Prior to the 2021 season, the University of Miami Football Team lacked a method for measuring athlete strain and recovery that would improve their readiness to perform on the field. Despite all the data they tracked as a team, the staff couldn’t sort through it to figure out how and why it mattered, let alone implement the insights in a way that staff and athletes could change behavior to impact recovery and performance.
Pairing Technology and Human Expertise
OWN IT and WHOOP provided a combination of technology and expert coaching to Miami Football athletes that gave each athlete personalized insights and recommendations to change daily habits that affected their recovery. Habit and behavior change is instrumental in building a program that acclimates athletes to the levels of strain and exertion that take place in D1 football.
OWN IT’s certified sports science coaches were responsible for interpreting data and recommending behavior changes that improved recoveries and performance. To do this, student-athletes consented to sharing their biometric data on sleep, strain, and recovery from WHOOP with their coaches. This allowed coaches to provide actionable recommendations for athletes, working side-by-side with Miami nutrition and performance staff to add an additional layer of expertise to their program.
Even in a well-supported program like Miami Football, the team would’ve needed several full-time sports scientists and an extra S&C coach to accomplish what OWN IT provided. By providing athletes with WHOOP and access to their biometric data, the staff and athletes received personalized recommendations for each athlete that prompted sustainable habit changes.
Bringing in a Round-the-Clock Performance Coach
Coaches can’t be with athletes all day and night. But as every coach knows, the 22 hours a day away from the team environment defines how well an athlete recovers, and therefore, how they perform. From their nutrition to their sleep (a common sticking point among college athletes), to their non-exercise activities, the OWN IT allowed Miami Football athletes to improve recovery in a way that boosted performance.
OWN IT provides results as if every athlete has an individual performance coach on call. Athletes are able to take action on their own data in real-time.
“I really believe it was that powerful,” stated Kyle Bellamy, Director of Football Performance Nutrition. “Not only does this solution provide personalized insights and coaching, but it relieves the burden from our already overworked staff. We no longer have to waste a single minute entering data manually in Excel. Nor will we spend countless hours going back and forth with athletes trying to figure out what was wrong with their sleep or recovery — the data is at their fingertips too. We don’t have to expend resources trying to figure out what was wrong with an athlete’s sleep… We have it right in front of us.”