Steph Curry is currently celebrating another NBA championship just 10 years after the starfeared hed never play again.
Currys early years at the Golden State Warriors were plagued by chronic ankle injuries.
In 2013, the teams new performance director, Keke Lyles, proposed a new explanation for the problem.
Lyles believed Curry was overly reliant on his ankles for speed.
The coach devised a training program that transferred power generation to the marksmans hips.
He would overload his lower legs a lot more than what he needed to, Lyles told TNW.
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The resources that Curry had are inaccessible to most athletes.
But Lyles is now betting thatAIand motion capture can bring the benefits to the masses.
Our goal is to understand what makes good shooters.
The trainer was recently named director of performance atUplift Labs, a California based-startup.
The companys software analyzes an athletes movements to improve their skills and reduce their injury risks.
Footage of the athlete is recreated in 3D.
The AI then adds actionable insights into the biomechanics of the movements.
That saves probably like 70% of the time.
In January,Uplift joined the NBA Launchpad, a new incubator program fortechthat could improve basketball.
Uplift will focus on analyzing a skill thatSteph Curry revolutionized: jump shots.
Our goal is to understand what makes good shooters, said Lyles.
What are the mechanics?
What are the ranges of motion?
Theres inherently natural movement variability… but whats the tolerance that is acceptable or not?
Teams could use the findings to improve their existing players, identify new talent, and mitigate injuries.
But Lyles believes the Uplift model is also cheap and accessible enough for everyday users.
It might not give them Steph Currys jump shot, but it could help prevent their own ankle injuries.
Story byThomas Macaulay
Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he e(show all)Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he enjoys playing chess (badly) and the guitar (even worse).
