Okkulo 2022 Rundown

2022 rundown

So 2022 was an interesting year here at Okkulo HQ. Last January we identified several key areas to concentrate our efforts and all were achieved and more.?

The first was to find a club after our soft launch at the Leaders event at the back end of 2021. Step up Sunderland AFC and James Young in particular. This allowed us to understand the fundamentals of working with an elite club and to identify how we position ourselves within the core framework of each department. It allowed us to fully understand the traits of the players, coaches, medical department, sports science team, and data and analytics and to hone in on best practice with regards to the ideal Okkulo training schedule, session type, and length of sessions for each player and position. This information was invaluable and has allowed us to gather intel vital for the development of our strategy and product offering. The buy-in has been fantastic and has seen us train players from the Academy and the women team up to the first team. Sunderland AFC as we speak also sit 4th on the Championship. An incredible feat by all accounts.?

In the middle of the year, I spent many weeks in the United States and New York in particular. What a city!! We successfully delivered an Okkulo system to the East Coast and made contact with several influential practitioners and experts from the world of elite sports and science. It has allowed us to prepare for an exciting 2023. Watch this space.?

Later in the year, I made the trip to Detroit to take in several games between the Detroit Tigers and the Houston Astros. This allowed me to spend some time with a key hitter in baseball (and probable hall of Famer) and to understand on a deeper level the impact we can have on the world for elite-level baseball. This not only solidifies Okkulo as a true game changer but also shows how adaptable we are for many sports that require either hand-eye or foot-eye co-ordination. Baseball, American Football, and Basketball are key sports that are fundamental to our strategy going forward, and having that deeper understanding is vital to our success. Conversations across all of those sports as well as exposure to Okkulo training has already begun in earnest and will go from strength to strength over the coming months. Again, watch this space as we gain momentum on all fronts.?

One of our targets was to expose performance athletes at an elite-level university. This was achieved behind the scenes and allowed us to train players across many sports including, cricket, hockey, squash, tennis, and American Football. The findings were interesting to say the least and hugely positive on all fronts. The player data and evidence was consistent with all of our research to date and has shown that the Okkulo system can transfer across many sports effortlessly. The player testimonials were fascinating, to say the least.?

Luckily, we were invited by the DIT to showcase the Okkulo technology at the British Embassy in Qatar, to showcase the best in class sports technology. This event ran in parallel to the World Cup and what an experience. It was incredible. It allowed us to showcase Okkulo in the form of our mini system. This system was known on the night as the “magic Box” and wowed many people from the world of sport and education and allowed us to demonstrate how vision is important in elite-level sport. Thanks to Patricia Rodrigues for her additional magic on the night. We have seen many interesting effects within Okkulo, outside of sport and in the future, we will open up on those findings. For now, we want sport to do our talking. It has to be noted that while in Qatar we met some wonderful people including Graeme Foreman BSc, PGCE, MSc and Graeme Pattison . Both fundamental in their own ways of helping us showcase the Okkulo system. Thanks to Graeme Pattison for his incredible compassion and understanding of the demands of delivering and installing the system in Qatar. His know-how was invaluable and can’t thank him enough.??

As we close out 2022 I have seen an incredible response to Okkulo and its future within elite level sport. Training the vision is still in its infancy, just as data and GPS was many moons ago. We have had to break down many barriers since our conception but this year has shown that training the vision is critical to improving elite-level performance on the game day, particularly from our angle of contextualise the training sessions to include both repetition, scanning and vision training. This also comes with a deeper understanding from key practitioners like Patricia Rodrigues Daniel M. Laby, MD and Dr Sherylle Calder and the like.?

The speed of elite-level sport is increasing and players are maximising their abilities in all key areas. The speed of processing and action is the next frontier. The time soccer players have on the ball and the split-second decisions with the required action are critical to keeping possession and maintaining momentum. What if we could slow that time down? The same for the hitter in baseball. What if they had more time? The same for basketball, cricket and more. In squash, within Okkulo, the players are talking about more fluid movement and a better ability to track the ball post-training. In American Football the players are seeing a noticeable improvement in pass completion. One remarking that now one dropped the ball in training after Okkulo training and it was evident who the Okkulo-trained players were and the non-Okkulo-trained players. The difference was noticeable. The thing is, we have only just scratched the surface of training the players in an ambient contextual environment, the way we do in Okkulo. Only last week, new research has come out suggesting that bathing the athletes' photoreceptors has a positive effect on the pain levels if rodents. We have seen some incredible effects and positive performance improvements and every day is one filled with anticipation of what can be achieved within our system. The day will come when training the Okkulo way is seen as the norm. Almost two decades ago I saw a vision of players walking into an Okkulo-type room filled with differing ambient light levels, like something out of 2010 Space Odyssey. A room that creates and exposes the athletes to a natural biological response and at the end they walk out of that room better and more equipped than they were before. That day is getting closer and closer. The anticipation is overwhelming. 2023 will see us move mountains and showcase the future of elite-level training. Our work in 2022 will provide the catalyst of what we see as not only an important year for Okkulo but also the year the vision takes centre stage. The line we always use is…. what if we could slow down time? Could you imagine what an athlete could achieve if they had more time to make a decision? More time to execute and more time to be successful. That time is now.?

To all of the people that have helped us to get to this stage, I can’t thank you enough. You have all played a part, no matter how small and insignificant it may have felt. To us it is monumental. The Okkulo team have been magnificent from day one and continue to amaze on every level. Their commitment to the cause is not only a testament to the Okkulo offering but also to that of our core values. At Okkulo we want to break down barriers within elite level sport but we want to do it in a way that is consistent to our core values. With respect to all involved and with a passion to embrace new and wonderful ideals across both sport and in our personal downtime. We succeed as one and that will never change.?

All the very best and have a wonderful 2023.