The Rockets yesterday "experimented with several pieces of technology" at practice, from "barely dabbling in some to wearing tracking devices," according to Jonathan Feigen of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. Several players went through "ball-handling, pass-catching and shooting drills while wearing strobe goggles that allow vision in brief flashes to promote hand-eye coordination and simulate a defender blocking a view of the ball or basket." The Rockets also wore devices from Germany-based Kinexon Precision Technologies to "track all movement, speed, acceleration and other measures of performance" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 3/15). Kinexon Managing Dir Mehdi Bentanfous said, "We have 12 receivers around the court that bring the information to us. We can track every player's movement from speed, heat maps, accelerations -- any motion." ESPN.com's Calvin Watkins noted the 76ers already use Kinexon's devices to "track their players during practices." All this technology is "used to help the Rockets’ coaching staff plan rest for players and how long to work them during games and practices." Rockets Player Development Assistant Kevin Burleson said, "You want to monitor how much energy is being used, and if guys are running effectively" (ESPN.com, 3/14).
