Viper System set to revolutionise rugby league coaching
Irish company STATSports has announced a new partnership with the RFL, with their new Viper System set to revolutionise the way Super League teams collect stats.
The Dundalk-based company assert that the Viper System is “the most innovative performance monitoring and analysis software available on the market.”
It allows teams to monitor players on a daily basis, providing details about player outputs and training loads. This should help clubs assess which players are more likely to be susceptible to injuries.
“We are extremely proud to be assisting all 12 teams in this year’s Super League,” general manager of STATSports, Paul Johnson said.
“The restructuring of the competitions means that these are really exciting times for rugby league and we are delighted that our Viper system will play an integral role in helping teams achieve success throughout a grueling season.”
The Viper System uses the so-called Viper Pod to collect data. This is one of the world’s most effective performance monitoring systems, used by many teams in a variety of sports across the globe.
It is used by the Premier League, NFL, NBA and La Liga, and also played a part in the 2014 football World Cup.
Athletes wear a pod, and it can collect both training and matchday data, which it then streams live in real-time via Viper Live Streaming software. All data is logged for a post-session download and further analysis.
An unobtrusive device, it is capable of providing data for every single second of a player’s entire training and playing season.
The pods are ergonomically designed to fit a player’s back, and fits into specially designed Viper base layers, so that it can be easily worn while playing or training.
Each Viper Pod contains several components which alllow it to function so effectively. There are four processors which gather data, while a GPS module tracks the player’s geographical progress.
Other components include a 3-D accelerometer, a 3-D gyroscope, 3-D digital compass, a long range radio and a heart rate receiver.
These components log data at a rate of up to 100Hz and stream data at over 50Hz.
The Viper system both samples and processes GPS data at 10Hz using the latest generation of GPS chipset.
The data is available at 10Hz over live streaming and at 10Hz for subsequent download and post session analysis.
The manufacturers assert that their Viper system is the only GPS system that provides true 10Hz GPS data over live streaming (real-time).
The device is intended to be as user-friendly as possible, with its interface designed and shaped with help from some of the world’s top coaches and medical professionals.
It also offers sports specific software, which can help coaches fine tune their analysis, using criteria which are relevant to their own sport.
With technology playing an ever-greater role in rugby league performance management, the information gathered will help coaches shape training to make players fitter, faster and better.
“The Viper system is the ultimate tool for ensuring that players are kept in peak physical condition over the course of a season,” Johnson added.
“Managers and coaches receive meaningful data instantly about individual players, which allows for full analysis of their individual performance.”