What it is, where it really helps, the top teams using it and the successful experiment

With the playing duties in Greece put on hold thanks to the break for the national team window, what made a sensation in the Stoiximan Super League on Friday (15/11) was the announcement by AEK that from now on they are integrating Virtual Training into her training program.

The SPORT24 researched and found out what the new technology is, what it’s really for, which top teams are using it, the players who have spoken out about its benefits Virtual Realitywhile also presenting you the successful example that shows the clear path of the “tomorrow” of football on a global scale.

What is Virtual Reality and where does it help?

The Virtual Training is training with the help of virtual reality. The player wears a headset, has sensors and motion tracking tools that allow them to interact with the simulated environment of a live game.

Essentially, each football player has the possibility to be in a virtual playing field, at any time and in any place he wants, without it being necessary to be with the rest of the team or to cooperate with his teammates.

The three individual pieces of the game that Virtual Training has a direct impact on

1. Scanning the space (that is, how many times a player looks around at what is happening in order to properly prepare the next move, so that it is as correct as possible and with fewer error rates)
2. Perception and vision
3. Decision making (it’s one of the key individual skills that separate the good from the great players)

Practically, the application creates for the player several realistic scenarios, which he encounters during a match and is asked to make the appropriate decision.

Where does virtual training help?

Research has shown that players after using Virtual Training improve in scanning the field and consequently in making decisions against 28% after the first nine weeks of using the technology.

In football, virtual reality is useful in the tactical part of the game, skill development and injury rehabilitation training.

The tactical part is used for analysis and allows the coach to design game scenarios to challenge players and analyze their performance based on simulations.

It is also used to develop the skills of the goalkeeper and players or to help them practice how to defend or take penalties.

The player or coach can analyze the training session again and again to correct mistakes, which is useful because it allows players to improve their technique in a controlled environment.

Virtual reality can also be used to aid in injury rehabilitation, allowing players to continue their cognitive training and maintain decision-making reflexes, even when unable to participate in vigorous physical activity.

In short, the ultimate goal is one: the more often you scan, the better perception you have of what is happening around you and consequently the more the chances of making the most correct decision for your team increase.

The application and its capabilities

Its application Virtual Training it has different modes and difficulty levels, the important part being that players train in real match conditions.

Through the app, the player stores the statistics and performance he has collected in each training session in order to see his development and evaluate his progress, while discovering the aspects of his game that he is lagging behind and should put more emphasis on to improve .

It also has the potential to see what players competing at the top level would choose in each phase, to compare the decisions he has made with theirs.

Finally, it can download the application on his mobile, so that he can revisit the “lessons” or tasks he has already completed, in order to notice with a clearer mind any mistakes or what he could do better or differently.

The teams using virtual training and the top players who have benefited

The Virtual Training although it arrived on Greek soil in 2024, it is nothing new, since in recent years it has been adopted as part of training at top clubs, among which are: Real, Arsenal, Dortmund, Copenhagen, Wolves, Midland, Antalyaspor, the academy of Malaga, Norgeland, Genk, Groningen, Levante.

Martin Edgard, Aurelien Chowameny and Thibaut Courtois have also spoken openly about how much Virtual Reality training has helped them. with the Merengues goalkeeper revealing that virtual training was instrumental in keeping him active during last season’s injury-hit season.

The example of Germany K17 shows the way

The most widespread example of a team that relied heavily on Virtual Training and saw immediate results is the German U17 national team, who won the Euros in the summer of 2023 against France after a 14-year absence.

“Playing smart can save a huge amount of time in making the right decisions. Games can be won that way. It’s just as important as technical and tactical training.

You can only develop technique and tactics if you have the cognitive skills. It’s the difference between a good player and a great player”the coach of Germany, Christian Wusk, had stated in Sky Sports before stating about virtual training that: “It’s probably the most important thing because the game is so much faster than it was 10 years ago.”

“The 80% of players had more head movements and took better positions on the pitch as soon as in the second game you use Virtual Training”Wusk noted.

“We’ve found that players who have good orientation on the pitch are also good with VR glasses. Our best players are the best at both, and it can help players who are out due to injury get back into action more smoothly,” he said. the 51-year-old.