New technology has been created that can enhance the gameday performance of athletes. Coaches can now extend their practices off the field by implementing quizzes for athletes on all tactics and plays through any phone, computer, or tablet. This interactive, educational system is designed to decrease mental errors on the field as well as increase efficiency of practices.
Essentially, players can be quizzed on whether a certain movement during a play was the right one. The player conducts that through him moving his mouse or finger across the mobile device or computer. The system is designed to analyze if the movement was correct.
This development has recently hit the market. Mental Rep and Ready List Pro are among the names of companies who specialize in interactive technology regarding sports. These products are not competing with film companies such as Hudl and Krossover, but rather creating a niche market for themselves.
Watching film as an athlete has their benefits. But being able to interact with that film can resonate with that athlete deeply.
“We look at our product as complementary to Hudl,” said Harris Williams, CEO of Mental Rep. “Hudl and watching film are great ways to view the opponents’ tendencies and schemes. Our product adds the interaction component and allows the player to practice off the field getting those extra mental repetitions.”
“This technology positively affects the efficiency of practice,” said Chad Feihaug, Co-Founder of Ready List Pro. “Players are graded after every quiz they take. If most players receive high grades, then coaches can use that data to dictate what needs to be worked on in practice. We look at this as film for your playbook.”
These companies focus on football currently. However, this technology can be used for all sports, quizzing on athlete movement and plays. For athletic departments, this technology can help improve the football program adding that level of interaction that decreases mental mistakes on the playing field.
In conclusion, adding interaction technology to help athletes get better at the game can be very beneficial. High schools, colleges, and even some professional football teams have inquired about this type of product. It takes practicing one step further by challenging the mental component of an athlete, something that is very tough for coaches to teach to their athletes.
If athletic departments want to improve their football program. This might be an emerging technology to take a look at.