and how hard it is being struck. In addition to that, you can use the miCoach system to see the visual trajectory of the ball, as well as the exact impact points.
A key part of the ball, naturally, is integrating the Smart Ball into Adidas' miCoach environment, one that focuses on keeping track of your data during workouts or training sessions. "The miCoach ecosystem is rooted in making athletes better," said Christian DiBenedetto, senior innovation director at Adidas.
Adidas is also using the companion iOS app as a hub that can be used as a training planner, allowing you to keep track of your shooting records and offering personal challenges designed to make your overall football skills better.
The Smart Ball's miCoach app pairs with the ball over Bluetooth and lets you view how fast you're kicking the ball and its trajectory, as well as set challenges for yourself and save records so that you can compare them at a later point.
"Today, if players want to improve their kicking, they may take some balls to the local field and just kick over and over again trying to produce the kick intended and if they do, they have to try and figure out what they did differently to make it happen. The Smart Ball already understands how to do the kick that the player wants to learn, so after every kick, it coaches the player on what exactly they need to do to achieve the kick," explained DiBenedetto. "This makes the learning process much more efficient. In the game, the player only gets one chance to make that free kick; with the Smart Ball, we are turning good luck into good technique."
Given its features, it's worth noting that the Smart Ball does need to be charged every now and then, but this process is made easier with the included wireless charging station.
For now, Adidas is taking a shot at the everyday consumer with its Smart Ball, but it does intend to bring the technology to professional pitches all over the world. Theoretically, it shouldn't be a problem to do that, especially since we're talking about a company that has designed every official World Cup ball since 1970. "The Smart Ball is the first step to a ball that understands the game," DiBenedetto told me. "Imagine World Cup 2018 and on the pitch is the Smart Ball able to tell which player passed it or shot it; who intercepted it or received it; where on the pitch it is; and, of course, how fast it's traveling, in what direction, [with] how much spin and trajectory. Every play broken down by the ball and shared with the fans in the stadium and anyone connected to the internet that wants to understand the game."
"A Smart Ball on the pitch would be able to enlighten the fans to the true art and skill required to play on this global stage. How did [Lionel] Messi make that free kick against Nigeria? The Smart Ball would break it down and coach any player that wanted to learn how to do that shot for themselves," he added.
The miCoach Smart Ball is available now for $299, and you can get it directly from Adidas or through one of Apple's retail channels.
from what i heard, The wait between measured shots, though, is something I found to be cumbersome -- for example, after taking a kick, you have to wait for the application to collect that data before moving on, otherwise it disrupts the process and fails to record your stats. Still, since this is meant to be for training, after all, it is a requirement to get the most out of the ball -- and seeing those neat numbers makes it worthwhile.
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