is that Fabregas and Costa were two of the standout bargains in the transfer window due to their impressive club experience and low transfer fees.

2013. The CIES model actually stated that Real Madrid paid the correct amount for him due to there only being a year left on his contract, but at £25 million, he will be considered the bargain of the window.

The CIES model showed that majority of Europe’s top clubs have, by and large, overpaid for most of their recent acquisitions.

On the surface, Manchester United have overpaid the most for their players, whilst Chelsea have probably done the best business. With the January window not far away, it will be interesting to see whether the trend towards inflation will continue.

Although Real Madrid overpaid for James Rodriguez, they probably made the coup of the window in the shape of Toni Kroos. Toni Kroos is a World Cup winner and was an integral member of a Bayern Munich side that dominated Europe in

“

In general, CIES’s analysis revealed that clubs spent 16% more on players this year than they did with players of a similar ability five years ago, confirming that their has been a general trend towards inflation

SPORTS

PERFORMANCE & TECH

ANALYZING THE TRANSFER WINDOW THROUGH DATA

“

23

Although Real Madrid overpaid for James Rodriguez, they probably made the coup of the window in the shape of Toni Kroos.

SPORTS

PERFORMANCE & TECH

VALUING THE SUPPLEMENTS MARKET WITH

ISUPP

Simon Barton | Assistant Editor

25

ISUPP

The protein supplement market has become inundated with products.

Elevating yourself above the competition is challenging, but absolutely essential for a supplement brand to survive.

The supplement market’s ‘boom’ came in 2013, when supermarkets began to promote protein shakes and bars to regular customers, telling them that it was beneficial for their diet and fitness. This marked a shift, from targeting only gym-goers in the past. It was estimated by the BBC that the sports supplement market would reach a valuation of £8 billion by 2017.

“

I wanted to see if it could genuinely make much of a difference. This is why I worked with iSupp, a sports nutrition brand that have mentioned to me before. My aim was to see what effects their products would have on me when coupled with a balanced diet and a stringent exercise plan.

My objective was to find out whether the industry was worthy of its hype.

Although iSupp’s products are excellent, I was most impressed with their ethos – their website says they are built around real people and my communications with the company certainly go a long way to prove this. They provided me with a workout plan free of charge and good solid advice about how I could incorporate their products into my diet. Their slogan is ‘Real People, Real Life, Real Results’ and that’s central to the way they interact with their customers. This approach is something that I hope all supplement brands offer, as it can be daunting to dive head first into sport science.

In total I used four products, their ‘Quantum’ protein, ‘Dual-Fuel’, an intra-workout fuel, ‘CLA’, a fat loss burner and ‘Crmono’, which are creatine capsules. I used all of them 5 times a week on workout days, whilst also maintaining a healthy diet.

I began using iSupp about six weeks ago. I have lost about 5lbs, but more importantly, about an inch around my waist.

This shows that I have lost

The supplement market’s ‘boom’ came in 2013, when supermarkets began to market protein shakes and bars at ordinary people

body fat whilst also gaining muscle.

If you haven’t tried creatine in capsule form yet, I would recommend it. I found that in powder form, it leaves a nasty aftertaste and I used to dread having it after a workout. One sticking point is that you need to take six capsules in a short period of time (3 before your workout and 3 after) and for those of you who don’t feel comfortable with tablets it could be an issue. In terms of results, I have improved all of my compound lifts by about 15KG and I am confident that creatine has been one of the vital components for this improvement. iSupp’s ‘Dual-Fuel’ is used whilst working out, it’s in powder form, and you add it to your shaker at the start of your workout. It doesn’t taste great - it has a hint of lemon, but at the same time it’s rather chemically and certainly not an enjoyable drink. It also took a considerable amount of shaking to dissolve into a drinkable form. However I do feel it has made a difference.

The area where I feel it has helped the most is my HIT training at the end of my session. In the past I have struggled to complete this due to the intensity of the weight training. With the added help of ‘Dual Fuel’, I was able to

SPORTS

PERFORMANCE & TECH

26

complete it with relative ease.

Now that I am 6 weeks into this regime, I have stepped up both the speed and the length of my HIT sessions, meaning that tangible progress has been made.

I was really impressed with the ‘Quantum’ protein, I had it in strawberry flavour and I thought it was one of the best tasting shakes I have tried.

Every 30g serving has about 24g of protein, which is good for the price. To give you an idea, cheaper products like Reflex Instant whey have about 20g, whilst more expensive brands like Optimum Platinum Hydro

ISUPP

“

whey, has 30g. It’s also virtually fat-free, which is a big plus for those of us looking to build lean muscle. I would say at £50 for 2.25KG, it’s fairly priced, not cheap but not too expensive.

