Over the past year we have conducted a number of impactful projects that have driven the welfare and performance of the athletes using the system, from mini projects with clubs focusing on returning athletes to play through to large scientific investigations to provide recommendations to make the sports we work in safer.
At the forefront of all of this work is the athletes and clubs using the system and the key role our Sport Scientists play in the interpretation of the data provided by the PROTECHT system. We as Sport Scientists help facilitate the ‘bridging of the gap’ between understanding of the data and practical application and interventions on these from which meaningful insight is extracted. Over the last few newsletters we have outlined how our Sport Scientists achieve this in the clubs they work at by outlining their day to day roles, outlining their development and processes they have undertaken throughout the year. With the conclusion of the calendar season for a number of our clients and clubs it is an excellent time to discuss the philosophy which drives SWA Sport Scientists and the key fundamentals of the PROTECHT system. These are the three factors that we feel distinguish our work above all other competitors.
Pillar 1: Valid and reliable
The PROTECHT system has been validated and peer reviewed independently to the very highest level to ensure our users had absolute certainty regarding the accuracy of the data. To allow a deeper level of analysis PROTECHT, reports a full wave formation for each impact which has allowed our Sport Scientists to calibrate the system to the individual demands of each sport and allowed the automatic removal of false and non-contact instances, ensuring the data reported is clean, calibrated to a specific activity and rapidly available and applicable.
Pillar 2: Underpinned with scientific knowledge
Applying scientific research and principles to determine practical outcomes and insights from the data generated by the PROTECHT system is critical to all that we do. Above all else, PROTECHT uses data in new and exciting ways that can impact materially on both athlete safety and welfare but also on individual and team performance. Whilst there is limited literature available in this field as our technology is new, there are philosophies in the physical demands of sport which can be applied to the head impact data. SWA use existing research and apply it to contact and head impact in a new and innovative way, never before possible and as such we lead the thinking in this area.
Pillar 3: End User Focused
It is crucial that all of the technology and the insights developed are focused on the athlete and their coach and our solution delivers answers to their real-life problems. Our Sport Scientists work in partnership with federations, teams or individual athletes to ensure data delivers to the exact needs of the individual programme. The PROTECHT system also has the ability to bring together multiple data sources collected from other devices or processes to allow full cross analysis in a quick and straightforward manner.
