Martial Arts

VR in Combat Sports

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Do you have a friend that you want to take with you on a run or spar with, only to be met with their desire to stay in, eat some chips, catch up on the TV show “Space Force”, or play with their phone and their Quinnbet Coupon Code? Their reasoning is, usually, that they don’t want to go outside. Well, now they, and you, don’t have to.

VR has become a part of combat sports and in more ways than one. Let’s discuss how VR can enhance gaming, training sessions, and the viewing experience for the average user.

Virtual Reality in Gaming

Computer games are constantly being made to be more stunning than their predecessors and, in an effort to provide gamers with greater immersion, many VR games have been created. People can have virtual chats, play board games, enjoy rollercoasters, and much more.

How does this help your average martial artist or fitness freak, you may ask? After all, that’s what this site is about, isn’t it? As it turns out, there are a few VR games perfect for boxers and those that want to become boxers, like The Thrill of the Fight and BOXVR. Games like these focus on being authentic and giving you a good boxing workout while you are practicing your speed and technique without having to go to the gym.

Professional Training Sessions

Professionals can take it one step further than gamers, by working with companies that make custom VR products or enhance the experience of existing ones. These VR solutions are not only focused on cardio, punching and dodging, as may be the case with most VR fighting games, but on blocking and kicking as well. Companies like Foundry 45, Technogym, and Techtyche, to name a few, employ designers, programmers, and engineers that can make this possible.

The training sessions do not have to be limited to fighting techniques and learning something new. One of the biggest challenges for many physically active people is what to do with their brain while their body is running or doing burpees and jumping jacks. Practicing in one room can be a bit boring after a while, for some, and VR can provide you with a multitude of environments and virtual goals to accomplish by turning your workout into a game.

As an added benefit, during your VR training sessions, you can be like Tony Stark in his armor, getting all the relevant information about your health and well-being while you are trying to break a record or set a goal. This keeps training sessions engaging and informative.

VR TV

When you watch a fight on TV, you are plagued with awkward angles and commercials. Tickets for the actual matches are often too rich for your blood, without counting the time you take off work and the travel and accommodation costs. VR can help in this regard. Following the fighters to the ring or the arena as if you are really there and seeing all the action from the corner with the ability to turn your gaze left and right is truly something else. You can watch a bit of the fight between Wilder and Szpilka from 2016 on YouTube here to get a taste of what we are talking about.