Athletes have come to rely on electronic training aids such as heart rate monitors, GPS sports watches and, in cycling, power meters. Now it’s the turn of footwear.

Adidas is calling its new adizero f50 “the football boot with a brain”.
The boot uses miCoach technology to track and upload performance data. This data includes speed, maximum speed, number of sprints, distance, distance at high intensity levels and time.

How it works: A cavity in the outsole unit houses the miCoach SPEEDCELL. This captures 360° movement and measures key performance metrics including speed, average speed (recorded every second), maximum speed (recorded every five seconds), number of sprints, distance, distance at high intensity levels, steps and stride rates.

There’s sufficient onboard memory to store 7 hours’ worth of measurements during a game or training. The on-the-pitch performance data can then be transmitted wirelessly to a tablet, PC or Mac.