Wearable Technology (Fitness Trackers) in Improving Sports Performance Outcomes

Abstract

This paper will consider how wearable technology can enhance sports performance outcomes through a combination of technological, behavioral, education and capability-based approaches. In particular, it examines the impact of the intensity of using wearable technology and the ability to use data on the final results of sports performance, where training self-regulation is the mediator and the ability to use technology is the moderator. A research design was applied as quantitative research, and the data were gathered using a structured questionnaire among 330 athletes in Punjab, Pakistan. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the data. The results indicate that the intensity of wearable technology usage and the ability to utilize the data have a positive effect on training self-regulation and which, in turn, substantially increases the outcomes of the sports performance. Although direct impact of technology-related variables on performance is low, training self-regulation is found to be one of the major mechanisms that connect the use of technology to performance improvement. Moreover, technology literacy enhances the correlation between technology use and self-regulatory behavior, which underscores the importance of technology literacy as a key boundary condition. The research adds to the literature because it shows that the use of wearable technology enhances performance via a technology-behavior-performance pathway. The implication of the findings to athletes, coaches, and technology developers is meaningful in the fact that the ability to interpret data and active engagement in the process of reaping the maximum benefits of wearable technologies is essential.