Fresno, California - The Fresno Monsters of the Western States Hockey League recently partnered up with STRIVR Labs and it’s virtual reality training system this summer the develop SRTIVR's virtual reality hockey platform.  STRIVR traveled down to Fresno to work with Head Coach Bryce Dale and several Monster players to film different game scenarios to present to various teams in the National Hockey League and NCAA.

Virtual reality training is a new form of visual training that is currently being implemented as a form of visual training by NFL football teams such as the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, and Minnesota Vikings.  STRIVR labs, based out of Palo Alto, California, is cofounded and developed by Derek Belch.  Belch, a former kicker for Stanford University, developed STRIVR Labs during the 2014 football season while he served as an assistant coach with the Cardinal football team.  Belch's thesis project in 2014 is now finding its way into NFL & NCAA programs to help elite athletes such as Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan & NFL quarterbacks Tony Romo & Tom Brady.

Recently, the Washington Capitals signed a multi-year partnership with STRIVR to use virtual reality training as a visual development tool for their players.  Players are able to watch 3-D videos through an Oculus Rift headset and analyze video from an on-ice perspective as it happens from their point of view.  Several weeks ago, STRIVR traveled down to Fresno to film several different scenarios from multiple filming points in order to develop a hockey platform to present to the Washington Capitals and other NHL teams.

See It: STRIVR Labs & Stanford Football at the forefront of virtual reality training

“I’ve had the privilege of getting to know (Derek) Belch and the coaching staff at Stanford over the past couple of years and I was thrilled when he asked if we would help develop a hockey platform to submit to teams in the NHL and NCAA” said Head Coach & General Manager Bryce Dale. “Virtual reality training is a fantastic resource for players to see how a play develops and to take visual repititions without putting physical stress on their bodies. Traditional video from a TV broadcast perspective is great, but it doesn’t provide the player with the ability to look around and see what their options are from an on-ice perspective. The STRIVR system is going to be a game changer for video analysis and be the future of how coaches teach their players through video."

The filiming scenarios have proven to be a success as STRIVR has produced situations and scenarios that are enticing NHL and NCAA teams to adopt virtual reality training.  “We are thrilled that Derek and STRIVR have the confidence and trusted our coaching instincts to develop various scenarios where VR training would be beneficial to NHL teams.  After our players overcame working with very expensive equipment, they did a fantastic job helping produce the hockey platform for STRIVR that is being presented to the best league and best hockey players in the world.” said Dale.

Your Fresno Monsters return on home ice on Thursday, October 22nd as they start the defense of their Western Division Championship against the San Diego Sabers at 7:45 P.M. at Gateway Ice Center.  For Single Game and Season Ticket information, contact the Monsters Office at 549-4TIX or visit the ‘Tickets’ tab at www.fresnomonsters.com.