{"id":11860,"date":"2021-01-28T10:31:33","date_gmt":"2021-01-28T09:31:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.laval-virtual.com\/?p=11860"},"modified":"2021-04-29T11:17:36","modified_gmt":"2021-04-29T09:17:36","slug":"sporttrooper-personalised-training-solution-for-enhanced-performance-of-sport-pistol-shooters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.laval-virtual.com\/en\/sporttrooper-personalised-training-solution-for-enhanced-performance-of-sport-pistol-shooters\/","title":{"rendered":"SportTrooper: personalised training solution for enhanced performance of sport pistol shooters"},"content":{"rendered":"

A group of virtual reality<\/a> researchers and top athletes have initiated a project as the 2024 Olympic Games approach. Hélène Jacolin, former athlete in the French pistol shooting team, presents the project SportTrooper developed by CREPS Bordeaux, onepoint and Immersion.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

France’s pistol team will make a big qualitative leap in their training routine for the 2024 Olympic Games with the integration of SportTrooper in a few months. This personalised training solution delivers an immersive experience in real competition conditions at the shooter’s own training facilities, helping them manage and reduce stress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This system, developed by onepoint and CREPS Bordeaux in collaboration with Immersion, is a product of the SportTech initiative launched by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. SportTech aims to spark collaboration between local sports bodies and digital players in order to promote and support innovative digital projects with a positive impact on sports performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stress as a negative factor in sports performance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That is what Hélène Jacolin, French pistol champion (winner of the 10-metre pistol shooting mixed event in 2020) and functional analyst for digital applications at onepoint, has observed over the years: <\/span>“A pistol shooting event consists of a qualification round of 60 competition shots, then the shooters with the top eight scores move on to a final round. Score zones, environment, and shooting tempos are different between the two rounds, but only major competitions hold this final round. I participate in many events every year, but only a few will hold an 8-contestant final, and I need to qualify first! So, in the end, over 12 months, I participate in 2 finals out of 15 competitions on average. As I haven’t developed habituation (the process of becoming used to something), I always feel like it’s my first final: I’m overcome by my emotions<\/strong>, I lose my clarity, I panic, and I end up making mistakes. To make progress, I would need to practice in real final conditions regularly so that I can learn to stay in control.”<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This observation is confirmed by Walter Lapeyre, coach of the French pistol team at CREPS Bordeaux, who often witnesses a significant decrease in the shooters’ performance during the last stages of a competition. While a certain level of stress can be beneficial, in this case it becomes a hurdle, a disruptor, to the extent that it is not uncommon for shooters to perform poorly in their first finals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lapeyre and Jacolin believe that the guiding principle of any shooter’s training should be “the match is the standard.” They think that training should take into account real competition constraints, such as shooting time, lighting conditions, authorised material, and background noise. Because, even though the athletes’ current mental preparation routine includes stress management sessions with a sport psychologist, they struggle to learn to “tame” a stress response that they hardly ever experience, as their training environment does not reproduce real competition conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personalised training for pistol shooting athletes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the light of these challenges, <\/span>onepoint<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>CREPS Bordeaux<\/span><\/a>, the National Pistol Shooting Centre (located at CREPS’ facilities), and <\/span>Immersion<\/span><\/a>, decided to join forces and tackle the issue. SportTrooper was the outcome of their endeavours: a personalised training solution comprising a web application, an immersive device, and a stress measurement system. The athlete is immersed in a training session that simulates real competition conditions, allowing them to get to know themselves and manage their stress better.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The training session<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the shooter, who is on the shooting range with their pistol and facing a target, is wearing <\/span>different types of body sensors to collect data<\/b> such as:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n