The Wimbledon Championships are fast approaching and along with Pimms and strawberries and cream, Hawk Eye Technology will be used to ensure there is no margin of error on-line calls.

No More “You Can Not Be Serious”

Gone are the days of players (no names mentioned) arguing with the umpire over whether a ball was in, on the line or out. When the position of a ball can mean the difference between winning a coveted trophy or not, tempers are sure to run high.

Although umpires do an excellent job, the human eye is not a machine and Hawk Eye ball-tracking technology has been used for over six years to officiate matches. As well as Wimbledon, it features at over 60 events in the tennis calendar and has passed the key International Tennis Federation testing.

Was That Ball In Or Out?

Wimbledon fans, whether they are lucky enough to be watching live or on television, now enjoy the accurate results of a close call.  Before the graphic representation comes up on-screen, people often debate between themselves where the ball actually was, and then wait for the Hawk Eye to confirm or deny their opinions.

A Coaching Tool

As well as avoiding on court temper tantrums from highly strung tennis players, Hawk Eye technology is also used as a key coaching tool in tennis, as well as cricket, football and other sports.

Tennis coaches and players were questioned as to what was needed in a technical coaching system and the result was the Hawk-Eye Tennis Coaching System which enables players to view a stringent analysis of their game, focusing on the way strokes are played, what happens in a rally and match and how to improve a service. Once a player has seen how they perform they can then discuss with the coach means of improving their game, seeing why shots are played a certain way and what is necessary to change.

Players have long been able to see video footage of their game to analyze their play, but Hawk-Eye Technology tracks the ball, so players can see how it moves through the air, how it reacts to different strokes, resulting in a much greater depth of game analysis.
You may not watch sport on television very often, but even so, you probably expect to see Hawk-Eye ball tracking in action when you are watching a Premier League Game, a cricket test match or of course Wimbledon.

Charlotte loves to keep up with the latest technology for Direct Sight, a leader in online eye wear.