Adidas Snapshot App Review

The first football tracking app released by adidas is something we haven’t seen before – the Adidas Snapshot App. It is designed to track your shots by giving the speed, distance and angle. So if you are in the dark about personal stats, then there is finally an app that can give you some input. Adidas marketed the app through Gareth Bale, having him test the app and producing a video with his results. That way, you can compare your stats to that of a professional footballer. It unfortunately is only available on the App Store, so Android users have to look elsewhere. Also, you will need someone else to take a video of you shooting, so more than one person is required. The app is free and definitely good looking, but does it perform and meet expectations?

How does it work

The snapshot app is easy to master because there are only a few steps. The app is self explanatory so you should have no problem getting started. First you clarify which foot the kicker will use and what size ball is being used. Then, you just film a video of a kicker shooting a stationary ball, and then analyze it. After you shoot the video, you first determine where the ball is and then where it is after it moves. It also takes into account the size of the ball and how far it travels after a certain amount of time. If you want, you can add an effect where the ball has a trail of one of adidas’ many match balls. There is also an option to share a video/pictures of your shot and speed, which is a nice touch. To make you more involved, Adidas also offers achievements. They include beating Gareth Bale’s shot, and kicking it a total of 18km. They also offer a leaderboard between your friends through facebook, keeping you involved and competing.

The Issues

After testing this app, it is clear to me that there are a few issues that need to addressed. Although I wasn’t able to check the results and compare them with other trackers, it is evident the snapshot app is not very accurate. This is because there are many things that can go wrong in the whole process. First off, the video needs to be taken at the right angle, capturing the video from behind of in front of the kicker won’t work. If you are off, it can mess with the results. Also, when you analyze the video, you can alter the results by around 10mph depending on where you say the ball is after the kick. The consistency changes which makes me feel uncertain on what the actual speed and angles are. Also, those interested in kicking the ball down the hill to get a negative angle may encounter issues (believe me I tried). A big issue that emerged was problems analyzing shots at all. Sometimes, even though the shot was filmed correctly, the app wasn’t able to analyze it. The most common issue was the kicker being filmed at the wrong angle, even though it was filmed correctly.

Why You Should Download It

Looking past some of the issues, I have to admit that this free app is awesome. Adidas really spiced things up and the options in leaderboards and achievements were really involving. I enjoyed using this app, and even though the results may not have been precise, it was definitely fun to use. And it is pretty cool watching your shot in slow motion! It also doesn’t have any ads, which usually is a problem for some free apps. I just don’t see why you wouldn’t download it, after all what’s the harm? Sure there are a few things that could be improved, but they aren’t enough problems to overlook the enjoyment the app provides.

What do you think of the adidas snapshot app? Will you download it and how well do you think it works? Let us know in the comments below!