The one product that iSupp sent over to me that I remain unconvinced by are the CLA tablets, I still don’t think they make much of a difference to body fat percentage and the fat I have lost has been mainly down to the hard work I have put in at the gym, the other supplements iSupp have sent me, and the diet plan they

Their slogan is ‘Real People, Real Life, Real Results’ and that’s central to the way they interact with their customers. wrote up. The tablets are also quite big and are much more difficult to swallow than their ‘Crmono’ counterparts. To add to this, they also leave a distinctive aftertaste, which the creatine doesn’t.

I was really impressed with iSupp and feel that their products are of real quality and match that of the market’s leading brands. Their products are verging on the expensive side, but at the same time I get the impression with iSupp that you’re paying for a product that has an excellent ethos at its core. I have seen real results with iSupp and will continue to use and recommend them going forward.

My work with iSupp has certainly given me an excellent insight into the sports supplement industry.

Although I did use iSupp to supplement an exercise routine and a diet plan geared towards putting on muscle, I don’t

SPORTS

PERFORMANCE & TECH

ISUPP

27

think that its use has to be designated to that. It improved my recovery period, and this would equally apply to cardio workouts.

Up until a few years ago, there was definitely a blurring of the lines between steroids and supplements. Supplement companies insisted on putting all their products in black tubs with intimidating red titles, which put a lot of people off.

Many of them recognized this and have done their utmost to make their products as accessible as possible. With this in mind, I think it’s very feasible to expect the market value of supplements to reach its target by 2017.

Up until a few years back, there was definitely a blurring between the lines of steroids and supplements.

SPORTS

PERFORMANCE & TECH

28

SPORTS TECH REVIEW

H C E T S T R SPO

REVIEW

APPS | RUNNING TRAINERS | WATCHES & WEARABLES | CYCLING

Coaches Eye App There have been many new apps that attempt to ‘coach’ you without the need for a coach. Some with more success than others and many requiring heart rate monitors or other additional equipment.

Coaches Eye manages to bridge this gap, allowing for effective comparison in technique and style, meaning that players, strokes and stances can be emulated.

The app allows the user to film themselves conducting an

SPORTS

PERFORMANCE & TECH

action (kicking, tennis swing, even simply running) and compare their movement to others. I personally compared my forehand to Grigor Dimitrov’s (it was not the same) but by trying to emulate the angle, it was possible for me to see how I could do it by placing the two video clips side by side. I could also play them at the same speeds, including super-slow-mo, meaning that even small movements could be seen.

The app includes most sports, although some sports are more featured than others.

This is unsurprising given the community basis where the videos are mainly uploaded by other users.

Overall, I was impressed with the app, it will only improve in future as they get more video.

That said, it would definitely benefit from having more videos from those playing at the very top of their sport.

SPORTS TECH REVIEW | RUNNING TRAINERS

Nike, Pegasus 31 FIT The fit on these trainers is unparalleled to any I have tried before. Without pinch, rubbing or pressure on any one part of my feet, they have fitted like a sock from my first run.

There was no need to wear them in or adjust in order to break them for my feet. This, especially for me (who has relatively abnormal feet and have historically struggled with previous Nike trainers) is a revelation.

COMFORT Having been a runner for several years and always appreciating the comfort of a good pair of trainers, I thought that they had reached a level across the board where all trainers were relatively equal.

The Pegasus 31’s have altered this, setting a new benchmark for comfort. The lack of inner seams, moveable tongues or the need to over-tighten the

laces has meant that Nike have created what is the most comfortable trainer I have ever worn.

CUSHIONING The comfort of these trainers comes as much from the soles as it does from the uppers, which in turn has made for a very cushioned run. As somebody who prefers to have more of a feel of the road when running, these would not necessarily be my choice.

The 10mm drop represents a significant cushion, but compared to other cushioned trainers that I have tried, I could realistically see myself using these for the long haul.

The cushioning should not be taken as a negative however, as I mentioned above, they are the most comfortable I have ever worn and my opinion is based on personal preference.

VENTILATION The ventilation of these is fantastic, letting air flow freely without the feeling you sometimes get that you will tear the trainers in half

29

if you graze a wall. I had these trainers sent to me before heading to Italy where the temperatures were witheringly hot. In other trainers, this would have been a major issue, but in these, despite my feet getting sweaty, I did not feel the need to instantly remove them when finishing to cool off my feet.

Even just walking around in them on a windy day, you can really feel the way the air flows effortlessly through the uppers and around the feet. The engineers have done a good job of allowing the passage of air through the shoes and this has allowed for much improved comfort levels.

QUALITY AND APPEARANCE Nike have always been able to create great looking footwear and the Pegasus 31’s are certainly no exception. With them being offered in a range of attractive regular colour schemes, Nike are also offering them in their increasingly popular ID, allowing for customers to build their own trainers in the colours and designs they want. The attractiveness of these in ID is much down to the individual, but from the stock colours alone they are fantastic looking trainers.

