by Larry Eder
This new innovation, the adidas SPEED_CELL gives the the user real time data on speed, distance on the court or field. It should be a great training aid. This is a product great for coaches, trainers and athletes of all levels!
adidas miCoach Connect, photo courtesy of adidas communications
ADIDAS LAUNCHES NEW ON-FIELD DATA TRACKING INNOVATION
miCoach SPEED_CELL is first product to measure speed, distance and time on-field and on-court
NEW YORK/PORTLAND, Ore.
– adidas unveils the miCoach SPEED_CELL, the latest innovation in
digital sports technology. Expanding on the brand’s miCoach offerings,
the new miCoach SPEED_CELL is the first device to capture information
from motion in every direction and measures key performance metrics including speed, distance and time during practice and competition.
“Understanding
individual performance data is one of the best ways to improve your
game,” said Mark Verstegen, founder and president of Athletes’
Performance. “For the first time, amateur athletes can have access to
the performance tracking and analysis technology available to
professional athletes.”
The miCoach
SPEED_CELL is designed to monitor, evaluate and increase performance of
athletes across multiple sports including soccer, football, basketball,
tennis and running. The miCoach SPEED_CELL sits inside a specially
designed cavity in the outsole of adidas footwear to work seamlessly
with the athlete’s equipment.
adiZero F50, photo courtesy of adidas communications
With the miCoach
SPEED_CELL, athletes of every level will be able to track their unique
stats including average speed, maximum speed, number of sprints,
distance at high intensity levels, steps and stride during play. The
on-board memory then stores seven hours of an athlete’s metrics and
wirelessly transmits the on-field performance data to their smartphone,
tablet, PC or MAC.
“We are entering an
exciting new stage of development for miCoach technology,” said
Christian DiBenedetto, senior innovation director, adidas Innovation
Team (aIT). “miCoach has cemented adidas’ position as an innovator in
the use of data in sport to make athletes faster and the introduction of
miCoach SPEED_CELL further demonstrates our passion to help athlete’s
continually enhance their performance.”
While available in
select adidas running shoes since 2009, the adizero F50 is the first
soccer cleat available with the unique cavity in the outsole. adidas
will also introduce a full range of miCoach SPEED_CELL compatible
footwear for basketball, football and tennis later this year and
throughout 2012.
adiZero F50, photo courtesy of adidas communications
In
conjunction with the launch of the miCoach SPEED_CELL, adidas will
introduce a series of apps beginning with miCoach Soccer and miCoach
Running on December 1, 2011, followed by other sport specific apps for
basketball, tennis and football in 2012. Athletes will be able to
wirelessly upload SPEED_CELL data into the app and see their real-world
performance such as top speed and number of sprints power up their
customized in-game avatar. This creates a seamless integration of
virtual and physical challenges never seen before in the mobile gaming
and sports monitoring space.
Once
miCoach SPEED_CELL stats are uploaded to an athlete’s smartphone,
tablet or miCoach.com, they can share on Facebook and see how they stack
up in their city, county, state, nationally and compare their stats to
star athletes including Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona. Athletes can also
create personalized coaching programs designed specifically for their
training needs on micoach.com.
miCoach SPEED_CELL will be available for smartphone, tablet, PC or MAC on December 1 for $69.99 at adidas Sport Performance stores, soccer and running specialty stores and www.shopadidas.com.
