Want to walk out on a playing field in front of 80,000 people? Prepared to pit your skills against a thunderbolt serves from Maria Sharapova? Brave enough to face an ice hockey puck at 100mph? Well, now you can, thanks to virtual reality (VR).

Offering fans the opportunity to compete against elite athletes is the main way sport has embraced VR to date. However, as the tech improves, there’s another way it’s being used – to train athletes.

One of the companies harnessing these opportunities is California-based STRIVR. Founded in January 2015 by Derek Belch – a former American collegiate footballer with a Masters degree in VR from Stanford – the startup has already made waves across North America with its coaching product.

Rather than sitting in a classroom and watching scenarios play out on a static TV screen, STRIVR places athletes in the action, using Oculus Rift headsets and footage shot by a 360 camera system. “What we do is immersive performance training,” says Belch, explaining the concept. “We offer players an environment which is as close as possible to reality.

“We give them the view they actually play from – as opposed to the view from the edge of the playing field – which you get in traditional coaching sessions using cameras and screens. They’re transported into the game and get the virtual feel of the play.”

INSTANT SUCCESS
When he launched STRIVR a year ago, Belch decided to concentrate on American Football – the sport he’d played at elite level and had intricate knowledge of. He set himself a target of signing up one college football team to use STRIVR by the end of 2015. By the end of April 2015, he’d already signed up seven teams.

Now, 13 months from its launch, there are 23 clubs – including iconic NFL franchises the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49rs – using the innovative training method. These successes have resulted in Belch looking at expanding STRIVR’s services.

“Our focus is very much on football, as we do that really well, but we’ve just signed our first MLB team,” he says. “Other sports are starting to take interest in STRIVR, so there’s lots of scope for further growth.”

Tom Walker is managing editor of Sports Management