SPORTS

PERFORMANCE & TECH

30

SPORTS TECH REVIEW | RUNNING TRAINERS

On, Cloudsurfer Trainer COMFORT

HEAT MANAGEMENT

Very comfortable, has quite a wide design so feet are not squashed when running. Good ankle support, quite high at the back which is very comfy. Arches feel supported. Nice long laces, so no danger of coming loose. Extremely comfy to run in.

As most of the front of the shoe is mesh, heat management is very good. I did not get especially hot feet whilst running even in mile 12 of a half marathon.

CUSHIONING Really effective cushioning by the ‘springs’ on the base. Took a little time to get used to but once I was acclimatised I felt a real push back when running. It was the strongest feature of the trainer. I especially liked how it works on the heel as it softens the blow to feet when you hit the ground, it really allowed my style of running to maintain fluidity.

STYLE I tried the purple model and I enjoyed the two tone colour design. It was a low key design, that looked stylish. With that said, they could definitely benefit from some high visibility elements for night running.

SPORTS

PERFORMANCE & TECH

QUALITY Impressively well made shoe. The stitching felt strong and the soles were sturdy. As this was a limited review, I would like to see how long the ‘springs’ lasted and maintained their bounce, but I had no problems with them in the month of reviewing.

SPORTS TECH REVIEW | RUNNING TRAINERS

31

New Balance, Fresh Foam I have been a keen runner for around a year but still have failed to find a trainer than I feel comfortable in. I have however spoken to a number of people who have found New Balance to be an excellent running partner so I was intrigued to get them on and start running.

The Fresh Foam 980 is quite a retro trainer. They are mainly black, but sandwiched between a fluorescent sole and tongue, which is a bold look. There are quite a few colours to choose from, but the retro theme seems to remain throughout.

The shoe is cushioned well, I wouldn’t say it’s any more cushioned than other similar models like Brooks ‘Transcend’, but it has a bouncy resilience that makes the soft sole very effective. Having said this, I would say the shoe would probably come into its own when it’s used by someone who is of a small build, I felt that at times the shoe didn’t cope with my larger frame overly well. It also has a no-sew upper, which allows for really good flexibility both on the road and off.

For the price (around $110) the Fresh Foam’s are definitely a good option for lighter athletes. It has a really nice tread pattern and a good running partner for those looking for a trainer that doesn’t break the bank.

SPORTS

PERFORMANCE & TECH

32

SPORTS TECH REVIEW | WATCHES & WEARABLES

Tissot Solar Touch Watch My first impression of the Tissot Solar watch was its size; it’s a big watch. It also has quite a large metal strap, which I didn’t care for too much, but having had a browse online it seems that you can get a textile one if that’s more your style.

If you can get past its size, it’s an impressive and light watch, utiliziling its titanium body well.

The dial is impressive whilst not being overly flashy. Tissot have kept to a simple design that sees the digital display take up the bottom half whilst the top half consists of a carbon pattern that allows solar rays to be caught, which are what power the watch. The hands are also clear as they are white, on a black background. There isn’t a second hand, instead the minute hand moves every 20 seconds.

The watch really comes into its own with its functions – there are 25 functions in total that include a compass, a weather predictor and an altitude reader. Particular praise should go to the compass. I used it a few times when hiking and it has an authenticity that is often lost with other models from other brands.

SPORTS

PERFORMANCE & TECH

The T-Touch line is known for being tactile as you operate the watch primarly through its touch technology. As there is no ‘mode’ button, it’s a case of getting to know the watches interface, which although is daunting to begin with, becomes easy with practice; just expect to do a bit of erratic tapping before it becomes second nature.

The latest T-touch is not a watch for those of us overly concerned with style, which will disappoint their Swiss manufacturer. It is however a watch that you’d want on you if you were stuck on a desert island, its many functions and lack of batteries make it a hikers dream.

SPORTS TECH REVIEW | WATCHES & WEARABLES

33

UP24 Having reviewed several fitness devices including the big three (Nike, Fitbit and Jawbone) I was interested in trying out the UP24, the second iteration of the Jawbone Up.

DESIGN As with the original UP, the UP24 is beautifully designed and doesn’t have the ‘you’re wearing a fitness tracker’ that you tend to get with other brands. It looks like a well designed bracelet, something that doesn’t instantly draw attention to what it actually is. It is the same mark of simplicity that benefitted the original.

With a hard rubber exterior, complete with a ridged design on the top, it could easily be mistaken for a regular bracelet but for the silver button at one end and the silver Jawbone cap at the other. Rather than having a clasp mechanism, the band simply wraps round the wrist with slightly flexible sides that allow it to be worn.

