Over the last 4 years, technology has played a large role in my classroom. Using technology has resulted in greater levels of creativity, collaboration, and achievement in my students. Recently, I started exploring ways that I could use educational technology to enhance my impact on my players as a football coach. Whether using Google Apps for Education to automate our off-season weight program or sideline instant reply to make in-game adjustments, technology is an invaluable asset to my career as a coach. In this second post in my "Coaching Technology" series, I highlight 2 apps that are invaluable to my coaching career.
Coach's Eye App
Personally, Coach' Eye is the most useful coaching app that I've ever found. While coaching football is my passion, I've been blessed to coach shot put, discus, sprinters, and wrestling during my coaching career. While significant differences exist in each sport I coached, the ultimate goal was always the same: provide effective and efficient feedback that helps players improve.
For years, coaches have been using video footage to provide players feedback after a game. A few years back, the trend in football became to video tape team portions of practice to review with players. Both of these forms of feedback had immense value in that they provided visual confirmation to the players. However, both forms of feedback lost some effectiveness because time passed between the rep and the viewing of the video. Wouldn't it be more efficient and effective to provide immediate feedback to players after the rep in practice? Additionally, the video review usually only highlighted team portions of practice, not the individual time where technique and fundamentals are taught. Coach's Eye helps me provide immediate, video feedback through my smart phone. Coach's App sets itself apart from standard videotaping features of a smartphone in a variety of ways. Video can be added to the app from multiple sources: recording from the app, uploading video from Youtube, or even live stream and import videos wirelessly from a GoPro camera. What really sets this app apart are the variety of analysis features offered. |
Coach's Eye allows me to instantly analyze videos no matter where I am. More than just a video app, Coach's Eye provides the ability to replay the video in slow motion so I can provide my athletes with direct feedback on technique and fundamentals. The app allows me to draw lines, shapes, and arrows to highlight specific actions players need to notice. Additionally, I can show two videos, side-by-side, so players can compare their form to other examples. Finally, I can record my voice directly to the video. Ultimately, these narrated videos can be shared with my players. Coach's Eye has been an invaluable asset for me when training players in a variety of positions in different sports.
noHUddle App
I first learned about this amazing app from a FootballScoop.com article dated October 1, 2015. Developed by 2 football players from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, the noHuddle app acts as a remote control for Hudl. Over the last few years, Hudl has emerged as the dominant source for game video storage, sharing, and analysis. It is a vital piece of technology that our program uses on daily basis. The noHuddle remote has made using Hudl much more efficient. Prior to the noHuddle app, a coach would need sit behind the computer to operate the various functions of the video from the mouse of the computer. These features include speed up, slow down, and replaying the video. The noHuddle app allows a coach to do these very same things from his phone using a very simple interface. |
What really impresses me about this app is that it was created by two students. As an educator, nothing makes me more pride than watching my students learn to solve problems. These two amazing young men saw a problem and set out to design a solution. With the Bluetooth remote from Hudl costing almost $300, the noHuddle app provides a free, functional alternative to coaches looking to have wireless remote capabilities.
What apps do you use in your coaching? As a coach, what other technology tools do I need to check out? Integrating technology has made me a better teacher/coach. More importantly, technology has allowed me to help my students/players grow and achieve more than they thought possible.
The final post in this series will present an app that is revolutionizing the way that technology is used to train football players.
Have a great day!
-Adam
The final post in this series will present an app that is revolutionizing the way that technology is used to train football players.
Have a great day!
-Adam