Muscle-memory training system corrects athletes in real time

“There were a lot of times when I wanted to give up, but my dreams wouldn’t let me sleep.”

—Shawn Moye

BY REID CREAGER

Shawn Moye’s invention involving muscle memory began with a vivid memory involving his son.

Elijah was a little boy who showed an interest in playing basketball, so he and his father went to the park to practice.

“I wanted to make sure he got the fundamentals of shooting a jump shot early, because I didn’t want him to develop all the bad habits that a coach would have correct later,” Moye says. “I am a firm believer that you must have a solid foundation before you begin to build. 

“As I began to think about what I could do, I realized that the challenging part wasn’t teaching him the proper form but his maintaining the proper form when practicing on his own. What good is it to shoot 1,000 jump shots, but they are with improper form?”

Moye looked around the park. Surely, he wasn’t the only father with this problem.

“I thought about the kids whose parents didn’t have time to work with them, or the parents who didn’t have the money to go to top camps, and about the parents who don’t understand enough about the sport to work with their kid.”

This sparked the idea for the E-Sports Trainer.

Unique technology

The patented device was created to help the user maintain proper muscle memory when practicing. Although there have been other sports training devices that provide user feedback, the E-Sports Trainer’s prominent and distinguishing feature is the Chip On-Board technology that allows the product to speak different many different phrases and talk to the user in seven different languages—English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, German, French, Italian and Russian—while correcting him or her in real time.

The E-Sports Trainer also tracks and measures performance in real time, allowing the user to know when there is improvement. 

A fine athlete himself, Moye says his invention has possibilities for even amateur and professional teams—”anyone looking for continuous improvement. The version I started with is for basketball, but this product will focus on a specific area for each sport.”

Each sports version will come in three different levels to grow with the user: 

  • Level 1 has a pre-set specification range, with the goal of creating the initial muscle memory. In the case of shooting a jump shot, the product moves the elbow closer to the body when releasing the basketball. The elbow pulling away from the body while shooting the basketball is considered improper form.
  • Level 2 has a tighter pre-set specification range designed. In this case, it keeps the elbow closer to the body now that the muscle memory has been developed. 
  • In Level 3, the specification range is set by the user. Again in the basketball example, the unit allows the user to go through his or her natural shooting form once and record that form. If the user deviates from that form, the unit talks and corrects him or her in real time.

 

“When you spend thousands of dollars to go to specialized sporting camps or work one-on-one with coaches—which I did, but everyone can’t do—they must be around to ensure you are practicing correctly,” Moye says. “This product provides you with a safe place to correct and be corrected, and avoids public humiliation. You can develop the correct behavior in your bedroom, living room, almost anywhere.

“When you shoot a basketball properly, it will speak phrases of encouragement—but if improperly, an alarm will talk and tell you to keep your elbow tucked in. The product has a display screen able to track the number of times the device was used correctly.” 

10-year odyssey

Moye has as much passion for inventing as he does for excellence in sports. It has always been that way.

“When I was a very young, maybe 7 or 8, I started coming up with all these ideas, but I didn’t know what to do with them,” he says.

The E-Sports Trainer is the byproduct of all those years of dreaming and determination: “It has taken about 10 years of research, learning, motivation and dedication to get his invention patented and ready for sale. It has taken a lot of prototypes, feedback sessions and redevelopment.

“There were a lot of times when I wanted to give up, but my dreams wouldn’t let me sleep.”

He didn’t sleep when it came to intellectual property. He made sure to get a utility patent for his invention.

“I did start with a provisional patent, which provided me a one-year extension to the filing of my patent application. I was able to lock in a date and discuss my idea and work with a designer to see if it would be something that could be developed before the year expiration date of the PPA.”  

Moye is building inventory to sell the E-Sports Trainer on the product website, and at sports camps. You can view demos at youtu.be/_dakGbegK8E and youtu.be/akCFpDsJY28.

Details: e-sportstrainer.com