The Models of Used Virtual Reality Technology in Sports

Wearable technologies are being used to monitor performance real time, big data is helping coaches analyze athletes so that they can be improved further and hypobaric chambers that simulate high altitude environment are being used by wrestlers and other combat athletes to train in low oxygen environments to condition their cardiovascular systems. However, while all these technologies focus on making athletes physically better, the psychological component has been missing. It is said that sports are 90% mental and 10% physical, so, suffice to say, there is a lot of scope for improvement as tools to help athletes win the mind game are finally here in the form of virtual reality. Because training is only as good as the sense of immersion it can imparts and the closer a simulation approximates real life conditions, the more an athlete can learn from it. Now, if sports were all about having the greatest endurance and strength, then the results would always be predictable, which would frankly be quite boring No, it's the skills with which sportsmen and women exhibit while in the heat of the moment, as they gracefully intercept and react to their opponents that makes sports truly exciting, and this is where VR can help them. Imagine a baseball player who can practice his swings as many times he wants against a virtual representation of his opponent. Not only can he analyze the intricacies of his throw, but the simulation can be setup to let the batter practice at his or her own level. The batter can also review his performance later. Likewise, boxers can practice speed drills, shadow box and train their reflexes in VR far better than they could ever do in real life. Since a virtual situation is completely within our control, it can be tailor made to recreate any scenario. This boxer who tried out Thrill of the Fight was certainly optimistic about how VR could be used to train athletes in the immediate future. Race car drivers will find an immediate interest in VR as many games such as Project Cars are extremely immersive and do not require a very expensive setup to get going. Being able to race as if it were real without burning through gallons of fuel and no risk of grievous injury is something a driver will surely appreciate.