At this point, it would be an enormous mistake to deny technology access to the sports world.

Professional soccer players use a vest carrying a GPS used to monitor their work on the field, coaches use drones to record their training sessions, and the list goes on.

The creation of apps like Dribble Up pretends to take training sessions to the next level. But what happens with those without large spaces to train? Can you use Dribble Up on TV?

Dribble Up can be used on TV. If you have any Apple device and Apple TV, you can use screen mirroring. If the Apple devices have a Lightning port, you can use an HDMI adapter.

For Android with Slim Port, use an HDMI adapter as well. And for Android devices without Slim Port, you can use Chromecast. 

Technology and soccer have a tense relationship. The sport has a strong old-school spirit that still dictates some rules, and it is resistant to the use of technology.

Regardless, the correct use of VAR and Goal-line technology demonstrated their efficiency in making the sport better. So, why not embrace training apps like Dribble up to do the same?

Can you use Dribble Up on TV?

 

Yes, you only need an HDMI adapter or a Chromecast device. 

We are living in the train at-home era, there’s no doubt about it. Apps designed to upgrade users’ fitness saw their light bright stronger than ever during this particular 2020. 

There are apps developed for training in treadmills, bike spinning, functional training, cross-fit, and the list goes on. 2020 is when people choose to train at home, and app developers are working more than ever. 

The advantage of using training-at-home apps is the user doesn’t need lots of expensive equipment. Most of the exercises can be executed with domestic elements; in some cases, the body weight is all the user needs. 

It was a matter of time before a developer has the idea of using augmented reality for training. That is how Dribble Up was born.

Dribble Up’s founder Eric Forkosh believes that Americans are behind in the worldwide soccer race because the youth don’t have access to high-quality training. 

As a kid that grew up in Brooklyn, Eric couldn’t afford a personal trainer or coach, and neither he nor his brother had access to indoor gyms.

They used to practice watching DVDs and Youtube videos, but after trying to apply the lessons in the field, they realized that it was a dull and unproductive learning way. 

Dribble Up is compatible with any smart device, shipped with a stand for the electronic device and a smart hand-stitched soccer ball. The ball comes in two sizes, the professional, number five, and the junior-sized, the number 4 soccer ball.  

The smart ball has a unique pattern that the app recognizes and uses to follow its movement. It also has a code in one of its panels that you need to scan with your phone or the electronic device you are using to enjoy Dribble Up.  

One of Dribble Up’s advantages over other smart soccer balls is that it doesn’t need to be charged. All the action in the Dribble Up app happens in the augmented reality spectrum.

Dribble Up offers a wide variety of soccer drills thought especially to upgrade soccer players’ control skills. It is possible to use several balls on the same app; the app is not paired with only one soccer ball. Which is great for small group training. 

The app has Yannick Salmon as a virtual trainer, a former Jamaican international who played professional soccer in Finland. After a short demonstration, the app gives the user a few seconds to get ready before the exercise starts. 

Dribble Up users can set the difficulty, length, and intensity of each drill. The app offers real-time feedback and advice to perform the exercises better. 

The app has three different training categories, shooting to goal, juggling the ball, and footwork. Shooting drills are excellent to enhance players’ finishing skills; juggling exercises help develop ball control, and footwork routines are great to upgrade users’ technique.

Two or more virtual cones appear on the screen for some drills; they remain green when the ball avoids touching them; if the ball touches them, they change to red. The app also measures the user’s speed and general pace in performing the drills.

There is also the possibility of signing up for live lessons instructed by experts.

Dribble Up was initially thought for youth athletes, but it suits any soccer affectionate, regardless of their skills or abilities. 

Dribble Up developers’ idea is to concentrate on soccer’s fundamentals and to inspire technical repetition. The idea of having a certified yet unknown soccer player as an instructor proves that. There is no need for a soccer superstar to demonstrate the moves.

It is pretty straightforward to use; first, the user needs to scan the ball in the phone. Once the app checked the ball’s code with the letters DU on it, you are ready to go. 

How to connect dribble up to smart tv?

