The global pandemic put a barrier in our lives. It has impacted our lives in so many ways even our way of living. Gatherings for educational, social, cultural, and religious activities are banned. With the use of technology, we are able to adapt to these changes. We used online learning as a tool to continue learning among students, work from home arrangement and virtual training related to health and sports activities were implemented to avoid the spread of the virus. In the midst of the pandemic, we need to stay healthy and active. Youth training apps have experienced a major increase in usage in the past two weeks. HomeCourt ranked No. 1 as of March 24 on Apple’s free sports app. It is a basketball app that helps novice to elite level players to train in the comfort of their homes.
WHAT IS HOMECOURT BASKETBALL APP?
HomeCourt Basketball App is the first mobile application powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) designed by NEX Team Inc., a Silicon Valley-based mobile artificial intelligence company that is composed of former Apple, Google, and Facebook engineers and employees. The CEO and co-founder of NEX, David Lee, is an ex-Apple employee. The idea of HomeCourt was from David Lee himself when they were playing basketball. His wife and daughter stopped by to watch and cheer on him. But, he kept missing shots and he wished that they could see how he normally plays when they’re not around. That moment spurred a ton of ideas about performance tracking and player development using just a phone. Two years into developing the idea, the app was released in July 2018 for iOS devices.
HomeCourt raised $4 million funding in 2018 from investors like NBA, Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, Harris Blitzer Sports Entertainment, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Brooklyn Nets and NY Liberty owner Joe Tsai and pro athletes including Steve Nash, Jeremy Lin, Bradley Beal, Matthew Dellavedova, Joe Harris, Sue Bird, Jewell Loyd, Mason Plumlee, Miles Plumlee, Al Horford, and JJ Redick.
It allows basketball players of all ages, professional or non-professional, to measure their athletic potential and skills by recording, tracking, and charting their shots. HomeCourt was also referred to as “basketball training revolutionized,” which is so right because you can train hard just by setting up your phone camera – anytime, anywhere.
“Our vision for HomeCourt extends far beyond its practical aspects as a training companion. By combining the latest in mobile, AI, and computer vision technologies with deep community engagement experiences, we believe HomeCourt can connect a worldwide community of athletes who share a love and passion for basketball.” – David Lee HomeCourt has been recognized as Fast Company’s 2020 Most Innovative Company in Sports, Time’s Best Inventions of 2019, winner of 2019 Apple Design award and Editor’s Choice of 2018. Over 200 million players all around the world used HomeCourt and it tracked over 1 Billion dribbles and 100 million shots.
HOW DOES HOMECOURT APP WORK?
HomeCourt uses artificial intelligence (AI) and image recognition technology to track and record basketball shots. With the use of an iPhone or iPad, you just have to set up the camera and record your performance and it will give you a comprehensive review and analysis of every shot you make.
GET TO KNOW THE FEATURES OF HOMECOURT
TRAIN SMARTER
With HomeCourt, you just have to boot up your camera and it will capture your performance. It provides comprehensive feedback and training that enables players to constantly improve their skills.
INSTANT FEEDBACK
HomeCourt captures all your shots and moves in real time. It tracks and analyzes what work and what you need to work on next.
TRAIN WITH THE PROS
Homecourt gives guided digital workout and drills that have been developed and taught by famous athletes and NBA-level trainers and coaches.
COMPETE WITH FRIENDS
In HomeCourt, you can improve by competing with other players remotely around the globe. You can invite and connect, start a challenge, create or join a team. Battle anyone, anytime, anywhere.
NBA GLOBAL SCOUT
In partnership with the NBA, HomeCourt captures players’ abilities and skills in digital format and shares that with the NBA – NBA Global Scout. The next generation of players could be discovered and scouted through this initiative. NBA Global Scout also includes analysis of players’ agility, dribbling and shooting proficiency
SHOT SCIENCE
Recently, NEX launched Shot Science as a new feature in HomeCourt. It was developed with the help of two-time MVP and Hall of Fame point guard Steve Nash. Shot Science feature provides meaningful insights of your shots, release time, release angle, speed, leg angle and even the distance of your feet from the ground at the peak of your jump. It also differentiates shots that were missing from ones that were not. You can also get a closer look of your shots by zooming in your recordings or watching it in slow motion. A shot-by-shot analysis shows you the different stats of every shot you make. It calculates metrics like shooting percentage, accuracy, ball release speed, dribble speed, shooting height, angle of shooting, etc. It helps players to identify how to fire shots better.
According to Steve Nash, “Shot analysis is a tool that will revolutionize basketball training.” With shot analysis, you are able to gain advanced insights that the naked eye misses.
SET UP
For HomeCourt, an iPhone’s camera is all you need. You don’t need sensors or other equipment. You just need to set up your phone with a clear view of the court and of course, a ball.
PRICING
HomeCourt made its services free for everyone through April 30, 2021. The full library of over 100+ drills and activities are available. All you need is to download it onto your device. However, if you want to subscribe to get exclusive features and benefits including access to your full workout history, members-only training community, exclusive discounts and rewards, expert guidance from NBA-level skill trainers, share benefits with up to 4 family members, etc. The annual plan is just $69.99 per year and only $7.99 for the monthly plan.
WHAT ARE THE PROS & CONS OF HOMECOURT BASKETBALL APP?
PROS
Free to Play
Due to the pandemic, HomeCourt Team decided to make the app free so that everyone can stay active, practice safely at home, and continue to connect with their teams.
“I wish I had technology like HomeCourt when I was learning how to play,” said two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash. “As professional basketball players, we know how important it is to have the best training tools and basketball knowledge to fully develop your game.”
Equal Opportunity
According to David Lee, Homecourt has managed to take the first step in democratizing the level of opportunities available to basketball players, whether professional or non-professional. Everyone has been given the opportunity to improve, train, and get the same form of training like pro-players train.
Alex Wu, part of NEX Team and one of HomeCourt’s creators said, “We were thinking, how do we bring that same type of technology that’s available at a professional level to everybody and make it more accessible and affordable.”
Community and Social Networking
Being on a team is why we play sports. No man is an island and it’s always the best to play with people on your side.
In HomeCourt, you can create and join a team. You can invite and add people. You can receive challenges and awards from your coach and engage in team-wide competitions. You can compete and keep track of your progress and build camaraderie with your team in the process.
CONS
Not Useful for Team Practice
HomeCourt is designed only for one player and his/her activities. It cannot track the overall and combined action of multiple players or an entire team.
Designed only for Apple Devices
According to David Lee, an Android version is not possible because its system currently cannot process HomeCourt’s artificial intelligence algorithms at the needed speed.
HomeCourt Basketball App helps players to unlock their potential and guide them to the next level. Whether you are just starting or a professional player, HomeCourt can be your personal basketball trainer for free. It captures your performance and gives you guided feedback.
HomeCourt is a game-changing technology and will likely expand to more technological development in the field of sports. Everyone must improve their skills – anytime, anywhere with the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered applications like HomeCourt Basketball App.
Unlock your potential by downloading HomeCourt Basketball App here https://apps.apple.com/us/app/homecourt-basketball-training/id1258520424