British Disability Swimming at Cutting edge of Sport Technology
British Disability Swimming has been actively involved within the development of a new water-proof heart rate telemetry system which looks set to revolutionise the world of swimming coaching.
British Disability Swimming provides support for the athletes and coaches on the World Class Pathway through their High Performance Science Team, which includes professionals from the English Institute of Sport (EIS), the National Governing Body and Higher Education.
The High Performance Science Team, led by Performance Scientist Cath Gilby, have been working alongside an Italian-based company, Hosand, to develop a water resistant 'real-time' heart rate monitor.
The system that Hosand developed for dry-land training allows the heart rates of up to 32 athletes to be viewed on a laptop during one training session and 18 months ago EIS North West Physiology Technician Paul Barratt working alongside Hosand began developing a way of waterproofing the system.
In June this year Hosand, with the findings from British Disability Swimming, developed a new system that would work entirely under water.
With the final preparations for the Beijing Paralympic Games underway, British Disability Swimming tested the new system for three weeks which provided the opportunity to look at it with a number of different athletes during a number of different training sessions.
GB Head Coach Lars Humer has already seen the huge impact that this system could have on swimming coaching.
"Finally science and technology has met the coaching demand. For years swim coaches have known the value of being able to monitor heart rate during swim repetitions. Monitoring in real-time rather than retrospectively will help coaches to advance swim performance."
British Disability Swimming will become one of the first teams in the world to order the 32-user system and the NGB has already got plans for the device when they return from the Beijing Paralympic Games. Work with the system will include optimisation of training sets during home programme visits with athletes on the World Class Programme.
National Performance Director for British Disability Swimming Tim Reddish added: "The High Performance Science Team is involved in a number of cutting edge projects. This new heart rate system will play a major role in the physiological support provided to British Disability Swimming through to London 2012 and beyond."