 

The key to connecting Dribble up to a smart tv is on the device where you have installed the app, although, nowadays, almost every electronic device is compatible with either Slim Port or Chromecast. 

This feature is perfect for players who can only practice inside their houses or in small backyards. A bigger screen allows the players to appreciate better the errors they are committing. 

If your device is compatible with Slim Port, you can use an HDMI adapter. 

1. First, connect the HDMI cable to the adapter and the smart TV. 
2. Press “source” in the smart TV remote and select the HDMI slot you used to connect the cable. 
3. Enjoy! Your device’s screen should be mirrored on the smart TV. 

If your device is not compatible with Slim Port, use Chromecast.

1. Download the Google Home app from the Play store. It is a free app, don’t worry.
2. Open the app.
3. On the top left corner of the screen, tap Menu, then Cast Screen/Audio.
4. Your device’s screen should be displayed on your smart TV; open Dribble Up and start your training.

How do I connect my Dribble Up soccer ball to my TV via Apple TV?

 

You can connect Dribble Up through your iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and an Apple TV using the Airplay Mirroring feature. Swipe up to Control Center and select Screen Mirroring. 

1. Log your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch to the same Wi-Fi network as your Apple TV or Airplay 2 compatible smart TV.
2. Tap on Control Center. On iPhone 8 or earlier, or devices with iOS 11 or earlier, swipe up from the screen’s bottom edge. On iPhone X or later, iPad with iPadOS or later, swipe down from the screen’s upper-right corner.
3. Tap the Screen Mirroring option.
4. Choose your Apple TV or Airplay 2 compatible smart TV from the list.
5. If the system asks for an Airplay passcode, enter the passcode on your iOS or iPadOS device.

Smart TVs use your iOS or iPadOS device’s screen bearings and perspective ratio. You need to change your TV’s perspective ratio or zoom settings to fill the TV screen with the mirrored device’s screen.

After you finished your training, open Control Center again, click Screen Mirroring and then click on Stop Mirroring. You can also press the Menu button on the remote of your Apple TV. 

You can use an HDMI adapter if your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch have a Lightning port.

1. Plug in the adapter’s Lightning connector into your phone or tablet.
2. Connect an HDMI cable between the adapter and a TV’s HDMI port. 
3. Press the Source button on your TV’s remote and select the HDMI slot where you connected the adapter.
4. Enjoy, your device’s screen should be mirrored on your TV’s screen.

Is this training app useful? A Dribble Up review

The team of Dribble Up seeks to revolutionize and improve ball control in soccer. Through a virtual trainer, the exercises focus on dribbling and drills.

The app offers a series of interactive video tutorials that analyze your drill’s execution effectiveness and then provide a performance report. 

At the core of the app’s approach is a proprietary stackable featuring a QR code paired with an Android or iPhone app. 

The ball’s trajectory in each of the drills is tracked on the mobile screen using computer vision algorithms. The exercises’ nature feels very similar, both in aesthetic and functionality, to a Play Station connect or an Xbox video game. 

The app also provides limited real-time feedback and projected green cones on the screen. If the ball leaves the delimited area, the cones turn red. 

The smart soccer ball is shockingly similar to the much loved Nike team 90 soccer balls from the mid-2000s.

The main difference with Nike’s ball is the QR code used for ball recognition. The Dribble Up team ensures that the ball is the same match grade quality that the professionals use. 

The truth is the ball is comparable to any Adidas or Nike soccer ball of intermediate quality, with the advantage of being a smart soccer ball, which makes the ball available to a broader audience. 

The setup process is quick and versatile enough to be used across a wide range of locations. Besides the smart soccer ball, the rest of the equipment is easily obtainable. What’s needed is a Dribble Up soccer ball, a tripod, which they provide, and a smartphone with the app.

You can also display it on a TV or monitor if you wish. Besides the shooting exercises, most of the app’s activities can be completed indoors, in the park, or in any open space.

It is so versatile that it is easy to also practice dribbling skills in a garage or a lounge room. The majority of the drills have a similar setup process.

