Global Insights on Wearable Technology Adoption by Coaches: Determinants of Current Use, Decision Making, and Future Intention To Use

Background: This study examines whether coaches use wearable technologies to individualize training procedures, and which factors influence both their current use and future intention to use such devices. Methods: Based on the technology acceptance model, we developed a questionnaire to assess the use of wearable technology for individualizing training procedures. Following a pilot investigation that included an exploratory analysis of a sample of 36 coaches, multiple regression models were used to confirm these exploratory results in a larger sample of 130 coaches (n = 5 Tier 1, n = 47 Tier 2, n = 52 Tier 3, n = 22 Tier 4, n = 4 Tier 5) from 14 countries. Results: All surveyed coaches used some form of wearable technology to individualize training procedures. The most frequently used parameters included heart rate-related data (88.5% of participants) and GPS-related data (87.7% of participants). On a 1–7 Likert scale, coaches reported a 4.5 ± 1.4 (“somewhat agree”) that wearable technology influences decision making. Current use of wearable technology showed a significant positive association with “perceived job relevance”, while the influence of wearable technology on decision-making in training procedures was positively associated with “output quality”. The future “intention to use” wearable technologies correlated positively with “perceived usefulness”. Conclusion: All coaches in this study used some wearable technology to individualize training procedures. Coaches “somewhat agree” that wearables have an effect on their decision-making. For wearable technology to effectively influence coaches’ decision-making during training, these technologies must provide high quality outputs and must be perceived as useful to increase future adoption. Coaches expressed a need for demonstrable results and they must perceive wearables as useful.