Coaches at the 2012 Olympic Games in London have harnessed a new set of tools to land a coveted spot on the podium mobile apps.
Gymnastics, diving and swimming coaches are using apps to analyze form, execution and timing to improve performance.
John
Geddert, head coach of the U.S. women's gymnastics team and personal
coach of Olympian Jordyn Wieber, likes SwingReader and Coach's Eye, apps
available for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, to record gymnasts'
routines and play them back in slow motion, frame-by-frame.
"You
can see form and execution errors, legs apart or knees bent," explained
Geddert, adding that the apps helped him diagnose why a gymnast at the
Olympics was not being credited for an element in a routine and make
immediate adjustments.
The U.S. swim team uses an underwater
camera to take video footage which is reviewed poolside in slow motion
with an app called VideoPix, available for iPhone and iPod Touch.
National
performance advisor Russell Mark said it helps the swimmers master
aspects of their technique such as their starts and turns.
Aaron
Dziver, one of the coaches behind Canadian synchronized diving bronze
medalists Meaghan Benfeito and Roseline Filion, is also a fan of
VideoPix.
"We can look at the actual technique we're trying to
modify in the diver and very quickly show them what they're doing and
have them try to focus on a corrected execution," he said.
The coaches also use apps to superimpose different dives on top of each other to compare differences in execution.
"Every
single country uses an iPad on deck and captures the dive as soon as
they do it," explained Drew Johansen, head coach of the US diving team.
Johansen
captures and stores an athlete's best dives in an online video library
with an app called PowerChalk. One of its benefits has been to help
athletes mentally prepare for competitions.
"The night before
while thinking about competing they'll maybe watch a playlist of the
best dives they've ever done and when they visualize competing they try
to remember those dives," he said.
Cindi Bannink, coach of US
triathlete Gwen Jorgensen and some members of the U.S cycling team,
likes the MapMyRide app, which creates and shares cycling routes.
The
US Trampoline and Tumbling team uses Instant Replay Camera, according
to program director Susan Jacobson. The app slows down routines in a
frame by frame progression.
"The ability to instantly analyze
technique has helped make corrections in day-to-day practice, but also
in last minute adjustment prior to competition," said Jacobson.
Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012