COMFORT One of the aspects of fitness trackers that has been well documented is their perceived lack of comfort. From Fitbit’s rumoured issues with allergies on the skin to Nike’s bulky design, all seem to have some kind of downside.

The UP24 does not suffer from these issues. It allows for users to wear it all day every day, without any skin irritation or inconvenience with its size. I have written for extended periods of time with the band on and had no real issues with it.

USABILITY One of the dangers of second generations of successful products is that they can become convoluted and crowded with features. The Nike Fuelband for instance now has a complex tagging system and others have tried to add features that are more complicated than useful.

The UP24 keeps things simple, with one button on the device itself and a very easy interface on the app.

One of the issues with the previous UP was the lack of bluetooth connectivity, meaning that in order to upload information you needed to plug the band into your phone. The UP24 has included this additional connectivity with its latest model through bluetooth, meaning that viewing the data is simple.

newer generations. It allows you to manually add in sleep tracking but also log it with a simple press of the button on the band. The simplicity of use has always been one of Jawbone’s strengths and it’s good to see that this hasn’t changed.

The UP24 continues the legacy of effective simplicity that the UP started. It maintains the technically impressive aspects such as sleep tracking and accurate activity tracking, whilst looking stylish and allowing for freedom of movement and use in a variety of situations.

The app is also very intuitive and offers all of the features that are expected, being able to log activities and sleep, but without the abrasive necessity that some others have put on

SPORTS

PERFORMANCE & TECH

34

SPORTS TECH REVIEW | BIKES

Rapha Pro-Team Race Cape At ÂŁ230 for what is essentially a raincoat, I thought to myself that although it was of the highest quality, there was no way that a coat could merit that price.

Luckily, as Rapha have a tendency to do, they have proven me totally wrong. This jacket is worth every penny.

I tested the cape whilst cycling in Wales on a wet and windy October morning alongside a group of riders with slightly cheaper, but still high quality coats. Whilst they came in after a three hour slog around the Welsh Valleys both soaked from the rain and their own sweat, I came in dry and comfortable.

The jacket manages to stay completely waterproof and windproof with fully taped seams and three-ply laminate fabric developed exclusively for Rapha.

I have managed to wear it in sustained light rain for hours at a time and in short but vicious downpours and it has managed to keep me completely dry.

Despite its impressive stopping power from the elements it easily

SPORTS

PERFORMANCE & TECH

fits into the back pocket of a jersey, making it ideal for the autumn, with the heat of one minute and rain of the next.

Overall, I cannot recommend this jacket highly enough. It will last for years (I came off whilst wearing it and there have been no marks or scratches left after a wash) and is well worth the extra investment.

35

SPORTS TECH REVIEW | BIKES

Wahoo I was given the Wahoo Rflkt, Blue SC and TICKR Run, completing a good fitness tracking suite of technology. I predominantly used the tech for cycling, although I did utilise the TICKR Run whilst running too.

BLUE SC

RFLKT

TICKR RUN

The Blue SC is the speed and cadence sensor element of the suite. The magnets are impressively thought out and allow for flexibility of use.

For instance, rather than the traditional small magnet and zip ties for the crank arm, it provides a band with the magnet embedded within it. As somebody who has a recess in their crank arms for weight saving, this was invaluable.

The RFLKT is a simple cycle computer screen that attaches to your phone, meaning that it can display the very powerful information that a smartphone can collect, without the need to have sensors in it itself.

At Sports Performance & Tech, we have used a significant number of heart rate sensors and so know when to spot a good one. This is certainly in that category.

The actual unit looks similar to those you would find with traditional cycle computers and fits well next to the wheel. The bluetooth connection from it is also very impressive, I have used it for most of my strava runs over the past month and have found that measurements are very similar to those used on my much more expensive ant+ sensors. This suggests no loss of connection to my phone.

Overall, the Blue SC ticks all the right boxes for a speed/cadence sensor. I would certainly consider using it as a good bluetooth or ant+ sensor.

I particularly liked the editable screens, colour schemes and button layouts. It made customisation easy and convenient for training. If one day I wanted to monitor my cadence and my speed on another, I could make sure that I had the most important information displayed in the most prominent positions.

This makes the RFLKT a very useful cycle computer, but I found that with the model I had, that it lost bluetooth connection. Unlike the Blue SC where the connection was unwavering the RFKLT would lose connection midway through rides and would leave me blind to my information until I checked the app when I returned.

The ability to track cadence, form and contact time is a great addition that makes wearing it worthwhile to wear as a cheststrap. Whilst wearing this I decided to also wear my heart rate monitoring watch and the two measurements were more or less equal.

This accuracy combined with the additional analytics available, make this the best heart rate strap that we have used.

This was frustrating but from what I have seen, perhaps a flaw in my particular unit rather than the product line overall.

SPORTS

PERFORMANCE & TECH

Email cgomez@theiegroup.com for more information