, and others, by determining what collegiate athletes are consuming during training and what their knowledge-base is regarding proper hydration.įifteen collegiate athletes from Merrimack College (NCAA Division I (ice hockey) and II (all other sports)) were recruited for this randomized, crossover study. We also sought to contribute to the findings of Torres-McGehee et al. Here, athletic performance is defined by several metrics: heart rate recovery, anaerobic power, and attention and awareness following a moderate to hard training session of at least 45-min in duration. In light of these findings, the purpose of this investigation was to determine whether a prescribed hydration plan that considers both fluid and sodium loss, improves the athletic performance of collegiate athletes engaged in a variety of sports. Overall, the research indicates that the sports performance of many athletes are likely being hindered by substandard hydration habits. This is exacerbated by the fact that a majority of athletes begin training or competition in a somewhat dehydrated state. Unfortunately, when athletes rely on a sense of thirst alone, they do not voluntarily drink enough fluid to prevent the occurrence of dehydration during exercise. Research has also indicated that a majority of athletes have a tendency to rely on a sense of thirst to inform them of when they should be drinking fluids during training sessions and competitions. A more recent analysis by Abbey et al., showed similar findings when collegiate athletes scored an average of 55% on a nutrition knowledge assessment. A study by Torres-McGehee and colleagues found that when 185 athletes were assessed on their knowledge of hydration and intake of micro and macronutrients, only 9% of them exhibited adequate knowledge in these areas of nutrition. Compounded with this, is past research, which has shown that athletes seldom have a thorough understanding of what they should be drinking, how much they should be drinking, or how often they should be drinking. This prompts the question of whether it is worthwhile to create a hydration plan tailored to the individual athlete or if a more universal strategy is adequate. Based on these numbers, many commercially available sports drinks do not supply enough sodium to replace the amount lost through sweat for many athletes. In a convenience sample of 500 athletes, Baker et al., determined fluid and sodium losses through training to range from 0.3–5.7 L. However, there is no one universal hydration strategy that athletes can utilize to mitigate dehydration-associated performance declines because each individual sweats at a different rate and loses a unique amount of sodium through this sweat. Hydration beverages that replace both fluid and electrolytes lost through sweat have been employed over the last several decades, as evident with the widely available commercial sports drink market. Additionally, inadequate replacement of sodium, the predominant electrolyte lost through sweat, is thought to exacerbate the decline of these factors. Athletes who lose as little as 1–2% of their body mass through sweat loss exhibit an increase in heart rate, core temperature, muscle glycogen use, as well as a decrease in cardiac output, cognitive awareness, anaerobic power, and time to exhaustion. We are taking 45 minutes session every day after lunch and players are enjoying it," she said.Suboptimal hydration strategies during training and competition are well known to reduce athletic performance through increased physiological stress. "We know our strengths and weaknesses and now with the help of NeuroTracker, we are getting that mental strength. India captain Rani Rampal feels that the team does not lack in skills and stamina but they need to work on their mental strength. "NeuroTracker helps to raise athletes level of situational awareness and decision-making abilities on the field," he added.
Initially, the balls come with slow speed but gradually speed is accelerated," said Dr Pralay Majumdar, Head of Sports Science at SAI, Banglore. When all the balls stop moving, click on those targets with your mouse.
These are your targets and you have to track them as they move.
"This is a 3D program in which you'll see eight balls of green colours. The same program is used by top hockey and basketball teams as well. US soccer has also tested more than 7,000 youth players on it since 2014.
#NEUROTRACKER GOLF INSTALL#
NeuroTracker program has spread to more than 550 elite training facilities around the globe, representing a vast and diverse sporting landscape.Įnglish Premier League clubs like Manchester United have spent huge amounts to install a NeuroTracker setup in its facility. It is helping in decision making, concentration and improving reflexes also," he added.
"They have been given sessions on a daily basis for last two months and results are encouraging especially for goal keepers and penalty corner specialists.