Why Do Soccer Players Wear Bras?

On TV or on the pitch, you may be asking yourself, “why do soccer players wear bras?” In this case, we are referring to male soccer players.

Women have worn specialized sports bras for many years, but as the years have passed, the number of men wearing sports bras has also gradually increased.

In this article, we’ll talk about why soccer players wear bras, what exactly they are and the advantages of wearing one.

Just a teaser…they aren’t male bras 😉

What Is a Sports Bra in Soccer?

The “sports bra” you see soccer players wearing isn’t really clothing, despite what the name suggests. They are sports vests designed to store GPS trackers inside them.

Most of the reason these pieces of gear fit so well is that there is a hidden pod in the back of the vest that collects all the statistical data needed to make important decisions based on how the player is performing in real-time.

The vests also include accelerometers and gyroscopes that track how quickly players accelerate and decelerate during physical activity, in addition to the more fundamental performance metrics that are monitored, such as speed, heart rate, and distance traveled.

The GPS tracking device keeps track of a player’s stats and movements. This information is then sent to a software dashboard that can be viewed on a computer, tablet, or even a smartwatch.

Why Do Players Need This Real-Time Tracking?

Now that you know what it is, you should know that soccer players don’t just put on these vests to look good.

Let’s explore what data these tools may gather and how they influence professional and youth soccer teams‘ decision-making.

Monitoring Performance Results

Teams now put a lot of emphasis on how much ground their players can cover. This is because pressing strategies, which force players to run all the time, have become an important part of soccer tactics as they have grown.

These GPS tracker vests may monitor a range of performance indicators, including:

• Top speed
• Heart rate
• Acceleration
• Distance traveled
• Calories burnt

However, there are still many more data points to consider!

These statistics are gathered while players run on the field and provide coaches with a far more complete picture of how physically prepared they are for competition.

Controlling the Amount of Training

In a similar vein, coaches may modify physical training programs for certain players using the performance indicators offered by these trackers.

For instance, a club team’s coach may choose to compile player data over a specific time frame before determining how much training time to provide.

The vests provide coaches with a complete view of each player’s development.

Rehabilitation Management After Injury

The use of these vests during a player’s injury recovery is another circumstance in which they are beneficial.

Competitive soccer players have such a strong desire to return to the pitch that they sometimes risk their own recovery by asking to play sooner than expected.

And this is the issue that these GPS vests address. Imagine that a player is assigned a goal during a session of rehabilitation that requires them to run 5 miles. When the vest is worn, the pod will track their distance as well as the amount of energy they used to get there.

Since these pieces of equipment can track how hard a player is exerting themselves, they are particularly suitable because a key component of rehabilitation is restricting explosive movements so that body components like bones, ligaments, and tendons can naturally recover.

Finally, this may be an important factor in preventing injury reoccurrence.

The Next Generation of Sports Tracking Devices

As sports technology keeps improving, it will be fascinating to see how long GPS tracker vests will continue to be the best option.

Even though it is incredibly revolutionary in many respects, few youth soccer organizations have fully embraced it. Although there is little room to cut additional weight, technology may be improved in other ways in the future.

In my humble opinion, this technology will continue to get more advanced and accurate. The GPS tracking devices will get smaller (like the Playermaker) but, in the meantime, GPS soccer vests will continue to be adopted by more players and coaches.