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Former English soccer coach suggests fatigue could be reason for lack of success in international tournaments

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International soccer fans are already counting down to the world’s most watched sporting event; FIFA’s 2014 World Cup. The four-year build up to the tournament is huge, and failure to perform can lead to great disappointment for coaches, players, sponsors and fans. Players will train hard and play hard, but will that be enough? Former England national coach, Fabio Capello, recently spoke with FIFA.com about the team’s lack of success on the international stage. In the interview, he suggested that English soccer players were simply tired:

“…They’re the least fresh of any of the competing national sides, because their league doesn’t have a break.” He says, continuing to add: “It’s like when you’re driving a car: if you stop halfway to put fuel in then you’ll definitely get where you want to go, but if you don’t then there’s always the chance you’ll be running on empty before you reach your goal.”

A recent article on Sportpulse.net cites the interview, supporting Capello’s claim by adding:

“In the past, top Premier League managers such as Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger have spoken about the need for a winter break. They believe that the lack of a break hampers English teams in the latter stages of the Champions League, as well as for international tournaments.”

The writer goes on to suggest that “…perhaps England need to do away with their packed winter schedule of games and find space for a winter break. Otherwise, as Capello says, they will always find themselves handicapped heading into a tournament.”

But what if a ‘winter break’ isn’t a feasible solution for England’s players? Better analysis and a look at their scheduling could provide a real solution to optimizing the team’s performance at tournament time. Fatigue Science’s Readiband and FAST (fatigue avoidance scheduling tool) is the only scientifically validated technology to do just that.

National soccer programs, olympic committees, the national hockey league, the national football league and Australian football league are already using Fatigue Science’s Readibands and FAST to reduce fatigue and improve player performance – maybe the English national soccer team should too?

The importance of sleep for professional athletes

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We often mistake sleep and fatigue to only effect those working shift work , but recent articles in the news have bought to light the importance of sleep in sports for professional athletes.

In the last week we have seen the spotlight being put on Wimbledon, where we learnt that the key to both Andy Murray and Marion Batoli’s recent victories was managing sleep and adding additional z’s into their daily routines. More recently, the press has highlighted the Indian cricket team’s demanding touring and playing schedule and the importance of sleep and recovery for Tour de France riders.

Fatigue can have serious effects on professional athletes performance and can reduce injury and recovery periods. However, measuring, managing and mitigating athlete fatigue can be hard.

In the news:

New Readiband features allow players to see when they need to sleep

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What was the key to Marion Bartoli’s recent win at Wimbledon? A 30-minute nap just before her match. Coaches, management and players all know the importance of sleep on recovery and performance. If sufficient sleep is not included in a training program then regeneration cannot occur and performance of the players plateaus.

But how do you ensure players are getting enough sleep when it counts the most?

New features on our scientifically validated Readiband watch allow players to track their real-time effectiveness scores and see in real-time how many hours until they need to sleep. The Readiband also collects aggregated sleep data to help athletes and sports organizations review and understand how fatigue is affecting their performance on a daily and hourly basis. The data can then be used as a proactive strategy for sports teams to ensure players attain adequate sleep for peak performance at game time.

By measuring sleep data using the Readiband sports organizations can:

  • Maximize player readiness
  • Boost player performance
  • Decrease recovery time and promote healing
  • Optimize travel schedules to reduce the effects of jet lag
  • Increase player durability while boosting health and morale
  • Reduce fatigue related injuries

Readiband has been used by some of the world’s leading sports organizations, including the Vancouver Canucks.