Bobsled and Skeleton Olympic Teams Analyze Performance With iPad

Coaches for the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Olympic teams are using a slow-motion video iPad app to record, analyze, and improve athlete performance ahead of competitive events that will begin next Wednesday.

Ubersense Coach, the app being used, specializes in slow motion video analysis, allowing coaches to record up to 120 FPS video using the iPhone or iPad camera. Captured video is then played back in super slow motion for a frame-by-frame analysis of technique.

The app, which Ubersense says is used by professional and amateur coaches alike, also includes zooming and panning tools, side-by-side comparisons, and both audio recording and drawing tools for making notes.

Along with being used by the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Olympic teams, the Ubersense Coach app has also been promoted by international figure skating coach Ghislain Briand and U.S. speed skating Olympian Joey Mantia.

USA Bobsled & Skeleton coaches record and analyze their athletes sliding over 80 mph using Ubersense on iPad. pic.twitter.com/HT56bHnbPl — Ubersense (@Ubersense) January 29, 2014

Though Apple has never highlighted Ubersense Coach, it has focused on similar apps in several segments on its "Your Verse" iPad page, which shares stories of how people use their iPads.

In one segment, for example, Apple describes how hockey team LA Kings uses the ThunderCloud iBench app to capture video and evaluate players. Apple also shares the story of Bridie Farrell, a champion speedskater who uses the Dartfish Express app to train. Like Ubersense, that app in-depth provides video analysis of technique.

Ubersense has actually had a long-running partnership with the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, originally teaming up in 2011 to license the Ubersense app to the U.S. national team for training.

The first U.S. Skeleton team event will take place on February 12 and the first Bobsled event will take place on February 16.

Ubersense Coach: Slow Motion Video Analysis can be downloaded from the App Store for free, with an "Elite" add-on available for $4.99 per month. The Elite in-app subscription adds cloud syncing, higher quality recording, and premium video content packs. [Direct Link]