Stopwatch vs. Timing System for Football Combines
- On March 27, 2017
Top NFL Regional Combine Results:
The 2017 Football Combine season has come to a close and while the NFL Scouting Combine typically receives the most attention, there are several other chances for those that aspire to advance their football career to the next level. Â SMARTSPEED, by Fusion Sport, is The Official Timing System of the Canadian Football League (CFL) Combine presented by Adidas. SMARTSPEED Timing Systems are also used at each of the NFL Regional combines across the country, culminating this year in Phoenix with the Pro Player Combine.
Best 40 Yard Dash times reported in the top 2017 Football Combine events:
- 4.22 second – John Ross – NFL Scouting Combine
- 4.27 second – Mark Thomas – NFL Regional Combine
- 4.37 second – Terrell Sinkfield – NFL Pro Player Combine
- 4.59 second – Austen Hartley – CFL Regional Combine
- 4.58 second – Tunde Adeleke  – CFL National Combine
Every year there is inevitably some controversy around the times reported for the 40 yard dash and this year was no exception.  John Ross’ (@watchjross) record setting 4.22 second 40 yard dash at the Indy Scouting Combine created quite a buzz, with one of the scouts reporting that he had a time of 4.19 seconds (the same time @life_changen_ Wendall Williams clocked at one of last years NFL Regional Combines) on his stopwatch, but therein lies the dilemma – which scout had the correct time?
Wendell Williams from University of Cumberlands just broke a record @NFLRegCom running the 40yrd dash in 4.19! #dontstopyafeet
— NFLRegionalCombines (@NFLRegCom) March 5, 2016
Scouts have long used hand stopwatches, which have an accuracy that is limited by the delay between the eye seeing the athlete initiate movement, the brain issuing the command to initiate movement, and finally the finger pressing the start button.  Typical reaction time is 0.15 – 0.30 seconds.  Now move the scouts 40 yards further away from where the athlete starts and factor in that they also need to attempt to try and stop the clock at the exact moment the athlete crosses the 40 yard line, zipping by at around 20 miles per hour, and it’s no wonder why times always vary from one scout’s stopwatch to the next.
The Fusion Sport SMARTSPEED Pro wireless timing system is utilized to provide the most accurate timing possible of the 40 yard dash (as well as combine events like the Pro-Agility, L-Drill, and others).  SMARTSPEED timing gates are also placed at the 10 and 20 yard lines to provide split times. SMARTSPEED timing systems can be used to capture Fully Automated Time (FAT) at the first motion, when an athlete’s body part leaves the infrared beam or when pressure is released from a start pad, ending the sprint at the exact moment the athlete’s torso crosses the beam at the finish. Additionally, SMARTSPEED timing systems have the ability to give a hybrid Electronic Time (ET), which is initiated by pressing a start button as soon as the athlete initiates movement, with the splits and finish times still recorded by the infrared beams. Prior to 2011, the CFL published a player’s lowest hand held time.  The CFL now records the player’s electronic time.
SMARTSPEED timing systems have the added benefit of displaying the athletes time for all to see on a wireless digital scoreboard, directly on the SMARTSPEED iOS or Android app, and Smartspeed LIVE real-time internet scoreboard simply by sharing a URL to view on phones, tablets, or laptops. Â All of the results are automatically saved to SMARTSPEED Online, which eliminates the need to type in handwritten times later.
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