Technology
A basketball player practicing for a big game misfires on a series of three-point jump shots. More practice? Sure. But what should the would-be hoops star work on exactly?
Like something out of a 20-year-old science-fiction film, the player flips, taps and swipes through data — provided by sensors inside the ball — on a smartphone that explains that the shots had too little arc and not enough backspin.
Connected sports equipment, billed as a tool for helping athletes improve their play, is quickly becoming a reality. Everyone from beginners to elite professionals can get detailed information about their technique and performance delivered to a smartphone.
Basketballs and tennis rackets embedded with sensors are already on sale; connected soccer balls are expected to arrive later this year. It’s like having a private coach, but without the big bills, at least according to the companies that make them.
“Help me improve my game, but I don’t want to pay someone $100 an hour for a year to get better,” said Mike Crowley, chief executive of InfoMotion Sports Technologies, the company that created the connected basketball, known as the 94Fifty.
Technology has its limits, of course. Data, no matter how voluminous, goes only so far. Athletes must ultimately fix their flaws, which can be tough, as any weekend hacker with an ugly golf swing knows. Moreover, success in sports also depends on intangibles, like heart, feel and coordination, that technology can’t really measure.
Sensors in connected sports equipment vary in what they track depending on the game involved. In general, they can measure force, spin and trajectory. Athletes can view that data in an app on their smartphones via a wireless Bluetooth connection.
The 94Fifty basketball, which was introduced in November and costs $295, tracks the time a player takes between catching the ball and shooting, the force used to dribble the ball and the arc of each shot. Bouncing the ball a few times activates the nine sensors inside. Players can get information about individual shots during practice, along with historical information to track their progress over time, by checking the app. In some cases, players must enter their height and distance from the basket into the app to get accurate measurements.
Being able to analyze data makes sports easier to master and enjoy, Crowley said. Too often, newcomers grow frustrated with their poor play and slow progress.
“If you don’t give them immediate feedback, they will quit,” he said.
For years, athletes have used a variety of technologies to perfect their performance. Video analysis, speed guns and wind tunnels are just some of what’s available.
Connected sports equipment is the next step in the quantified-self movement, which until now has largely revolved around fitness trackers, such as FitBit and NikeFuel, that measure heart rate and estimate running distances. Collecting performance data, some of which is imperceptible to the naked eye, adds a new dimension.
A sensor in Babolat’s Play Pure Drive tennis racket, which went on sale last month for $399, automatically tracks the number of forehands, backhands and serves hit. It also measures where the ball strikes the strings, the use of different kinds of spins and the amount of time spent playing versus just standing around on the court.
Balls and rackets with sensors embedded inside cost more than their traditional counterparts, raising the question of whether people unable to afford the higher price will be left behind on the field of competition.
Wealthy sports enthusiasts have long been able to obtain private coaching, attend summer sports camps and purchase pricier, higher-quality gear. Connected sports equipment makers suggested these items provide a more affordable alternative.
To save money, parents could have multiple children share one connected basketball. Each child would still be able to get individual performance data by logging in and out of the app. In any case, manufacturers expect prices for all connected sports equipment to decline over time.
Tony Yu, a 13-year old from San Francisco who was shooting baskets with some of his junior high school teammates in a city park, was initially intrigued about the idea of connected basketballs. He said he needs to work on his technique, especially getting more arc on his shots.
But the more Yu thought about it, the less enthusiastic he seemed. The idea pushed by the ball’s manufacturer that data could replace personalized coaching seemed far-fetched.
“We still need a coach,” Yu said.
When told the price of the ball, Yu looked surprised.
“I don’t think it’s worth it,” he said quickly.
Wayson Yuen, a teammate who shared the court, agreed and said he would be willing to pay around $50 for a connected ball, and not the nearly $300 it costs.
Matt Locke, coordinator of junior programs and development for the United States Tennis Association in Idaho, said the technology has great potential. Players who see they consistently strike the ball outside the racket’s sweet spot know they need to improve their footwork. Those trying to hit with more topspin can track their progress over time. Most players already know their weaknesses, he said, but getting concrete data makes it that much easier to focus on fixing them.
Whether tennis players who use connected rackets can make do without coaching is debatable. Intermediate and advanced adults may be able to digest the data and tweak their games on their own, Locke said. But beginners and younger players still need coaches.
“Some of the more beginner-level kids will focus on seeing how hard they can hit the ball,” said Locke, who has tested Babolat’s racket for several months. “It would be better to have someone work through the data with them and show them what it really means.”
The racket’s sensor is located in the handle and gives off a blue light when turned on. People can choose to share their data with others — everyone or just a group of friends — in a sort of social network that includes rankings of the longest match and most powerful shot.
There are still some kinks to work out with Babolat’s racket technology. It can’t tell a volley from a groundstroke, for instance. Differentiating first and second serves is sometimes spotty, as is telling serves from overhead smashes. To a sensor, they sometimes seem a lot alike.
Players who want to know how fast they hit in miles per hour are out of luck using Babolat’s technology. Instead, the app uses a scale of 1 to 100. A really big hitter like Andy Roddick, the now retired professional, would be at the very top of the scale with his supersonic serve; amateurs may register a less than fearsome 50.
Still, beginners may not want to spend the money before knowing whether they’ll enjoy a sport.
“That’s going to be a hurdle with beginners,” said Locke. “It’s going to depend on your personal goals.”
Sports manufacturers insist that sensors will become the norm over the next decade. The advantages over traditional equipment, they say, are too great — “like going from silent movies to talking movies,” said Thomas Otton, a Babolat spokesman.
Both Adidas and InfoMotion Sports Technologies plan to introduce a connected soccer ball later this year. Nike has obtained a patent for golf clubs and golf shoes embedded with sensors, although it’s unclear whether it has any plans to commercialize the idea.
Zepp Labs, a Silicon Valley startup, makes sensors costing $150 that can be attached to the handle of a baseball bat or tennis racket or to the back of a golfer’s glove. People can use an app to watch a cartoonlike replay of their swing and track swing speed. The advantage of a detachable sensor is that buying new sports equipment is unnecessary. However, the sensor’s extra weight and its location may interfere with a player’s grip — another sign of some obstacles on the road to total, seamless connectedness. Such obstacles, though, are bound to be overcome.
“We think that all products and devices will be connected, so why not strings or shoes or tennis balls?” Otton said. “There’s a lot of potential.”
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