Do male soccer players wear sports bras?

At the FIFA World Cup, there’s a lot to talk about – from upsets in the tournament to impressive world-class play. Yet one of the biggest talking points online has nothing to do with the scoreboard. Instead, people on social media are asking: Do male football players wear sports bras?

The question came to a head earlier this month when Czech Republic midfielder Pavel Shulk had his jersey pulled off during a match against South Korea. A white sports bra was visible underneath. So what exactly is he wearing?

Are male soccer players wearing sports bras at the World Cup?

But as it turns out, the comfortable fit garment is not a “bra for men.” It’s actually a GPS performance-tracking vest that many professional teams use to collect data on their athletes. These metrics include top speed, sprint distance, training load and movement patterns, exercise physiologist Susanna Rainer told Outside.

“It’s more of a vest than a sports bra, because it’s not providing support in any way,” said Renner, who also founded a sports and health tech research firm. TheoryXSaid. And on world-class sports teams, high-tech wearable devices like this are pretty standard. “I would expect to see it in almost every elite football club,” she said. In fact, pro teams like Real Madrid, the French National Team, and Chelsea Football Club use athlete-monitoring systems from companies like Catapult to track performance. slingshot website.

How do these ‘sports bras’, vests work?

Technically, there is no technology involved in the vest. Its main purpose is to secure a small, tracking unit to the player’s upper back, between their shoulder blades – Renner says this placement is intentional. “It’s closer to the athlete’s center of mass,” he said. “So it provides high quality data without disrupting the activity or game.”

There are multiple sensors inside the device that work together to track a player’s movements. Renner explains that one of the most important is a GPS tracking device, which communicates with satellites to estimate a player’s position on the field. The unit also includes an accelerometer and a heart rate monitor to measure the user’s speed (with changes in speed).

Together, these sensors create a detailed picture of an athlete’s performance, providing insight into metrics such as total distance, top speed, sprint effort, overall workload and intensity levels. Pro athletes can access all of these data points in one app, and the results can reveal potential injury risk or when it is safe to return to their sport after an injury.

“A lot of these data points can be very helpful in terms of how a coach is best utilizing his team,” laura macdonaldClinical exercise physiologist and owner of sports training practice, E2O Denver Health & Performance Physiology, explains Outside. “Like, who can sustain different bouts of energy during a 90-minute match?”

But why a sports-bra-sized vest instead of a wrist device?

And there’s a good reason to keep these trackers in a sports bra-sized vest rather than around the wrist or waist. The vest places the GPS tracker in the optimal position for satellite tracking, and according to Catapult, the chest is the safest location in high-contact sports.

Can you buy GPS performance trackers—and do non-professional athletes need them?

Technically, you can. For example, Catapult offers a non-professional version. But both experts we spoke to agree that the average athlete doesn’t need this level of technique.

“I mean, how often are you going to use acceleration counts, sprint counts, or how much time are you spending walking versus running?” Rainer says. “These are sophisticated measurements that won’t actually change your behavior.” Needless to mention, access to these statistics is not useful in itself: elite professionals have coaches, sports scientists, trainers, and analysts who can translate the numbers into strategic training adjustments. “It would be difficult for the average person to understand this and use it in their daily life,” McDonald said.

For most people, simple wearable devices that measure basics like speed, distance, heart rate, and recovery are probably a better investment. Both experts suggest options like polar chest straps, WHOOP Fitness BandAnd garmin smartwatch.

Ultimately, the best wearable isn’t the one that collects the most data, but one that provides insights you can actually use, says Renner. “There’s a learning curve. Once you figure out what works for you and how to change those metrics in a positive way, that’s what matters.”

Basically, you don’t need a high-tech sports bra to improve your performance. But don’t let it stop you from wearing your favorite Real Sports bra and a fitness watch.

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