The Indian National football team have embraced the use of the GPS Player Tracking System during training, which is used internationally, as a part of enhancing the players' performances.
The national team are currently undergoing preparations at the DSK Dream City, Pune, ahead of the friendly against Nepal at the Balewadi Stadium on Monday. The match is a warm-up for the mega clash against Iran in the Russia 2018 World Cup pre-qualifier on 8 September.
Sports Scientist Danny Deigan has been roped in by national team coach Stephen Constantine to give the players a much-needed boost in their training regime and monitor the overall fitness levels of the team.
"The way the game is going at the moment, it's pertinent that you have every possible piece of information in your hand to evaluate the Players, both mentally and physically," Constantine spoke to the AIFF web portal.
"The game has reached new levels of expertise and now we can monitor the Players while they are in training, as to how they do it and how long they do it. It's invaluable in identifying a Player's capabilities from the physiological point of view," the British coach added.
Prevention of injury is one of the key aspects of keeping the team in good shape for a long time, and Deigan, who has worked in the National Institute for Sports in Australia, and has an excellence in the field of sports science, explained: "From now on, we will be using them in every training session, even during matches.
"FIFA approved them [the GPS systems] two months ago to be used during the match. It just needs to be approved by the Match Commissioner a day prior to the match," Deigan added.
"From the conditioning point of view it will make drills a lot more specific. I know how to supplement Football drills to make sure the Players are best prepared for the International standard. The trackers will facilitate injury prevention," he stated.
"It's also about seeing where the players are at the moment. We can see the maximum speeds which they have attained, their heart rates, speeds at which they work, and understand where they stand at the Global level."
"Our Players cover a lot of distance but it's not at the same intensity you will see in International Football and in higher Leagues. That's something we will be working towards in the Camp," Deigan said.
The GPS systems are worn by the players inside their jerseys during matches.