The suggested condition for this to work requires a tripod and the ball to be placed approximately a meter away. The initial step is a registration of the ball, making use of the phone’s front-facing camera. 

The process is assisted by a template of the ball. And the screen is a guide to ensure the user is familiar with the drill. Before starting, a video demonstration is shown, then the users are instructed to begin themselves. 

They have 30 seconds to complete as many successful movements in that time. The app’s three main modes focus on shooting, dribbling, and juggling. 

The more than 75 videos can be selected individually at the user’s discretion or as a part of a daily improvement program.

Dribbling is the gear that its developers have placed the most emphasis on, intending to improve players’ control. 

The novice drills involve essential side touches and single-leg ball rolls to higher it moves, involving cutbacks and direction changes. These are far more complex to contain the ball within the field of view of the phone’s camera. And that’s harder to get higher scores on. 

The harder the drills, the player’s effectiveness is greater on four aspects: speed, consistency pattern, and current control or accuracy. 

They provide a comprehensive analysis of the execution of the drills. The limited field of view of the front-facing camera and tracking is only done in two dimensions.

Drills might feel too stifled. The close ball control will assist in dribbling in tight areas. The dribbling drills transferred to match performance is engaging. This is due to dribbling in soccer being a reaction by skill. The more the muscle trains the reflex, the better. 

And when the player who has the ball has to respond to the opposing defender trying to dispossess them, regardless of how many top scores he received on the app, the player will feel more competent and confident in dribbling.

This raises the question of how practical the dribble apps gamification approach is in fulfilling its purpose of improving soccer performance. 

There’s no doubt that practicing in front of the TV is not the same as practicing against a real person. However, the constant repetition of some moves during the Dribble Up drills helps create muscle memory. 

Dribbling rivals in a soccer game require more than muscle reflex on the dribbling movements; it is also essential to remember practicing dribbling without looking at the ball all the time. 

We often see soccer players dribbling into trouble, this is, players who put themselves in uncomfortable situations or that lock themselves in rival’s defense. 

To avoid this, the player must dribble without looking at the ball all the time but looking in front of them. This requires lots of practice, but it is totally achievable. 

It would be a good idea to perform some of the Dribble Up drills without looking at the ball, feeling its location with the feet, and calculating its movement through the strength of each touch. 

An accomplished driver will run with the ball in their feet, looking forward or around them, knowing where the ball is at all times without looking at it. 

The shooting activity is simple to undertake and requires two devices, such as an iPhone and an iPad. One behind the goal to measure the kick and the other to view results.

Shooting at goal is one of soccer’s essential skills, and getting objective and instantaneous feedback after every shot certainly improves shooting skills. 

An excellent opportunity that Dribble Up offers is to evaluate the soccer ball’s reaction after every kick. The player can kick the ball in one of the sides, a little below the ball’s axis, and see the result.

They can then change the kick’s location, perhaps above the ball’s axis, and see what direction changes it produced.  

The juggling mode is essentially a juggling counter which records how many times you keep the ball up before dropping. There’s a significant delay with the live counting.

Although sometimes the app doesn’t count small juggles, it is a cool feature, though. 

Juggling the ball increases the player’s coordination, balance, and first touch. Practicing juggling gives the player a better notion of how hard to kick a soccer ball to get the expected bouncing. 

The app also gives valuable advice for juggling the ball, like avoiding using the toes to do it. Juggling the ball with the instep of the foot is ideal. 

Using the instep when juggling the ball not only increases the number of kicks you hit the ball with before it touches the floor, but it also creates familiarity between that part of the foot and the ball. 

This is particularly important for specific game actions like clearing the ball when defending or hitting the ball in a side volley, the instep drive, or the bicycle kick. 

The app feels more like a toy or a Play Station connect video game than a robust method to improve soccer performance. Which undoubtedly meets the creators’ expectations. 

The app’s main idea is to generate joy in its users while practicing, and the will to practice every day. For some kids, augmented reality is something they understand better than regular lessons, and that could be, perhaps, how teaching will look like in a couple of years.