CoachPad
As a keen football coach and a lover of my iPad what could be better than a new app from the guys at alphasprite.com called CoachPad? So will it be any use to the coaches out there or just another gimmicky app? Continue reading to see my thoughts.
During my time in NZ I have coached football and softball to the students at school. Many half time team talks have been about positioning and tactics. Props for these talks have been twigs stuck in the floor, cones and even fluorescent yellow bibs – anything to prove a point to the players. So imagine my excitement when I read on iPhonewzealand that CoachPad had been released. This could be the chance to be like Andy Gray on Sky Sports (Sorry – British football reference) and move the players around the pitch, show their movement and play with the formations.
4-4-2 England Style
It’s a shame that the season is over because I can’t say how useful this app may be in a game situation. However, having used a whiteboard so many times through the season I can certainly imagine.
CoachPad - Learn to coach all these sports!
=When the app is loaded you get to choose from 12 different sports, yes, even netball is on there! The latest update allows you to choose a half field option if you need it and has added more sports. You can also select “How to use CoachPad”. This has three screens that explain the different options to use on the fields, tips to make the most of the app and how to use the online facility for using custom fields.
Choosing a sport brings up an empty field. On the right hand side are the options for adding a ball, different coloured players and lines to show ball/player movement. Dragging a ball/player leaves a line showing their movement or you can add an arrow to the player to indicate their movement. You are able to take a photo of the screen that then automatically saves to your photo library for future uses. This is useful to save formations and any plays to show the players.
Save your plays (click image to enlarge)
This is a continually improving app. The update that arrived during the week has extended its use further with the half field options, however, I would love to see an option to create animations to show better player movement and transition on the field of play; this would make it an incredible app. Currently it is definitely useful, though not one for a rainy day if your team talk takes place outside! At $6.49 some may feel it a little expensive compared to other, cheaper, options but the updates will hopefully keep coming and the UI is far cleaner than any of the rivals I have looked at. I can see this being used before and during games and I know my Under-15 team would pay attention because it’s on the iPad. I’m a fan of anything sporty and anything gadgety so I’m a fan of this app. Simple as that.
Are you a coach and see a use for this? Have you found it useful? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
