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Maidstone manager Hakan Hayrettin is embracing sports technology - having previously had his doubts.
The Stones recently introduced GPS tracking vests into training and matches and it’s opened Hayrettin’s eyes to all sorts of useful information.
He’s always been happy to trust his own judgement but the technology offers clear benefits, from precise data on player performance to tailoring training to keep the squad in peak condition.
“I’ve been sceptical about it in the past because you know what the naked eye sees,” said Hayrettin.
“But it will give you the variants of the actual sprints, the loads that they do and I think it’s very important, especially being position-specific.
“The analysts we’ve got at our club know the way we play so they know how much distance the right-back or the left-back should be covering, or the midfield players.
“I’ve been surprised. I look at Charlie Seaman and think he isn’t really putting a lot in but he’s always up there in the charts.
“You get to know your players and what they’re going to give you but the technology does help.
“I stood next to David Pleat one day when I was at Luton and he said, ‘I don’t really need that because my eyes can see everything.’
“He’s right but the detail they give you is quite specific.
“So you could see, for instance, the right-back or the left-back, how many sprints they’ve made, how many times they’ve excelled beyond a certain time to get past someone, so that is quite important.
“You can then sit down with the individual and say, ‘Look, you’ve done this five times, you’ve gone past him, why have you stopped?’ and it will say this is the speed you’ve reached in doing it.
“When we see their loads, we may have to adjust training and take it easy to get them back up for Saturday. We don’t want to overload them and that does help.
“Individuals will get you X amount of points, the team will get you X amount of points, your team spirit, personalities and characters will get you X amount of points, your physio will get you X amount of points, and I think the logistics side of this can help as well."
The GPS vests are provided by South Korean company Fitogether, who work with more than 100 clubs in the world.
