In late June, STRIVR Labs' virtual reality training clients included NFL and NCAA Division I football programs.
That has quickly changed. With more and more teams, across a variety of sports, looking to get a technological advantage, the budding Silicon Valley company has reached a multi-year partnership with Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the NBA's Washington Wizards, WNBA's Washington Mystics and NHL's Washington Capitals.
All three teams will now utilize virtual reality training, as STRIVR expands its list of clients, which already included the Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings in the NFL and college football programs such as Stanford, Auburn, Arkansas and Clemson, to name a few, in the NCAA. However, this new partnership marks the first time an NBA, WNBA and NHL team will make use of the technology.
(Photo : STRIVR Labs)
"We are extremely excited to be working with Monumental Sports & Entertainment—our first NBA, NHL and WNBA teams," Derek Belch, STRIVR's co-founder, said in a press release statement. "We are hitting the trifecta with the Wizards, Capitals and Mystics. We are looking forward to the challenge and value the partnership with [owner of all three teams] Ted Leonsis and his teams. Our product will be in great hands, and they will push us to continue to grow and improve."
Like the company does with football teams, STRIVR will capture live plays and content from the Wizards, Capitals and Mystics' respective practices and via its software, feed 3-D video images to training players through an Oculus Rift headset.
Capitals defenseman John Carlson sees parralels between football and hockey, pointing out how virtual reality will help him.
"STRIVR's experience with football and quarterbacks is exciting for me, because I feel hockey defensemen and quarterbacks go through a similar decision-making process," Carlson said to CSN Washington. "The virtual reality technology is going to help me fine tune my decision making in games and allow me to train as if I'm at practice without having to be on the ice."
Added Wizards coach Randy Wittman: "This new technology is a unique teaching tool that will enhance our existing player development programs. We are excited to be the first NBA team using this technology and look forward to sharing it with our players."
