Virgin Active launches tennis training drone, The Drone-ovic
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If you’re feeling less than confident in your performance in your biweekly tennis games at the local recreation center but too embarrassed to take lessons, Virgin Active is here to help. Virgin Active, a chain of health clubs located around the world, has just released a drone to help improve your game so you stop missing the ball every other serve and start playing like a professional.
The drone, cleverly named the Drone-ovic after No. 1 ranked men’s tennis player Novak Djokovic is designed to teach you how to mimic the Serbian tennis star’s famous serve by dropping the ball in various angles and heights, unlike a traditional ball machine.
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“The great thing about Drone-ovic is it recreates the serve and smash experience with greater accuracy,” Virgin Active’s head of racquets, Gary Stewart, said in a press release sent to Mashable. “By dropping tennis balls from high and unexpected angles it keeps members on their toes and improves technique and agility.”
The ball is suspended by a thin plastic line and released from its hook upon command from whatever angle the player desires. In addition, the Drone-ovic also has a 4k camera, allowing players and coaches to analyze their performance from a different perspective.
Although the drone is still in the trial stages at Virgin Active’s Northwood location in the United Kingdom, the idea of using a drone to improve sport performance shows great promise for the future not only for tennis, but other sports as well.
