virtual reality training for OL

[aubiefifty 16,799]

Why Herb Hand is a fan of virtual reality training for offensive linemen

Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

Virtual reality training may be a relatively new concept in sports realm, but it isn't a foreign one at Auburn.

The Tigers have been using virtual reality with the football team since the 2015 offseason, teaming up with STRIVR Labs using Oculus Rift headsets to develop a fully immersive virtual reality training that helps with mental repetitions for players off the field.

Auburn has most notably used it for the quarterback position, as coach Gus Malzahn noted at SEC Media Days in 2015, as a means of helping give the signal-callers "an advantage." Former quarterback Jeremy Johnson was also a fan of the technology ahead of his first season as Auburn's starter.

The Tigers have since expanded the use of the technology, apparently.

 

VR Troopers: Auburn institutes virtual reality training to improve quarterbacks

STRIVR Labs has developed a fully immersive approach with Oculus Rift headsets, a virtual-reality technology that allows players to turn any direction and get a 360-degree view of the field, the players and even the running back standing behind him in the formation.

 

Offensive line coach Herb Hand, making an appearance on The Coach and Coordinator Show -- a podcast hosted by former college assistant Keith Grabowski, who is the senior manager of curriculum and coaching technology for USA Football as well as CEO of Coaches Edge Technologies, "the authority in developing and distributing interactive coaching education materials" -- discussed why he enjoys the virtual reality technology during an episode of the show that was released in late December.

Hand was asked by Grabowski about his current favorite technology to use as a coach, and Hand was quick to mention the Oculus Rift headgear the team uses, calling it "definitely one of the cooler" tools he has seen during his coaching career. Hand, who is entering his second season as an assistant on Malzahn's staff, said he thinks the virtual reality training can be beneficial in the development of younger players at the center position in particular.

"I think it really helps in development, particularly of your young centers, of getting them into that headgear and letting them stand in there and ID a front, call out the combos and call out your protections schemes based on the front identification," Hand said on the podcast. "If you have your centers spending half an hour once a week in the offseason just going in and looking at the different front structures, communicating that out, then you get into a real live situation and they've seen it before."

 

How much will Auburn shuffle its offensive line to find 2 new starters?

Auburn has to find two new starters on the offensive line and there are a vast number of ways for how to do it.

 

Hand especially enjoys how the technology allows players to get mental reps without the beating that comes with the physicality in the trenches, comparing it to a team's weekly walkthrough before game days in the fall.

Hand added that he would like to see an expansion of the technology to the point where the entire five-man offensive line could line up simultaneously and get the reps as a unit as opposed to individually.

"I don't know if they have this or not; I'm not living in that world, but what if you could ever get where all five guys could line up... line up your whole lineup there, have them at least go through their communication progressions with front identification and combo calls and that sort of thing," Hand said. "There's no question that's a big-time asset."

[vatz22au 142]

I'm a huge fan of using this technology.  It will never replace the real deal in practice but as Herb pointed out in the article it's much better than the walk-throughs they do with no pads.  I think the the ceiling for this type of tech in this application is very high in the next coming years.  Just imagine each player given a headset as they step foot on campus and can do these mental reps on their own accord to prepare.

I would love to see the secondary get some use out of this, especially the safeties.  To be able to decipher where the coverages need to be against an opponent and have mental reps against that is priceless.

[aubiefifty 16,799]

as an often confused geezer i never knew this kinda tech existed.  i think it is cool as hell and the fact it probably helps minimize injuries is just awesome as well.

[Barnacle 9,064]

For pre-snap recognition, this is a great tool. The more you accustomed you can get to seeing different fronts/looks and making the appropriate calls, the more it turns into muscle memory on game day. 

[lionheartkc 6,150]

I love all of the tech stuff, but it kills me that this should have made Jeremy so much better and reading the D... and it didn't. I definitely see the value for a position like center, but I question the value for a QB or any player that has to be able to read what the D is doing post-snap.  Unless there is an AI engine that can continually mix things up, they will get used to seeing patterns, even subconsciously, and then act on those patterns, when a live opponent might not do what they would expect to see in the computer.

[vatz22au 142]

21 minutes ago, lionheartkc said:

I love all of the tech stuff, but it kills me that this should have made Jeremy so much better and reading the D... and it didn't. I definitely see the value for a position like center, but I question the value for a QB or any player that has to be able to read what the D is doing post-snap.  Unless there is an AI engine that can continually mix things up, they will get used to seeing patterns, even subconsciously, and then act on those patterns, when a live opponent might not do what they would expect to see in the computer.

Jeremy's problem wasn't reading the defense (although you could argue that with his INT problem), his problem was his demeanor and ability to remain calm under pressure to make good decisions which usually resulted in chaotic choices.  Apparently he was an all-world practice player when he was wearing the orange "no hit" jersey.  VR can't fix that.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

1 minute ago, vatz22au said:

Jeremy's problem wasn't reading the defense (although you could argue that with his INT problem), his problem was his demeanor and ability to remain calm under pressure to make good decisions which usually resulted in chaotic choices.  Apparently he was an all-world practice player when he was wearing the orange "no hit" jersey.  VR can't fix that.

I'm with you... he had other issues as well, but he did have serious problems reading a D as the play was developing. 

[Barnacle 9,064]

9 minutes ago, lionheartkc said:

I'm with you... he had other issues as well, but he did have serious problems reading a D as the play was developing. 

Yeah reading the defense/seeing the field, whatever you want to call it - I think it was mostly pressure driven. When your mind is supposed to slow down, his sped up. You could see it in his footwork too - terrible feel for the pass rush. His instinct was always to roll out, never to step up, even if the rush was being pushed to the outside and up the field. 

[aubiefifty 16,799]

25 minutes ago, lionheartkc said:

I'm with you... he had other issues as well, but he did have serious problems reading a D as the play was developing. 

it might never happen since it might embarrass him or not seem politically incorrect so to speak but i would love to hear his own views on why he struggled like he did. if he played like folks hoped he would a lot of the stuff on gus would never have happened. and for the record this is not a knock on jeremy but there might have been something nagging on him or something. remember he played pretty good for a couple of games before his issues popped up. i still hope he corrects it and gets a chance at the next level. oh. how could one find out how he is doing at the nfl combine or tryouts?

[lionheartkc 6,150]

Just now, aubiefifty said:

 how could one find out how he is doing at the nfl combine or tryouts?

No worries... if there is anything to talk about, it will be posted here.

[doc4aday 1,887]

We need to have the best technology out there for the OL & maybe the DL as well. You can bet that other schools are moving in that direction. We need this soon.

[Tiger 8,827]

First step -> move the kickoff up to have fewer returns

Second step -> Take targeting out of the game

Third step -> Migrate the entire game of football to VR to make it a completely contact-less sport in real life