When revved-up kids used to dribble a basketball through the kitchen or practice their footwork with a soccer ball in front of the television, exasperated parents would often just send ‘em outside to play. But these days, sending kids out might not be the best course of action.
Despite all the changes, many budding young athletes today are still just as anxious to get out there and hit the court or the pitch as all those previous generations. Unfortunately, with most summer activities canceled, it’s going to be a lot tougher for them to practice and get better without the competition of their peers.
Enter technology. Now, the advent of cutting edge items like the DribbleUp Smart Basketballs and Soccer Balls are offering parents and athletes of all ages an innovative way to improve skills and sharpen talents, all right from home.
DribbleUp was started by brothers Eric and Marc Forkosh around their parents’ Brooklyn dinner table four years ago. Now, they’ve developed an indoor-outdoor Smart Ball and interactive training system that’s basically a Peloton-style training regimen for youth sports.
When you buy either the Smart Basketball or hand-stitched Smart Soccer Ball, the computer vision tracking technology catches the ball movements related to targets on the DU Android or iOS app. It measures metrics like crossover speed, dribble hesitation, endurance levels, and live dribbling tracking with the interactive dribble speed meter. Everyone from kids to adult athletes can mine a wealth of training knowledge about their own skills, all from the DU ball readings.
But where DU really stands out is with their roster of daily live (optional) and on-demand classes available through the app. Trained by pro trainers, sessions are broadcast live from the DribbleUp studios every day, each constructed for players at every skill level.
With daily challenges and drills, the sessions are geared to helping players learn new moves and maybe even land themselves on a class leaderboard and win prizes. Live classes do cost $9.99 a month (first month free), but it’s a great option for kids looking to stay engaged and training over the summer while all the usual active youth leagues remain closed.
Both the DU Smart Basketball and DU Smart Soccer Ball are available in junior and adult sizes through the DribbleUp website. The company is also holding its biggest sale of 2020 between June 27 and July 6 in honor of the 4th of July. Use code JULY4 at checkout for 20% off.
