SPORT STUDENTS DIVE INTO THE FUTURE OF VR

Caption: A sport student using a VR headset with other students on their laptops watching

NWSLC Sport students have been trying out the latest in sporting technology as part of their course. The department has recently received a collection of state-of-the-art equipment to enable students to gain real sector experience.

The new equipment includes virtual reality headsets, speed timing gates, GPS watches that track the distances and speed of athletes, force plates to measure power and Dart Fish: a performance analysis software.

Thomas Marper, NWSLC Sport Lecturer said: “This has given the students a real insight into the type of technology that is being used in the sport sector. Virtual reality, especially, has become more prominent since the pandemic with athletes needing to train at home.

“As part of the lessons, we have hosted virtual reality coaching sessions where the students work with a virtual athlete to provide technical and tactical feedback. The students can see exactly what the athlete is viewing on the VR headsets with their laptops and provide real time feedback. It’s been an amazing learning curve and a unique experience for students to provide peer to peer feedback through the virtual reality.”

To find out more about Sport courses at NWSLC, visit: https://www.nwslc.ac.uk/course/sport-and-fitness-college-courses/