The best sport-specific activity trackers for baseball, golf, soccer, and more

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28 Aug 2018 19:00

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Whether you want to improve your swing in golf or baseball, sink your shots in basketball, or consistently hit on target in boxing or soccer, we have a sport-specific tracker for your needs.

Counting steps and burned calories may help 9 to 5ers stay fit but athletes who want to make substantive progress toward being a professional require more advanced metrics. This is exactly where the world of sport-specific activity trackers has begun to elbow its way into the fitness-tracking conversation. Instead of merely amassing data and aggregating it into a companion smartphone app, sport-specific trackers go a step further, often offering in-depth analytics and insight on how to improve your game.

Golfers who want to improve their swing don’t have to enlist in expensive online courses or register for a class taught by a member of the PGA Tour. Instead, a simple attachment can produce a 3D model of their backswing through their follow through, while also offering data pertaining to their clubhead speed, striking distance, and their swing plane. By offering real-time feedback, these trackers and their companion apps can be used anytime, anywhere — during an actual round of golf, over the course of a long conference call, whenever.

Though due in large part to this industry’s infancy, most sport-specific activity trackers are the definition of hit-or-miss. You either get exactly what the tracker says it intends to do or you spend hours fumbling with connectivity issues only to realize it’s not exactly tracking jump shot arc the way you envisioned it to. However, it’s not an entirely bleak selection as a handful of brands have not only developed trustworthy trackers but have set an industry standard.

Here are our top picks for the best sport-specific activity trackers:

Best for baseball: Blast Baseball
Best for soccer: Playertek
Best for golf: Zepp 3D Swing Analyzer
Best for boxing: Hykso Punch Trackers
Best for basketball: ShotTracker

Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.

The best sport tracker for baseball

Blast

Why you'll love it: Blast’s Baseball Swing Analyzer has earned the status of being the “official bat sensor tech of the MLB” with its accurate swing tracking and detailed metrics.

As the 2017 Houston Astros were on their way to winning their first World Series championship, a tiny gadget helped their all-world shortstop Carlos Correa become one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball. Known simply as Blast Baseball, that small device just so happens to be one of the most full-featured and comprehensive sport-specific trackers on the market.

For Correa, an already-established superstar talent both at the plate and in the field, its accurate motion-sensing technology helped elevate him to heights previously reserved for some of the game’s all-time greats.

But what does all that motion sensing actually do? On the surface, Blast Baseball is an incredibly accurate swing analyzer that collects data that's used to make hitters stronger and more efficient. What this equates to in practice is improving your bat path angle, time to contact, swing speed, and stance.

Blast does all this via the small attachment. After just sticking it on the end of a bat, the sensor sends swing data to an iOS- or Android-compatible phone, which then creates a batch of data and video highlights for review. Not only does it allow you to view your swing (and how to correct it) in real-time, it also offers feedback by way of video drills and tips from professionals. And it’s all customizable, too as it allows you to create goals to specifically address certain areas of your swing.

While Amazon buyers have raved about Blast Baseball’s impact, perhaps there’s no better example of its benefit than from Correa himself. Not often can a product say it’s not only endorsed by a World Series winner but that it was instrumental in making it happen. There’s no question Blast Baseball is the best sport-specific activity tracker available.

Pros: Device easily attaches to baseball bat, offers real-time swing analytics, improves hitter strength, customizable goals allow you to change your approach as you see fit, endorsement from World Series MLB player isn’t a gimmick, and video highlights let you see exactly how you swing and how to improve

Cons: Has issues with Android connectivity

Buy the Blast Baseball on Amazon for $145

The best sport tracker for soccer

PLAYERTEK

Why you'll love it: Playertek’s GPS attachment monitors sprint speed, measures distance covered, and creates a unique heat map so you’ll know how to maximize your time on the pitch.

Like Blast Baseball, Playertek’s innovative soccer wearable touts a respectable endorsement as it’s presently worn by several European soccer clubs, most notably Liverpool of Europe’s Premier League. Though it comes standard with a companion vest, the actual attachment is relatively small. By simply clipping it onto the undergarment, the sensor actively tracks sprint speed, distance covered, and maps when and where on the soccer field you are at any given time.

Once data is collected, the device transmits it to the Playertek companion app for immediate analysis. By compiling roughly 6,750,000 data points per 90-minute soccer match, the amount of available information is staggering. You’ll have access to exactly how you performed during the game or practice, but you will also be able to compare those statistics against professional players, as well.

If going up against Liverpool winger Sadio Mane doesn’t exactly sound like your brand of competition, Playertek also lets you chart performance against your friends or other amateur players around the globe. From leaderboards ranking distance run and top speed, you’ll always have something to strive for as you perfect your on-field performance.

With its seven-hour battery, there won’t be any concern of it dying mid-match or mid-practice. Just clip it on and forget about it, all your fitness data will be waiting for you once that final whistle blows.

Pros: Pro soccer teams use Playertek for practice and games, small GPS tracker hardly feels like it’s there, performance data offers quick insight into fitness trends and where to improve, and it allows you to compare stats to professional players and offers insight on how to increase performance

Cons: Doesn’t offer shot metrics like kick speed or accuracy

Buy the Playertek on Amazon for $149

The best sport tracker for golf

Zepp

Why you'll love it: Zepp’s Golf Swing Analyzer gives amateurs and aspiring PGA tour members a 3D rendering of their swing with 360-degrees of analysis and helpful coaching on how to fix issues and improve your swing.

Golf is not an easy sport. Whether you’re just learning or have played the sport for years, there are plenty more bad days on the green than good — even for the pros. Zepp wants to change that with its Golf Swing Analyzer. Zepp Labs hopes to give golfers of any skill level the ability to shave a few shots off each round.

Led by its innovative 3D tracking, the device also offers a full 360-degree review, which lets you see every possible angle of your swing and provides an immediate feedback score in the process. If there’s a slight twinge in your hips during your backswing, you’re able to see exactly how to correct it to straighten your club head or improve head speed.

It even lets you chart your own 3D model against that of a professional golfer, allowing you to compare your form against theirs. Perhaps they transfer the weight on their front leg sooner or keep their arms straighter. Zepp Golf lets you explore every possibility.

If your own analysis isn’t cutting it, the companion application also provides tutorials and training videos hosted by PGA tour golfers, because who wouldn’t want to save a bit of money on expensive lessons?

Since it’s just a small attachment that fits snugly on a golf glove, it won’t feel cumbersome or awkward while playing. After a few holes, you’ll forget it’s even there. It is pricey, but if you can swing it (pun intended), the Zepp Golf 3D Swing Analyzer is worth every penny.

Pros: Produces an accurate 3D replica of your swing, allows you to replay and assess your swing in 360-degrees, tracks club speed, hip rotation, and hand path to show you exactly where to improve, allows swings to be compared to professional golfers, and attaches easily to a golf glove

Cons: Expensive for a small attachment and sometimes has trouble connecting

Buy the Zepp Golf 3D Swing Analyzer at Dick's Sporting Goods for $149.99

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