Star India table tennis player G Sathiyan gets tech-savvy for Nationals
It will be the first time that the ball-tracking software, commonly used in cricket, will be tried out by a table tennis player in India
Star India table tennis player G Sathiyan is set to use ball-tracking software during the Nationals, to be held in Panchkula, from February 15 to 23.
It will be the first-time that the ball-tracking software, commonly used in cricket, will be tried out by a table tennis player in India. The software is still at a testing stage but Sathiyan hopes it will help him understand his game better.
"All I need to do is place my mobile phone and record the game. The recording will be fed into the software and we will have data in few minutes," Sathiyan told the Times of India.
Sathiyan has been using the ball-tracking device for almost two months now. He explained that it helps the paddlers get accurate data on on key points like the speed at which they hit the ball, the trajectory and distance it has traveled.
"It is early to state that I am seeing a tangible change in my game because of this software. But, over a period of time, this data will help my game immensely. More importantly, practice sessions have become more fun with all of us having numbers on speed, trajectory, distance to analyse our game," he added.
The Indian start-up company, which is developing this technology, is testing their product at an academy run by Sathiyan's coach, S Raman. His coach said that the process of analysing the data through the software is easy and he wants to help his players through it.
"Being a TOPS and Khelo India centre, we were more than happy to help our players make use of it. There is a camera fitted at a specific place which records the training session of our players," Raman said.
"The results are almost real-time. With so much data available through the software, it could prove to be a game-changer for TT players in India, he added.