Have you ever played on an interactive sports simulator and wondered, how exactly does it work?
Even though these simulators pose intriguing questions and can be confusing, they’re extremely intuitive and fun to use. Simply take a shot and see how well you did!
Regardless if you missed your shot or scored, the simulator will provide in-depth details so you can learn and improve for next time. Here’s how this advanced technology analyzes your shot.
How do sports simulators work?
Sports simulators analyze your swing, kick, throw, or shot by using high speed cameras and computer software to determine where the shot is going, if it’s accurate enough to “score”, and much more. A detailed simulation of a golf course, hockey arena, stadium, or other sporting arena appears on the screen before the player, prompting them to take a shot. It could be a goalie in the net or a beautiful golf course just waiting to be explored.
Multiple high speed cameras track movement when the shot is taken, they collect various data points to feed into the computer — speed, trajectory, spin, and more. This data is then processed based on the physical parameters of the sport you’re playing.
By running a program that takes real-world factors into account, the computer determines the outcome from all the data it receives. The amazing thing? This whole process happens in a split second, creating an immersive experience.
The system’s software is written to match the sport you’re playing on. For example, if you’re playing basketball, the cameras will send data to the computer when the screen receives the impact from the ball. With the physical parameters of a basketball taken into account, the computer software calculates the trajectory and determines if you sunk the shot or hit the hoop or backboard.
With advanced software and hardware, these sports studios are a great option for a fun outing or as a place to practice and work towards becoming the next pro in your sport of choice. But it doesn’t stop there.
From the beginner golfer right up to the world’s best, there is TrackMan 4 which focuses solely on analyzing golf and uses dual radar technology to capture the specific movements of a golf swing.
How does a TrackMan 4 Studio work?
While a TrackMan 4 Studio still has the computer to analyze the shot, it uses two radars to analyze the golf swing itself — covering all aspects of the shot, from start to finish.
This provides in-depth details for golfers, making it one of the most popular and sought after pieces of golf technology around the world. It’s ideal for any and all golfers. It provides reliable data within 1/2000 of a second from a golf swing which include smash factor, club speed, spin rate, launch angle, attack angle, club path, ball speed, and much more.
With professional golfers relying on this technology to fine tune their game and continue improving their skills, why shouldn’t you also experience TrackMan 4 technology and train like the pros? Trackman 4 can narrow down and identify problem areas in real time, this allows for a direct approach to getting better.
It allows coaches and intuitive golfers to determine swing patterns and habits that need to be adjusted. In today’s world, competition is everywhere. Professional and amateur athletes need to find ways to fine-tune their game to be the best they can. Simulator studios with TrackMan 4 technology are a perfect solution for them.
Experience TrackMan 4 At Simplex Sportszone
In the Okanagan, we’re no strangers to an exciting round of golf or a professionally run tournament. To support all the golfers out there, we recently opened 2 brand new TrackMan 4 Studios on top of our various regular sports simulators that everyone can use to practice, play, and improve their game on.
TrackMan Combine is an interactive training mode that allows you to compare your numbers versus the rest of the golfing world. You can hit a total of 60 shots — varying from 60 yards to driver. Then you are ranked based on the carry distance and the deviation from the pin (centre line) from all 60 shots. Your average is ranked out of 100 and you can see how well you ranked across the world!
So far, the best score at our facility was recorded by UBCO Heat player and our staff member, Ethan Hunt, who recorded an 86.1/100. This placed him in the top 15 worldwide for November 2019. The best TrackMan Combine score recorded this year at an indoor facility was by Tiger Woods — no surprise there — with an impressive 99.3/100. Tiger Woods is just shy of the all time record held by Kuchenmeister Konstantin who shot a perfect score of 100 on Dec. 23 2017, Merry Christmas!
No matter your skill level, it’s always fun to see your name on a world ranking. You might be surprised at how well you do! The interactive feel and post round report highlights the strengths and weaknesses in your game and points out exactly where you need to spend some time practicing.
To experience TrackMan 4 and our other sports simulators, simply contact us to book a time, invite your friends, have a blast and begin training like the pros!