In the world of professional sports, success on the court or field can clearly be traced back to the kinds of routines instilled in practice or in other parts of athletes’ lives. As recruitment, training, and seasons become more competitive, it’s vital for coaches to start exploring new ways to innovative and make their guidance more effective.
Where do professional athletic organizations and the use of voice assistants intersect?
Across nearly all professional athletics, coaches are responsible for organizing and managing athletes in addition to refining their existing talents. Coaches also play significant roles in recruiting new talent before training them to compete either individually or on a team. Generally, professional sports coaches offer motivation, inspiration, accountability, instruction, and consistency for their athletes; all of which can be streamlined and reinforced through the powerful tools of voice-enabled technology. Despite the lack of existing applications in athletics, voice assistants, like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, could potentially make their way into the training of professional athletes, particularly in the way that coaches employ them.
So, how exactly can the abilities of voice applications reinforce the value that coaches bring to their players? In what ways can physical training be facilitated and guidance be given through Artificial Intelligence? To start, voice-enabled technology introduces the increased accessibility of a coach’s guidance, making even the time spent outside of practice beneficial to a player’s growth. Voice assistants can deliver daily reminders that hold athletes accountable to important regimes, like exercise routines and nutritional diets. With the help of these technologies, the voice of a coach is there to help keep players on track at any time and day of the week. And, of course, this consistent guidance can assist athletes in eclipsing their previous achievements and keeping up with the competition.
How do voice assistants fit into athletic training and improve professional coaching?
PRESENCE IN DAILY ROUTINES
As mentioned, coaches are largely responsible for overseeing elements of physical training for professional athletes, including conditioning, weight training, and many other forms of exercise as part of their workout regime. Given the accessibility of voice-enabled technologies, athletes could follow the verbal guidance of their coach through a voice application, as an Alexa Skill for Amazon Alexa or as an Action on Google Assistant, when completing routine training activities–even if their coach is not present. Being able to have a voice of leadership outside of practice may enable many professional athletes to carry the spirit of hard work and focus alongside them in everything they do.
CONSISTENCY & REPETITION
When it comes to physical training, consistent practice is a necessity in order to perform at a high level. Considering the fact that 72% of people who use voice search devices claim they have become part of their daily routines, voice assistants appear to be a perfect channel of communication for daily guidance, reinforcements, and even positive affirmations. With the rate at which voice assistants are being integrated into daily life, it’s abundantly clear that these technologies can be utilized in athletes’ rigorous fitness routines: from reminders for nutrition to voice-based activity logs.
Delivered in the form of an Alexa Skill for Amazon Alexa or Action for Google Assistant, helpful tips for performance or guidance from the coach themselves could be passed along to athletes at the same time every day. After all, the key to mastery is in the power of repetition.
ENFORCING A POSITIVE MINDSET
Perhaps one of the most important duties of a coach at any level is serving as a form of inspiration for their players. Being able to foster a positive environment that subsequently boosts morale is vital to instilling dedication in athletes. This is also rather important for any coach who wishes to genuinely connect with their team, earn their trust, and challenge them to grow even more.
With the help of Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant devices, coaches can pass along motivational messages even while off the court or outside of the locker room. In all, regular reminders of these messages can make all the difference on the field.
WRAP UP
With Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant found beyond just smart speakers, in everything from headphones to eyeglasses, using tailored voice applications, coaches have an excellent opportunity for establishing accountability, motivation, instruction, and consistency in the lives of their athletes. Better yet, the personal interactions available through voice technology allow coaches to offer feedback or wisdom outside of training environments. With innovative applications of voice assistants in modern sports, coaches and athletes across many different disciplines have the capacity to better embody what it means to consistently work towards greatness.