Cyber Sessions

Preview image of “Cyber Sessions”
  • No more drawing on the court – with the Vreps software, basketball moves can be displayed in 3D
  • Shutterstock - PeopleImages.com

Sports software makes use of VR technology for effective training.

Already some time ago, virtual reality applications were predicted to see a significant breakthrough as a leisure activity, but this still has not happened. The gaming industry continues to forge ahead, and suitable VR equipment now exists for all gaming platforms. The sports sector too is increasingly endeavouring to use VR technology to train athletes in a more targeted way.

Virtual Repetitions, a company founded by Shawn Cooper in 2015, deals with the digital visualisation of moves. Initially created for basketball players, the software, which is also available as a mobile app, now enables football players to visualise moves from previously mapped out 2D diagrams as 3D videos and to review these from different players’perspectives. Duncan McBryde Robinson of the Miami Heat basketball team says of the subscription-based software: “VReps is on the forefront of where the basketball world is heading.”

In February 2023, the company presented their VR headset and software to a wider audience for the first time during a CBS sports broadcast. Basketball professionals were also able to test a beta version of VReps as a virtual reality application. Up-and-coming Chet Holmgren summed it up: “You input plays onto the app and put on some VR goggles, and it’s almost like you’re playing.”

The company IMPROVR currently exclusively targets professional athletes and applies Alexander Zverev’s expertise. For months, the tennis champion has been training off-court using the software and hardware of the German-American company. He is very taken with one particular feature: “We’ve started to integrate my unique neuroathletic exercises into the IMPROVR solution. I can now train anytime, anywhere. It’s a real game changer for professional sports!” The company, which is based in Miami and Munich, develops its own content for neuroathletic training in addition to the gamification elements. The German national football team also uses neuroathletic exercises. Lars Lienhard is the renowned neuroathletics coach who was in charge of virtual implementation. It is currently unclear when, or even if, the IMPROVR solution will be available to amateur athletes.