6 Best Portable Timing Systems For Personal Training to Quantify Gains

Your son swears he’s getting faster on his 40-yard dash, and you believe him, but the stopwatch on your phone feels clumsy and inaccurate. Your daughter is working on her agility for soccer, and you both want to see if the new drills are actually making a difference. When a young athlete starts getting serious, "I feel faster" is great, but seeing the numbers prove it is a powerful motivator that validates their hard work.

Why Precision Timing Matters for Young Athletes

You’ve seen your child put in the work at practice, but progress can sometimes feel invisible. This is where objective data becomes a game-changer, not for parental pressure, but for your child’s own motivation. An electronic timing system removes the guesswork of a handheld stopwatch, turning abstract effort into concrete, understandable results.

Seeing a time drop by a tenth of a second is a massive victory for a young athlete. It’s tangible proof that their dedication is paying off, which builds confidence and reinforces the value of consistent effort. This isn’t about comparing them to others; it’s about empowering them to compete against their own previous best. It helps them connect specific training activities to specific outcomes, a crucial lesson in sports and in life.

For athletes in middle school and high school, this data becomes even more critical. It helps them and their coaches identify strengths and weaknesses, tailor training programs, and set realistic, measurable goals. Whether it’s a 10-yard split in football or a change-of-direction drill in basketball, precise timing provides the feedback needed to refine technique and truly level up their game.

Freelap Pro BT112 for Serious Sprint Training

If you have a high school track athlete or a soccer player obsessed with their sprint speed, you’ve probably moved beyond basic timing. The Freelap system is the next logical step for this kind of dedicated athlete who needs accurate, repeatable data without a complex setup. It’s a wireless system that allows an athlete to train alone and get instant, precise feedback on their phone.

The beauty of Freelap is its focus on pure speed and splits. You can place sensors at different distances (e.g., 10, 20, and 40 yards) to see not just the final time, but how your athlete is accelerating through each phase of their sprint. This is the kind of granular detail that helps a more mature athlete understand their performance, making it ideal for the 14+ age group that is starting to specialize.

This is an investment in a specific type of training. It’s not a versatile, all-purpose timer for random drills. Consider this system when your child’s training is centered on linear speed and they are mature enough to analyze their own data to make improvements. It’s a tool for the athlete who is already self-motivated and looking for a professional edge.

Brower TCi System for All-Weather Versatility

Is your garage filled with gear for multiple sports that happen in all kinds of weather? The Brower TCi System is built for that reality. It’s known in the coaching world as a rugged, reliable workhorse that can handle the wet soccer field, the dusty baseball diamond, and the cold turf of football practice.

This system is less about solo training and more about setting up drills for an individual or a small group. Its wireless gates are durable and can be configured for a huge variety of tests, from simple sprints to complex agility courses like the pro-shuttle or T-test. This makes it a fantastic choice for the family with a multi-sport athlete or for a parent who helps coach their child’s team.

The Brower is a significant step up in both capability and cost, putting it firmly in the category for committed high school athletes (ages 15+). Its durability means it can be a long-term investment, potentially shared among siblings or even resold later. Choose this when you need a system that can do almost any drill, in almost any condition, for years to come.

Dashr|Blue: App-Based Simplicity for Drills

You love the idea of accurate timing but get overwhelmed by complex technology. The Dashr|Blue system is designed for you. It leverages the device you already know how to use—your smartphone—to create a powerful and incredibly user-friendly timing system.

Dashr excels at agility and reaction drills. You can easily set up lasers for a 5-10-5 shuttle, a 3-cone drill, or any custom course you can imagine, and the app does the rest. It records the data, organizes it by athlete, and makes it easy to track progress over time. This is perfect for sports like basketball, lacrosse, soccer, and football where change-of-direction speed is just as important as straight-line sprinting.

This system hits a sweet spot for athletes in the 11-14 age range who are starting to get serious but are still exploring different sports. It’s simple enough for a parent and child to set up in the backyard for a 20-minute session. The app-based approach also feels intuitive to a generation of kids who have grown up with technology.

Swift EZEJUMP for Explosive Power Metrics

Sometimes, it’s not about how fast your child runs forward, but how high they can jump. For sports like volleyball, basketball, or track and field events like the long jump and high jump, measuring explosive power is the key metric. The Swift EZEJUMP is a specialized tool designed to do exactly that, providing data that a timing gate simply can’t.

