Getting started with PlayerTek: FAQs

PlayerTek has the potential to transform the way you manage the preparation and performance of your team. Before you get started, however, you may want to learn more about the technology the system uses and how you can begin to use it to inform decisions around your coaching strategy.

How does PlayerTek work?

PlayerTek consists of small wearable devices worn unobtrusively underneath a player’s jersey between the shoulderblades for optimum GPS signal. The devices record every form of athlete movement, all of which is stored on the internal flash drive for post-session analysis when synched to the cloud-based analysis software. .

What’s inside each device?

Inside each device is an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a gyroscope, a microprocessor, a powerful battery and a GPS tracking engine. The accelerometer measures acceleration forces and impacts, the magnetometer measures athlete direction, the gyroscope detects orientation, and the microprocessor records the data.

How do I explain what PlayerTek is to my team?

As a coach, PlayerTek enables you to see how hard each player is working. If a player isn’t hitting their usual numbers, then you can open up lines of communication to help them understand their performance and improve.

How can PlayerTek help me win games?

PlayerTek ensures that your team is training according to the plans you’ve set. Quantifying performance and pushing players to improve themselves, PlayerTek gives teams more confidence in their capabilities and ensures your players are fully prepared to meet the demands of your next match.

Which metrics should I monitor as I start with PlayerTek?

Distance covered, sprint distance and top speed are the key metrics to look out for as you start to get to grips with PlayerTek. These give the best insights into the volume and intensity of training and can help you to set performance benchmarks for each player in your team. More detailed measures are available as you get more comfortable with the software.

How long do I need before the data can start informing my decisions?

The motivation for collecting data is to answer your own performance questions. The more data you have, the more questions you can answer. It’s not advisable to make major decisions based on small datasets, but you can start to manage trends as they appear. By making small corrections informed by the patterns you see in the data, you can recalibrate as you go. The value starts from day one and goes up exponentially the more you use it.

For more information, visit our page dedicated to PlayerTek.

Latest Product Update: Vector Core

Today, Catapult launches Vector Core, an affordable solution designed specifically for academies and teams alike.

Using best-in-class hardware and technology, Vector Core is an intuitive, user-friendly, and highly effective athlete monitoring solution that provides teams with limited resources the data and insights previously only accessible to advanced teams. 

→ Click here to invest in Vector Core and take your team’s performance to the next level.