Catapult to launch new wearable tracking device for basketball

March 7, 2023

In its latest commitment to research and development, Australian-founded Catapult, a global leader in sports technology solutions for professional athletes and teams, will deepen its presence in basketball with the launch on 1^st April of a new wearable tracking device: the Vector T7.

The device, less than half the size of the smallest wearable on the market and barely noticeable to players who wear it, enables teams to leverage thousands of performance data points more efficiently than ever.

73% smaller than its predecessor, the Vector T7 delivers the most accurate and comprehensive player data in indoor environments, including the company’s proprietary “Basketball Movement Profile.”

Combined with Catapult’s ClearSky Local Positioning System, the Vector T7 empowers teams to leverage new player performance insights, mitigate injury risk, and make live in-game decisions.

Developed with the needs of basketball teams in mind, Vector T7 sets a new standard for athlete monitoring in indoor environments, including men’s and women’s basketball as well as volleyball. The combination of the Vector T7 and ClearSky equips teams with:

Basketball Movement Profile: Coaching and training staffs can get a more detailed picture of the demands being placed on their players with specific analytics that report the unique and critical movements of basketball.
Improved compliance: With a smaller and lighter device, athletes now have the option of wearing the device on the waist.
New Live Tracking: Live tracking combined with the integration of live mobile applications allow coaches to look at player performances in real time on any device.
Increased Accuracy and Connectivity: New positional and inertial sensors are optimized with new player metrics and allow for integration of additional data such as heart rate, physiological, mouthguard, and EMG.
Wireless and Portable Communication: Users can now transfer data wirelessly with the new portable docking station and access positional data from the ClearSky system without post-event downloads.

In addition to innovations to the Vector device, Catapult has engineered the Basketball Movement Profile, which quantifies and categorises every type of basketball movement on the court to help coaches make better decisions for their athletes and identify the causes of performance strain with more accuracy. It uses the inertial sensors inside the Vector T7 devices to provide absolute and relative time spent in five movement categories:

Dynamic - Turning and change of direction movements
Running - Steady jogging/running movements
Active - Walking movements
Settled - Standing
Jumping - Jumping movements

The Vector T7 and Basketball Movement Profile were beta tested by five-time men’s national basketball champion Duke University, and Ohio State University women’s basketball team, currently ranked fifth in the Big Ten conference.

Catapult Chief Executive, Will Lopes notes “our mission at Catapult is to empower teams with the tools to unleash their potential. Our Vector solution has become the industry standard for thousands of elite teams, in dozens of sports in more than 150 federations worldwide. The Vector T7 is just the latest in our commitment to equip the best, with the best. It is smaller, lighter, and easier for players to wear and for training staff to use on and off the court. We look forward to yet again setting a new standard in athlete monitoring for athletes worldwide.”

“The Vector T7 has improved the comfort for our players. Often the players don’t realize they are wearing the new device,” added Nick Potter, Duke Men’s Basketball’s Director of High Performance & Sports Science. “The easier we can make the Catapult data accessible to coaches and provide insight on increasing and decreasing player load, the better we are going to be as a team and organization. The size and ease of the Vector T7 alone adds a huge benefit to our ability to get the most out of the Catapult system."

In addition to Duke University, Catapult’s basketball solutions are used by the NBA’s Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder, and San Antonio Spurs, in addition to top NCAA basketball teams including University of Connecticut, Louisiana State, Michigan State, UCLA, and Kentucky.

Catapult’s Performance & Health vertical comprises the largest portion of its business and is anchored by the Vector solution. In the first half of the fiscal year, the vertical experienced 39% growth year over year, led by the Americas which experienced 43% growth YoY. Catapult’s market share for Performance & Health solutions is five times the closest competitor, making it the clear market leader for athlete monitoring.

Learn more about Catapult's beta test with Duke men’s basketball on the company's blog.

To learn more about Catapult and to inquire about accessing performance analytics for a team or athlete, go to www.catapultsports.com/

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