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Distance Tracking

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Can anyone tell me what the best device is for tracking fitness whilst out on the pitch? I currently use an Apple iWatch - but don't feel its very accurate. One of the refs I was with recently had a device, with a thing around his chest, and it mapped his movement around the pitch but I forgot to ask him what it was called!
 
The Referee Store
I'm a fan of the Garmin series that have always proven very reliable for me.
That said, the stop / start nature of refereeing means that any calorie calculations will be VERY inaccurate (as it isn't steady-state cardio).
 
I think thats where POLAR do very well as I'm sure it's calculations are based on heart rate/pace etc.
I have a v800 myself but its a fairly big outlay. But I use it for all sorts including refereeing such as cycling/running other cardio activities in the gym so I definitely get the value from it.
Either way you need one that is gps enabled as others use whats called cadence to track distance covered. In english this is steps per min. Which can mean when you're going slower taking more steps it thinks your moving faster and vice versa less steps when sprinting thinks you are moving slower.
However, none are exactly accurate but a good gps one should typically have you in a close enough range i.e. a couple of hundred metres.
 
Cheers guys, fairly sure it was the Polar M400 looking at the pictures!

What would everyone recommend - Garmin or Polar?
 
I use the Garmin Forerunner 235 (This over the 230 as it has a built in Heart Rate Monitor) it's a GPS watch which works well for both Middles & Lines. Along with tracking my runs/cycling/gym sessions during the week. It's a great lifestyle watch.

I wouldn't use this watch to stop/start during matches, I log each half as a separate activity and use my second watch to manage stoppages in play.
 
I use a Tom Tom to track distance and my trusty casio as my stopwatch, although I don,t know where it is in the house but every miday I hear the alarm but it doesn't go on long enough for me to find it!

Liam nice to see another Suffolk ref on this forum.
 
Polar V800 all the way if you want a proper fitness watch.

Depends what you want or need though. The V800 is expensive and designed for people that do a lot of sport, if you are just looking at refereeing there might be other option. I doubt they will be anywhere near as accurate as the V800 though.
 
Polar V800 all the way if you want a proper fitness watch.

Depends what you want or need though. The V800 is expensive and designed for people that do a lot of sport, if you are just looking at refereeing there might be other option. I doubt they will be anywhere near as accurate as the V800 though.
Was mainly just refereeing. I do a fitness plan but at the moment I am only on the treadmill. Looks like it will be the M400 as not sure if I fancy spending a good amount on money on a watch I'll use once or twice a week.
 
Polar all the way. Having used Garmin and Polar I much prefer the Polar. I use it during games and it's coped pretty well. GPS software appears to have the edge on Garmin. Can't speak for TomTom apart from a nasty rumour about short battery life which might be worth checking before shelling out £80-£100
 
I apologize if I'm asking a stupid question but will either of these watches sync with my Endomondo and MyFitnessPal? Which one would be the best for the entire ecosystem of health applications rather than just 90 minute games?
 
Polar all the way. Having used Garmin and Polar I much prefer the Polar. I use it during games and it's coped pretty well. GPS software appears to have the edge on Garmin. Can't speak for TomTom apart from a nasty rumour about short battery life which might be worth checking before shelling out £80-£100
As long as you charge it regulary the Tom Tom will easily last 90 mins plus extra time and penalties.
 
As long as you charge it regulary the Tom Tom will easily last 90 mins plus extra time and penalties.
Polar v800 will see you through 3-4 games and be worn as a fitness tracker in between. I would be disappointed if my watch only lasted 1 game.
 
My Tom Tom will last a couple of weeks including seven or eight GPS runs of around an hour each.
Please do remember that these are not fantastically accurate as they do not constantly track your position. Each segment tracked is the direct distance between two points. Accuracy also varies according to the number of satellites available. If measuring a 10 k road race which has been accurately measured, a GPS watch could be up to about 200 metres out, it will be worse in the confines of a foot a pitch.
 
My Tom Tom will last a couple of weeks including seven or eight GPS runs of around an hour each.
Please do remember that these are not fantastically accurate as they do not constantly track your position. Each segment tracked is the direct distance between two points. Accuracy also varies according to the number of satellites available. If measuring a 10 k road race which has been accurately measured, a GPS watch could be up to about 200 metres out, it will be worse in the confines of a foot a pitch.
Fred-heat-map.jpg

Fit as a butchers dog then Minty?
 
My Tom Tom will last a couple of weeks including seven or eight GPS runs of around an hour each.
Please do remember that these are not fantastically accurate as they do not constantly track your position. Each segment tracked is the direct distance between two points. Accuracy also varies according to the number of satellites available. If measuring a 10 k road race which has been accurately measured, a GPS watch could be up to about 200 metres out, it will be worse in the confines of a foot a pitch.

That's where the Polar V800 comes into its own, as you can change the GPS sampling rate to as low as 1 second so it is incredibly accurate. If I run around a track hugging the inside perimeter then it is always very close to 400 metres. And even on that 1 second sampling rate the advertised battery life is 13 hours of continuous training.
 
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