L'outil idéal pour assurer le pilotage séquentiel et sonore des exercices et dégager ainsi l’entraîneur des fastidieux coups de sifflets, afin qu'il puisse se consacrer exclusivement à l'animation de sa séance sans perdre de vue ses athlètes en action.

Interview with Georges GACON, the inventor of the Sportbeeper

Georges GACON you are the inventor of the Sportbeeper, if there was only feature to give on the product what would it be ?

1.Career Path

Georges Gacon started as an athletics coach specializing in the middle distance. His transition to football began in 1999 when he was asked by Paris Saint-Germain to take charge of physical preparation. This was the starting point for a diverse career in professional football.

He worked as a physical trainer for several notable clubs, including Stade Rennais FC, SC Bastia, Olympique de Marseille and FC Nantes. His expertise was particularly valuable when he led the physical preparation of the French handball teams in the 1990s.

2.VMA 45-15 Test and Contributions

Georges Gacon is also known as the designer of the VMA 45-15 test, an evaluation protocol for maximum aerobic speed. This test, widely used in sports, measures the aerobic capacity of an individual and offers essential data for adjusting training programs.

3.Chronology of his career
Paris Saint-Germain (June 1999 – December 2000)
Stade Rennais FC (June 2002 – October 2002)
SC Bastia (June 2003 – June 2004)
Olympique de Marseille (June 2004 – June 2008)
FC Nantes (June 2008 – June 2009)

4.A Versatile Man

Georges Gacon’s career highlights his versatility as a sports professional, successfully moving from athletics to football. His influence as a fitness coach has left a lasting imprint in every club where he has practiced, contributing significantly to the performance of the athletes he coached.

Today, Georges Gacon is recognized as a leading figure in the field of physical preparation, and his impact remains a testament to his dedication to the development of athletes at all levels

5.INTERVIEW
Georges GACON you are the inventor of the Sportbeeper, if there was only one feature to give on the product what would it be?

Georges GACON:” I created the first generation Sportbeeper:

to free the coach from timing and whistling,
and to restore to it an optimal pedagogical availability.

We quickly understand the interest of its use. It is very playful and easy to handle.

It is happiness to work “with him”, it greatly facilitates our daily work. Allows us to free up time in the preparation of our training. And above all to stay focused on our main goal: our athletes”.

You have been in different French teams, different clubs in Ligue 1 like PSG, OM,…, have you always used it? For which exercises in priority ?

Not when I was at PSG because it was not yet created but at OM and in Qatar of course :

for tests 45-15
intermittents exercises,
in the weight room to ponctuate workshop changes,
and in re-athletization of injured people returning to the field.

In your son’s article, you are talking about two technical tools, what is the tab-odometer and the 3.6 timer ?

The Tab-odometer displays ont the screen the distance to be covored for a given speed. The speed of the exercices translates into a distance to be covered in a given time. It is necessary to delimit the different intermittent training according to the chosen speeds by means of cones to be placed on the field. The placement of the cones is implicit, No need to print out a distance sheet (which will leak and become unreadable in bad weather).

The 3.6s timer is a métronomethat chimes every 3.6 seconds. One hour equals 3600 seconds so the correspondence in kilometers/hour is easy, just divide by 1000. Another trick to make the installation of the cone easier, 10M = 10 km/h, there again no need for a sheet with the speed/distance correspondences. Its other huge advantage is to guarantee a perfect speed/cones calibration. As the beeps are emitted at short intervals, it is easy to settle down and run at an absolutely steady pace. So for re-athletization, we can mark out several progressive corridors to identify the evolution of the injured player. However, the first interval must be reduced by 1 to 2 meters (to be readjusted on a case-by-case basis) because of the stationary start and the action to be in phase at the first cone. The other solution is to start thrown, 2 meters back from the countdown.

In your son’s article, you are talking about two technical tools, what is the tab-odometer and the 3.6 timer ?

The Tab-odometer displays ont the screen the distance to be covored for a given speed. The speed of the exercices translates into a distance to be covered in a given time. It is necessary to delimit the different intermittent training according to the chosen speeds by means of cones to be placed on the field. The placement of the cones is implicit, No need to print out a distance sheet (which will leak and become unreadable in bad weather).

The 3.6s timer is a métronomethat chimes every 3.6 seconds. One hour equals 3600 seconds so the correspondence in kilometers/hour is easy, just divide by 1000. Another trick to make the installation of the cone easier, 10M = 10 km/h, there again no need for a sheet with the speed/distance correspondences. Its other huge advantage is to guarantee a perfect speed/cones calibration. As the beeps are emitted at short intervals, it is easy to settle down and run at an absolutely steady pace. So for re-athletization, we can mark out several progressive corridors to identify the evolution of the injured player. However, the first interval must be reduced by 1 to 2 meters (to be readjusted on a case-by-case basis) because of the stationary start and the action to be in phase at the first cone. The other solution is to start thrown, 2 meters back from the countdown.

For you, what are the strenghts of the Sportbeeper PRO ?

The color screenmakes it easy to see the technical information.
The automation of the timing, more precise than a manual timing. It is coupled with an emission of sound beeps replacing the whistle blows without eye/whistle shift.
Precise control of training speeds.
Storage of training exercises and tests in libraries, very easy to find.
Quick, customizable workout settings.
The level of charge of the battery at all times.

We often think that the Sportbeeper may be exclusively a product for physical trainers, is this true? Who are the audiences that might need this product?

No, it can be useful to all sports professionals:

Firemen, policemen, gendarmes, specialized soldiers , commandos, legionnaires.
But also in fitness centers,
For physical therapists,
Fitness centers
sports trainers,
PE teachers (middle and high school), schoolteachers,
and also the athletes themselves. They can follow or do their own session at home.

We often think that the Sportbeeper may be exclusively a product for physical trainers, is this true? Who are the audiences that might need this product?

No, it can be useful to all sports professionals:

Firemen, policemen, gendarmes, specialized soldiers , commandos, legionnaires.
But also in fitness centers,
For physical therapists,
Fitness centers
sports trainers,
PE teachers (middle and high school), schoolteachers,
and also the athletes themselves. They can follow or do their own session at home.

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