What a University of Louisiana Experiment Revealed About Merging Live GPS Data and Recovery Tech

To conduct their experiment, the Ragin Cajun’s sports medicine staff used several determining factors, and identified two football student athletes from each of the following position groups, to act as subjects in the study: 

• Quarterbacks
• Running Backs
• Wide Receivers
• Offensive Line
• Tight Ends
• Defensive Line
• Linebackers
• Defensive Backs

Once the players were chosen, they were equipped with Firefly devices that were worn on the leg, while the KINEXON Sports wearables were tucked into a football vest.

The experiment was led by Chris Litt, M.Ed., LAT, ATC, Assoc. Dir. of Sports Medicine / Head Football Athletic Trainer and Andrew Thebner, MS, LAT, ATC, Assist. Dir. of Sports / Assist. Football Athletic Trainer. 

They set out to investigate whether the Firefly Recovery Device could positively influence an athlete’s recovery process.

To conduct their study, Litt and Thebner implemented the following criteria to help choose the student athletes who would take part in the experiment: 

1. High Work Output: Athletes with a consistently high work output during Organized Team Activities (OTA) practices were chosen. The KINEXON PERFORM GPS Pro tracking system helped identify those who consistently pushed themselves to the limit. 
2. Similar Recovery Habits: The experiment’s design ensured that the selected athletes had comparable recovery habits. This consistency allowed for a fair comparison between subjects. 
3. No Current Injuries: Only athletes without existing injuries were included. This eliminated potential confounding factors. 
4. Compliance: Athletes who were likely to comply with the Firefly Recovery Device usage were prioritized. 

The experiment spanned two weeks. During the first week, all athletes participated in their usual activities without anyone wearing the Firefly Recovery Device. This served as the baseline. 

In the second week, one athlete from each position group wore the Firefly Recovery Device, while the other acted as the control and did not use it. Data was meticulously collected during both weeks.

To assess performance, the staff relied on live data from the KINEXON PERFORM GPS Pro tracking system. Four key metrics were analyzed:

1. Max Speed: The highest speed achieved by each athlete during practice sessions. 
2. % of Max Speed: The percentage of an athlete’s overall maximum speed attained during practice. 
3. Acceleration (Max): How rapidly an athlete could increase their velocity. 
4. Metabolic Power per Mass (Max): A measure of the energy expended during acceleration and deceleration movements. 

“KINEXON live GPS has been an essential tool to help us track and learn more about the effectiveness of both the recovery tools we utilize and our athlete’s recovery habits on their performance,” Thebner said.