We can deal with all sorts of modern technologies that aim to take soccer training to a higher level. One of them is Footbonaut. How does this innovative device work?
Footbonaut is a machine created at the University of Berlin that is responsible for the recent spectacular successes of Borussia Dortmund, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and the German national team.
The simplest way to describe Footbonaut is as a machine that throws balls. It has a form of a 14 × 14 m cage, which consists of 72 squares made of light panels. From each of them a ball is thrown, which can reach high speed, up to 130 kilometers per hour! The player, who stands in the middle of the cage, has the task of kicking the ball into the illuminated rectangle in the shortest possible time. He can do it with his leg, head or chest.
A loud sound and red color signal the arrival of the projectile. The green color, on the other hand, indicates the place where the ball should hit. The machine is capable of throwing up to 200 balls during a single training session. The stress level remains equally high at all times, motivating the player to achieve the best possible result.
A great advantage of Footbonaut is that the balls can be thrown from the machine in different ways, including rotation. This makes it very useful also for goalkeepers. This type of training, which lasts 20 minutes, is very intensive and effectively exercises the accuracy of passing. Footbonaut collects a range of data on strength, passing accuracy and heart rate and stores them on a computer.
The information gathered in this way can be extremely useful to the training staff. However, the cost of this modern machine is a bagatelle 3 million euros. Currently there are only three pieces of this advanced equipment in the world: in Dortmund, Hoffenheim and Qatar.
Is this the training of the future? Very possibly. This is alluded to by the Borussia bosses themselves.The machine is in fact called… “…
Published by Maszycanka Maszyce Sunday, 30 September 2012
What do its users think about Footbonaut? Borussia Dortmund’s player, Mustafa Amini admits that using the machine gives the impression of being surrounded by 10 players passing the ball at the same time, which is unfeasible during traditional training. He also stresses that Footbonaut is effective in developing speed and precision.
According to BVB coach Sven Mislintat, the Footbonaut machine contributes to improving a player’s technique and teaches him how to behave in difficult, unusual situations. In addition, it allows to observe his progress in real time. Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp, on the other hand, adds that Footbonaut is an ideal way to improve ball control skills.
See how Footbonaut works ⬇
Featured photo: Dennis Grombkowski / Bongarts / Getty Images
