During training camp next month, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be trying to utilize virtual reality training to speed up the progress of their young quarterback Jamies Winston. The youngster will be able to look through a visual apparatus produced by EON Sports VR, and it will give him the feel as if he’s looking at an opposing defense as he’s dropping into the pocket and preparing to throw the football downfield during a game.
I can remember during my playing days of sitting and imagining plays and how I would react. I would do it over and over so that when I got in the game, I could read and react on a play instantaneously. The virtual reality training will assist a player in getting those all important mental reps. In a football game, a player doesn’t have time to cognitively read a defense, he’s got to do it instinctively and the only way you get to the point is by having thousands and thousands of reps. You do it over and over and over.
Winston will be able to get many of those reps during his downtime because of the EON Sports VR produced device.
The Cowboys were the first team to start using virtual reality training. Last month they cut a deal with STRIVR labs, which produces a product which shares a lot of the same features as the EON Sports VR product.
Chip Kelly and the Eagles told us during OTA’s that they are thinking about bringing in similar type of equipment to allow the quarterbacks to get more work reading defenses.
The team made an announcement about a deal with the company EON Sports VR. They’re going to use their SIDEKIQ software which will allow Winston to work on his reading of defenses and defensive coverages even when he’s not on the field.
The device will be used “as a supplement to their on-field work for quarterbacks when the team reports back for training camp beginning on August 1″, when Winston and his teammates start training camp.
“We are excited to be coming in on the front end of this new wave of technology that is designed to supplement the on-field and classroom work that our quarterbacks are already doing,” Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht said according to ProFootballTalk.com. “Obviously, there is no real substitute for being on the field when it comes to getting our players ready for game action. However, this virtual reality technology allows us to enhance the learning experience for our quarterbacks without requiring them to put in additional time on the practice fields.”
“Virtual reality has become very popular in high school and college programs and there has recently been much more interest in the technology from professional sports teams looking to add to their teaching tools while limiting exposure to injuries that may occur in live-action situations,” EON Sports VR CEO Brendan Reilly said according to ProFootballTalk.com. “We are excited to get to work with the Buccaneers and provide their quarterbacks with the opportunity to train more efficiently than ever before.”
