The Latvian Academy of sports pedagogy became the place of training for Marat Galyautdinov, head of the Department of physics and mathematics and information technology of the Volga region Academy of sports, head of the master's program "Sports Analytics". The trip was made possible within the framework of the grant of the government of Tatarstan "Algarysh" and took place on the eve of the border closure due to the coronovirus pandemic.
The three-week internship helped Galyautdinov fully get acquainted with the experience and developments of Latvian colleagues. First of all, these are two scientific laboratories of sport and health, where research is conducted under the supervision of a doctor of biological Sciences, Professor Janis Lanka, who specializes in the disciplines of biomechanics. Galyautdinov was given the opportunity to observe the practical application of a variety of special devices during classes with masters and postgraduates held in laboratories. The Kazan specialist found it extremely interesting to study biomechanical models using mathematical statistics and data analysis in order to improve sports results and make recommendations during training and competition processes.
- In the future, the Smart Socks system developed in Riga under the guidance of Edgar Bernans, designed for collecting and analyzing data when walking and running, can be useful for us in the process of implementing the master's program. A pair of specially designed socks with integrated pressure sensors and a data acquisition unit is connected via bluetooth to a computer. The system determines the most effective running technique that helps the athlete avoid injuries.
As part of my internship, I was able to participate in the International scientific conference "Sports Science and Health Care in Sports 2020" and hold a number of important meetings that should result in our integration into the European educational environment. We discussed information exchange and partnership with Professor of the Lithuanian sports University, curator of the Intercollegiate master's program "analysis of sports results" Antonas Skarbalius. This program combines two other universities in addition to the Lithuanian University-Otto-von-Guericke in Magdeburg (Germany) and Tras-OS-Montes Vila-real (Portugal). Students of this program study in turn at three sites at once. I am sure that the Volga region Academy has the potential to become a participant in such a project. At least, the communication between students and teachers of our academies within the framework of a video meeting organized by me turned out to be very open and warm.
Of course, events related to restrictions on movement around the world will adjust the Department's plans and the format of internships under the "Algarysh" program will change for some time. But the limits of what is possible for those who want to achieve something, it is impossible to set. Moreover, the program "Sports Analytics" at the Volga Academy is not just the first in Russian state universities, but also very popular.