Football gets smart, keeps kids active!

INSIDECOACH is a smart technology inside of a football. It detects the force of impact, the spin, the position, the trajectory among other variables, and provides positive reinforcing coaching cues to the user. The football functions and looks like any other football except for its sleek design; oh and it’s smart like you.

This sensor-laden football could be your best chance to improve your skills, making you the quick-footed, sharp-shooting, perfect-passing player you always wanted to be.

The INSIDECOACH smart football does what it says on the tin – a coach inside a football. Besides offering real-time coaching cues, it can also detect the ball’s spin and position, the power of a shot or pass, and the trajectory of the ball as it flies through the air, sending all the data via Wi-Fi to the accompanying cross-platform mobile app.

The app also offers football challenges according to skill levels, step-by-step training videos, and social features that let you compete with friends or other users around the world. INSIDECOACH will automatically record your progress and provide tips on what you can do to improve that skill. INSIDECOACH will motivate you to challenge yourself to reach different levels. Just like playing a video game but you are the star.

The platform is open source, too, so the startup behind the smart ball is hoping other developers will jump on board over time to create their own apps for InsideCoach.
In addition, as the community of users grows, InsideCoach’s machine-learning system will learn new playing patterns, enabling it to improve the in-app coaching routines that’ll soon have your game looking less messy and more Messi. Hopefully.

The weight and movement of the ball is the same as a regular football. The battery gives you four hours of playing time, with a convenient wireless charging plate offering an easy charging option.

You will be able to pick from 2 options – a regulation size 5 for adults, and a smaller size 4 ideal for kids between 8 and 12. Indeed, the ball’s creators are particularly keen for younger players to enjoy INSIDECOACH.

“Our main desire is to encourage kids to stay active,” the Utah-based startup says on its website, adding that the main reason “70% of kids stop playing sports by age 13” is because it stops being fun. “We want to change that…. Kids love video games as an alternative to playing sports because they’re fun and challenging, so we want to provide that experience with INSIDECOACH’s smart football.”

INSIDECOACH is currently a Kickstarter project, and with more than $19,000 of funding already pledged and with 49 days to go, this smart football looks set to hit its $25,000 target. A $99 pledge gets you one INSIDECOACH football – a decent saving on its expected $185 retail price, and significantly lower than what Adidas is charging for its own smart ball effort.