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As coaches, we've all tried to be proactive and organized by carefully planning out our practices at some point during our career. Been there; done that! Even if you are an experienced coach, how much time does it take to create your plans? Do the math: 45 practices a season, and it takes 20 minutes to create a plan; 45 x 20 mins = 900 mins = 15 hours. Before CoachThem, I know it took some of our users way more than 20 minutes to create, share, and prepare their coaching staff for practice. How much is your time worth?
We asked our users how they created their team's practices before CoachThem came along?
"I subscribe to HockeyShare, I was not aware of CoachThem, and I was looking for a tool that does exactly what CoachThem does." - Mark Gillis
Most said that they wrote out their drills on paper and kept them in binders for future reference. Some rewrote every drill when creating their practice plan. Others used programs, like Microsoft Word, Excel, Coral Draw, and Google Draw. With the internet being a hub for drills, finding new drill ideas has never been easier. There are videos on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, USA Hockey, and Hockey Canada. Just Google any specific drill, and you will find it. If you're thinking of it, someone has thought of it and has put it on the web for you to access.
"Mainly used Excel. Would write up then plan and would paste into rink templates. Then usually draw in drills to show what the write up said." - Matt Johnson
No matter where you find your drills, CoachThem is here to help you organize and streamline your practice. See a drill you like online? Simply draw it in our sketchpad. With CoachThem’s sports coaching technology, coaches can create custom drills, optimize practice plans, and save time, making training sessions more efficient than ever.
"It would take about 15-20 minutes to draw out a plan and share. I would draw them out, scan, and save as a PDF. Would share via email and with deeper instructions on the drills, also bring a hard copy to practice. All plans were kept in a binder for reference by date. Once I added all my drills into CoachThem, it takes only a few minutes to plan a practice." - Colin Willis
Coaches shared these by email, Dropbox, Google Drive, or printed copies and brought a copy to the rink. With CoachThem, there is no need to print a copy of your plan. Everyone has access to the internet or a smartphone, so why are we wasting paper and ink? Share with your team, another coach, or create a coaching group of coaches helping coaches, everybody wins. Take the CoachThem iOS app and your practice plans on the go—stay one step ahead on the ice. No more wasting time setting up pylons and pucks—streamline your drills and maximize every practice.
"Took ideas from all over: USA Hockey, Hockey Canada, etc. Then hand wrote, scanned and emailed it to my assistants. With CoachThem, selecting my drills for practice is done with a click of the mouse, and the same goes for sharing with my coaches." - Erik Anderson
"Was sceptical of trying another program because I've been burned in the past. LOVE CoachThem!" - John Philips
CoachThem was created by coaches, for coaches and we look forward to continuing to help you improve the way you teach the amazing game of hockey!
Coach This Way!
Written by the CoachThem Team
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