14 June 2024 / 3-Min Read / Translate
TL;DR
In general, squash is behind other sports with regard to data-based analytic services. No doubt this is due to the popularity of the game and the money involved. For example, tennis has a lot of companies offering these sorts of services and professional tennis players and their coaches use them.
So it is always interesting to see new innovations aimed at squash players, and Rally Vision is the latest service to be announced.
The idea of having your squash match recorded via video and analysed is not new. I was lucky enough to play in the 1987 ICI Perspex Men's World Open Squash Championship qualifying rounds and there was somebody there with a VHS video camera offering the service for 5 pounds per game, which when adjusted for inflation comes to 14 pounds per game. I was a poor, struggling professional coach at the time, and I declined the offer, but looking back, I should have had one game analysed just for curiosity sake. I remember seeing very very players agreeing to the service.
Cross Court Analytics have been around for a few years now and are getting more and more attention, both from the squash playing public, and pro players, clubs and even national governing bodies. In fact, I have written a number of articles using their data as a topic (Using The Full Height Of The Squash Court, Do Pro Squash Players Volley More Than Club Players? and (How Often Do You Hit The Ball Deep From Deep?)
The way the data is presented looks very user-friendly, and the data supplied seems comparable with similar services.
According to a post they made on Rally Vision - Elevate your game, their system makes an initial pass by the AI system (computer vision/ machine learning) and apparently 5% is corrected by "high-level players".
There's no price advertised on their website and they are inviting people to contact them via email. They are also looking for coaches and clubs to be their phase 1 clients.
It definitely looks great and more services in this area will be better for us. Data analysis is just one tool that players, coaches, clubs, teams and organisations can use to improve your squash. Personally, I believe that for club players, these tools should be used in conjunction with a coach. Having the data and understanding how to use the data are two separate things.
I would love to see the same match analysed by Rally Vision, Cross Court Analytics and the RacketWare Sensor, then compare those results with my Video Analysis service.
Which would provide the most practical guidance? Probably a combination of all 4 services.
Club players are often looking for the shortcuts or that secret "pro-tip" to improve their game. Rarely does that exist.
There is no substitute for hard, consistent work. These tools help you focus your efforts on the right area.
I look forward to seeing a full game analysis at some point in the future, as I am sure are you. Until then, keep training as often and as focused as you can, in fact DO SOMETHING EVERY SINGLE DAY TO IMPROVE YOUR SQUASH!