2. By John Reinhardt

3.  HEADZONE took an interesting approach to create this product.  They did not see any problems with the performance of the athletes; but, they saw that the way they were being coached was flawed.

4. The task was simple; find a way for coaches to talk to their athletes in the water, but what HEADZONE created was something that had never been seen before in the world of surfing.

5.  HEADZONE’s response to this inefficient way of coaching was producing the RTC.  RTC, which is an acronym for Real-Time- Coaching is a waterproof helmet with a built in radio transmitter that surfers can wear to receive advice and information from their coaches on shore.

6.  The entire coaching system is complete with the UHF handheld device for the coach. http://www.headzone.com/headzone_helmet3. htm http://www.headzone.com/headzone_helmet3. htm  This coaching system certainly provides the competitive edge.

8. MAJOR ADVANTAGESMAJOR DISADVANTAGES The surfer can receive instantaneous news on his or her score from the coach. The bulkiness of the helmet might hinder ultimate performance and maneuverability The surfer has a competitive advantage by receiving news about incoming sets Helmet could potentially limit full range of sight. The speed of the technology provides for quick exchange of advice in competition. Extra voice from the coach could pose a potential distraction to the surfer while riding a wave.

9. MAJOR ADVANTAGES (No Significant Disadvantages) The Coach does not have to wait until each heat is over to offer advice and coaching to the surfer. The Coach has a bird’s eye view of everything happening in the water for example, wave formations, and he can regurgitate that knowledge to the surfer in the water. The UHF operates up to 2.5 miles away so the Coach can enjoy prime seating arrangements wherever those may be.

10.  What RTC allows for is for coaches to inform the surfers where the incoming sets of waves will be breaking and how far and fast they should paddle.  The driving forces that are setting RTC and the UHF aside from other sport technologies are its abilities to transfer precious information to the athletes in the water that other surfers aren’t receiving.

11. Face to Face coaching is now a thing of the past.

12. COACH’S VIEWSURFER’S VIEW

13. Hutchinson, Initials. (2009). Neoprene. Farlex. Retrieved (2010, April 20) from http://encyclopedia.farlex.com/neoprene Poynton, Initials. (2010, January 8). Headzone sports coaching and communication systems. Retrieved from http://www.headzone.com/index.shtml http://www.headzone.com/index.shtml