Ball control, coordination and decision making are three of the most important skills for a football player to master. Mastery of these skills separates players from the rest and allows them to thrive on the field.
Aspiring and current professional footballers need more than raw talent to succeed in the sport. Due to this, reaching the highest levels requires access to the right tools.
Senseball believes their product, a simple ball attached to a handled piece of cord, is one of the tools necessary for developing the mentioned skills.
From 2001 to 2011, Belgian coach, Michael Bruyninckx, and the University of Louvain pioneered CogiTraining, a myelination-based method.
Myelination is the brain function necessary for enhancing motor skills, including footballing ability.
The CogiTraining training method, based on cognitive learning, emphasises rhythm, repetition and decision making under pressure.
These core principles work together to optimise the myelination process, enhancing the brain’s ability to develop motor skills essential for football.
The findings from the ten years of research led to the invention of Senseball.
The idea behind the product combines cognitive science with the only football kick trainer that uses the innovative CogiTraining method.
Specifications, use and benefits
The ball is a size 3, smaller than the standard size 5 used in matches. This challenges users and accelerates the development of ball control and coordination.
Using both feet, players can expect to achieve 1,500 touches in just 15 minutes, improving their two-footed skills. Over the course of a season, players can accrue ~500,000 touches. That is a tenfold increase from the ~50,000 touches provided by traditional training and matches.
The cord is height adjustable and has an ergonomic handle with grip pads designed for comfort. The ball itself is high quality, featuring a textured design to enhance its durability and improve player control.
Purchasing Senseball’s product grants the ability to connect to the Senseball mobile app.
The app features over 50 guided training videos, personalised drills, and progress training, allowing players to get the most out of the product.
The training videos teach methods that promote symmetrical movement to develop skills in both feet equally.
Unlike traditional training methods, such as cone or passing drills, Senseball allows players to train alone and without the requirement of a full-size pitch.
Additionally, given its compact nature, the ball is ideal for use not just on the training pitch, but also at home or on the go. Injured players can also benefit from the product as it is less straining than other training methods.
Senseball claims its benefits extend beyond the pitch, with research indicating an average 10% improvement in academic performance and enhanced concentration among young players after one year of use.
Australian football ecosystem
Senseball is used by over 500 clubs worldwide, including AC Milan, Leicester City, and FC Metz.
Elite players such as Dries Mertens, Jan Verthongen, Moussa Dembele, and Youri Tielemans have sharpened their tools using the product.
Further, Bruyninckx worked with a sample group of 200 (140 boys and 60 girls) moderately capable players in an attempt to improve their footballing ability using Senseball.
Six of the boys went on to represent Belgium at the international level, while several of the girls went on to make up half of the national women’s team.
Given the product’s status as a proven tool for improving a player’s ability on the ball, it could be a valuable asset for teams competing at the highest level in Australia.
Further, young players at the grassroots level could also benefit from the product.
RSC Anderlecht were one of the first clubs to incorporate Senseball into the training regime of its youth academy.
The results speak for themselves as the club reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Youth League in 2015/16.
Australian clubs may benefit from attempting to replicate this success with their youth academies.
Overall, the mass implementation of Senseball into training schedules has massive potential to significantly strengthen the Australian football ecosystem at all levels.
