Emory expands virtual reality program to reduce injuries for youth athletes in Georgia

Aug. 8, 2024

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Jacob Gnieski

Associate Director, Media Relations & Health Sciences Communications

Youth athletes in Hall County will benefit from immersive virtual reality injury prevention training, providing them with a realistic training environment similar to that of professional athletes.

Imagine if playing a video game could reduce your risk of injury and make you a better athlete. The Emory Sports Performance And Research Center (SPARC) is turning this dream into reality for youth athletes in Georgia.

As the football season approaches, Emory SPARC is expanding its Georgia Initiative for Virtual Reality in Education and Sports (GIVES) program to Hall County youth football players. The GIVES program uses virtual reality (VR) technology to enhance injury prevention, rehabilitation, and sports performance, providing young athletes with training tools like the pros use.

Funded by a $4.5 million grant from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, the program uses immersive VR technology to create realistic training environments and disseminate Emory research into local communities. These environments support injury prevention, rehabilitation, and in-game performance.

Leveraging virtual reality for injury prevention and performance

Emory SPARC, located at the Atlanta Falcons Flowery Branch headquarters, is a leading research center dedicated to researching and disseminating injury prevention strategies for young athletes.

“Our mission is to help athletes play well and stay well. Emerging research shows that incorporating virtual reality tools into sport-specific training can significantly enhance both injury prevention and performance,” says Greg Myer, PhD, director of the Emory Sports Performance And Research Center. “We are thrilled to partner with Hall County Schools to implement the virtual reality training programs developed in our laboratories. By getting these tools into the hands of coaches, athletes, and school medical staff, we can encourage kids to be active, while reducing the risk of injuries.”

A football player at Flowery Branch High School engages in virtual reality football drills.

This football season, the GIVES program has been deployed to all football players across seven Hall County high schools, with goals to reach over 15,000 students, including those from nine middle schools, over the next academic year. The program’s newly developed VR football drills, created in collaboration with Rezzil, target critical decision-making abilities required during a football game, such as identifying open targets and making accurate directional movements. Additionally, the program includes reaction games designed to test athletes’ sensorimotor capabilities under various conditions, mirroring real-game situations.

Myer says that by engaging athletes in dual-task cognitive and motor training—making them think while they perform a sports skill—they increase their cognitive reserve. This means the athlete has more brain power available to assess and respond to the demands of sports performance and competition. By training both the mind and the body together, they create better performing and safer athletes.

Community support and involvement

The program is distinguished by its school-based nature, with all testing and training conducted on-site at schools. Emory researchers and local high school work-based learning students facilitate the program, ensuring comprehensive support for participants. Teachers, coaching staff, and administrators are also encouraged to engage in the VR testing alongside student athletes, fostering a community of excitement and participation.

“We hope that this training and the research it generates will help make our athletes more agile and prevent injuries,” says Jimmy Lawler, athletic director at Flowery Branch High School. “Our main goal is to keep our athletes healthy, so they can continue to pursue their dreams of playing college sports. We don't want to see a talented player get injured and miss out on the opportunity to play the sport they love at the next level.”

To support the GIVES program, Emory SPARC makes use of hundreds of Meta Quest VR headsets, allowing many students to simultaneously benefit from the immersive training experience.

"The parents are excited for their kids to be part of this program because they recognize the value and reputation of Emory,” Lawler added. “They know this program can make a real difference for their young athletes.”

The rollout of the football VR programming is beginning in Hall County, home of IBM Performance Field, the Atlanta Falcons practice facility, with additional schools in Georgia to follow.

To learn more or apply, visit https://emorysparc.com/gives/.

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Leveraging virtual reality for injury prevention and performance

Community support and involvement

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