Have you ever wanted to strike the perfect curling free kick like Lionel Messi, or the perfect ‘knuckle’ ball like Cristiano Ronaldo? The answer is now here… the Adidas miCoach Smart ball. The ball retails at around 750AED. The Smartball allows you to concentrate on your control, improve how you strike the football as well as a player’s ability to manipulate the ball in open play. Clever sensors inside the Smartball let you improve your set piece striking in the minutest detail.
The ball will give the player detailed feedback on the amount of power, spin, strike and trajectory direct to your smartphone or tablet. Couple this with exclusive tips and guidance from top Adidas coaches; it will help get the most out of your game. The miCoach app on your smartphone is compatible with iOS 7 or higher or Android 4.3 or higher and connects to the ball via Bluetooth.
The app instantly interprets mountains of relevant data on the balls spin, flight path and power to feed back to the player. miCoach is extremely easy to use for children as well as adults and is coupled with an extensive library of ball-mastery videos and drills to help improve various aspects of the player’s ball striking. It also contains special features and tips on training to produce more power, bend or accuracy that can really help a player delve into the correct way to train. Due to the online nature of the app there is the option to challenge your friends to produce the best free kick and share the results.
The feel of the ball and the way it reacts is identical to a normal football. It is regulation size 5 and weight despite the smart technology inside. As with all the top Adidas training balls, it is bonded with a 32-panel structure and will require inflation. The battery life of the ball is around 2,000 strikes or the equivalent of a week’s play. The ball only takes around an hour to charge so doesn’t have to sit on the charging base for long.
With the integration of more and more technology into the game it is inevitable that equipment such as this will provide the kind of analysis that even 5 years ago were only available to the top players. Now everyone can start to benefit from this sports science tool. Although it has some limitations, the ball is a fantastic way to generate data-driven excitement in player’s who want to explore every way possible to improve.
The Insider UAE 