By Jake Barreau, Michigan State Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator

Technology is an invaluable tool in every aspect of sport. Figuring out how to best utilize tech tools that are affordable, accessible, and user-friendly is the hardest part. Each team has different needs and challenges—ranging from budget and personnel to tech-savviness—and I will share some completely free and easy-to-use technology examples to help you get organized and find that competitive edge in learning, recruiting, and branding.

TECHNICAL LEARNING

The ability to have feedback on-site or right after a rep is huge. Let’s face it, while we would all love to have instant replay set up in our practice gym, we don’t all have the TV carts and video systems to do that. We all, however, have phones.

You can take a short video of your athlete repping things out on your phone and show it to them right after, or at the end of, a practice. There are also a number of apps that allow you to delay video so an athlete can take a rep, watch it back, and go to the next rep. Coach’s Eye, Bust a Move Video Delay, and DelayCam are great, to name a few.

If you are having trouble replicating or performing a skill/technique, you can use screen recording features and online platforms to find great examples of skills and players. These clips offer an easy and free way to provide technical feedback; you can upload a recorded skill video of your athlete to an app or video-sharing site and do a side-by-side comparison of the athletes’ movements. Between YouTube, Google, and every social media platform, there is guaranteed to be an example of what you’re trying to demonstrate.

RECRUITING

Short videos also offer a great way to provide inside access into your gym and training style. Athletes are already doing this on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, PressSports, etc., and you can use your phone to get quick clips that showcase your training.

I’m a firm believer that you can create 90% of your content from your phone, as iMovie, Splice, TikTok, Instagram reels, and so many more allow you to efficiently be your own video editor for free. Adobe and Microsoft also provide some user-friendly options to create videos and slideshows to be able to tell a story quickly.

EXCHANGE OF IDEAS

Another important aspect of growth as an athlete or coach is collaboration. The ability to brainstorm and collectively present ideas is how we all get better. You can utilize shared notes on your phone with your staff, team, or positions, in places where everyone can contribute.

Some great “think tank” apps/programs include Google Docs, Teams, GroupMe, WhatsApp, Slack, group text messages and Dropbox. You can get creative and utilize these resources to solicit feedback through forms and journaling to set goals, formulate team-building exercises, send articles/podcasts, etc.

Next time you plan a practice or want team feedback, consider using one of these tools to get the edge. The name of the game is efficiency in a world where we are all trying to get better quickly, and we all know how difficult it is to juggle recruiting, off-season training, and life. These apps allow you to create and collaborate so you are staying organized and connected.

Keep being a learner and have fun!