I watch Tennis for a few reasons: Roger Federer’s graceful class, Djokovic’s never-say-die approach, and that square box in the corner that measures serves. I remember Goran Ivanisevic setting records in the 90’s with his monstrous serve. I recall how amazed I was at someone with the ability to make a tiny green ball travel at such high speeds. The record at the moment belongs to Australian Samuel Groth with a service of 163.4 mph (263 km/h).
As an amateur football player, I was always aware that I could never kick the ball as strongly as college players, let alone professional athletes who spend their day training to kick the ball. But I was always curious to know just how fast my shot would register on one of those serve measurement tools from the tennis world. Or, how fast was the ball flying by Fabien Barthez when Roberto Carlos took that famous free-kick in 1997?
Well it seems that Adidas has made it possible for me to find out exactly how weak my shot is.
The sports apparel company’s Snapshot App, available on both iOS and Android devices, has a simple premise: measure how hard and fast a person can kick a soccer ball.
The app records footage of a person taking the shot and determines from the video how fast they sent the ball rolling or flying depending on how well they can strike a soccer ball.
Snapshot’s default measure is in Kilometers per hour, but that can easily be converted to miles per hour for football fans residing in the United States. The app also features a global leaderboard which will keep you coming back, as you try to beat your own record, compete with friends and try (but probably fail) to measure up to superstars such as Gareth Bale, Ricardo Montolivo and others. You can tweet your score to @adidasfootball to join the league, and each month the leaders will win an adidas prize.
The app is definitely full of other entertaining features as well: it offers real time and super slow-motion video playback, applies some visual effects to your kicks, and can measure how far you can send the ball flying as well and at what angle. So if you’re like me, and have a history of hitting everything on the field except for the goal, the app can tell you just how inaccurate your shots can be.
I know I’ll definitely be using this app in the coming week and testing it out with my “Sunday soccer” friends. I’m hoping I’ll be able to register a decent shot speed, but I also look forward to see whether the app is truly accurate and as easy to use as advertised. Until then, I’ll be at the gym strengthening my calf and thigh muscles in preparation.
For the record, Guiness World Records shows the fastest soccer kick registered at 129 Km/h (80 mph), by Francisco Javier Galan Marin. Good luck.