This system uses a contact mat to measure vertical jump height with incredible precision. It can calculate how high an athlete jumps, how long they are in the air, and even their reactive strength index—a measure of how efficiently they can use stored energy. This is advanced information that directly translates to a higher spike, a bigger rebound, or a longer jump.

The EZEJUMP is for the athlete whose performance is defined by power and verticality. It’s a targeted investment for a volleyball player looking to increase their block jump or a basketball player working on their dunk. This isn’t a general-purpose timer; it’s a specific diagnostic tool for a specific type of athleticism, best suited for dedicated athletes aged 13 and up.

Zybek PowerDash for Pro-Level Combine Testing

Your athlete is a top performer on their high school team, and conversations about college recruitment are starting to happen. They’re planning to attend combines and showcases where they’ll be tested using the same equipment as the pros. The Zybek PowerDash is that equipment—it’s the official timing system of the NFL Combine.

This is the most precise, and most significant, investment on this list. It provides fully automated, laser-accurate timing for all standard combine drills: the 40-yard dash, the shuttle run, the L-drill, and more. Owning or having access to this system gives a serious athlete the chance to practice the exact tests they will face, removing any surprises on the big day.

Let’s be clear: this is not for casual training or younger athletes. This is a pro-level system for the elite high school junior or senior (ages 16+) with legitimate aspirations of playing at the collegiate level or beyond. Investing in a Zybek is about preparing for the formal evaluation process that is a gateway to the next level of sport.

Farmtek Speedtrap II for Simple, Reliable Timing

You want to support your middle schooler’s newfound interest in track, but you’re not ready to invest in a complex, multi-sensor system. The Farmtek Speedtrap II is the perfect starting point. It is the definition of simple, effective technology: one beam at the start, one at the finish, and a clear time displayed on a large clock.

There are no apps to sync or complicated settings to manage. You set it up in minutes, and it just works. This makes it an excellent tool for introducing a young athlete (ages 10+) to the concept of timed training. It gives them the immediate, satisfying feedback of seeing their time without overwhelming them or you with data.

The Speedtrap II is a fantastic way to gauge commitment. It’s accurate enough to show real progress on sprints up to 60 yards, which is perfect for most youth sports. If your child sticks with it and their needs evolve, you can always upgrade later. But for providing that initial spark of motivation with reliable data, this simple system is often the smartest first step.

Matching the Tech to Your Athlete’s Sport

Choosing the right system comes down to matching the technology to your child’s age, sport, and commitment level. There is no single "best" option, only the best fit for your family’s specific situation. Think of it as a progression.

Here’s a simple framework to guide your decision:

• For the curious beginner (Ages 10-13): Start with something simple and reliable. The Farmtek Speedtrap II provides accurate A-to-B timing without a steep learning curve or high cost. It’s perfect for seeing if the interest in speed training will last.
• For the multi-sport athlete (Ages 11-15): Your child plays soccer, basketball, and maybe lacrosse. You need a versatile tool for agility drills. The Dashr|Blue system is ideal here, with its app-based simplicity and focus on change-of-direction tests.
• For the power and vertical athlete (Ages 13+): If your child’s sport is volleyball or basketball, measuring their jump is critical. The Swift EZEJUMP is a specialized tool that provides the explosive power metrics they need to improve.
• For the dedicated sprinter (Ages 14+): Your athlete is serious about track or their sprint times for football or soccer. The Freelap Pro BT112 offers the detailed split times they need to analyze and refine their acceleration and top-end speed.
• For the elite, pre-collegiate athlete (Ages 16+): Your child is preparing for combines and official testing. The Zybek PowerDash or the rugged Brower TCi System will replicate the professional environment they will encounter, ensuring they are fully prepared.

Remember, the goal is to buy the right equipment for the athlete you have today, while keeping an eye on where they might be tomorrow. Don’t over-buy for a beginner, but don’t under-invest in a child who has shown consistent passion and dedication.

Ultimately, these timing systems are just tools. The most important investment you can make is in your child’s enjoyment of the process—the effort, the small victories, and the resilience they build along the way. The data is there to serve their motivation, not to define their worth. Choose a tool that helps them see their own progress, and then celebrate the hard work that made it happen.