5 Tips for Beginner Coaches

In order coach a successful team; you first have to become a successful coach. Even if you’ve been playing competitively since the day you could walk, the truth is the learning curve can be quite difficult.  We’ve asked several veteran coaches in the Ubersense community to offer any advice they might have for new coaches. Below are the top 5 responses we gathered:

1. Be Patient

When coaching, it is important to keep in mind that your athletes are not perfect.  If they were, what would they need you for? Your job is to try to help them improve their playing to make them the most successful athletes they can be.  This may include teaching fundamentals; going over basic drills so as to ease your players into the game. It may get frustrating at times, but remember that  losing your cool will not be helpful for anyone.

2. Talk Less

When starting out as a coach, it’s common to want to prove to your athletes that you are the right man for the job by telling them what to do at all times. It could be a critique of their form, or maybe just words of encouragement. While your heart is in the right place, and it’s understandable that you want to show that you are the right person for the job, make sure to remember that you are not just there to speak at someone. In order to fully succeed as a coach, you need to know your players’ skills, their strengths and weaknesses, so that you can better coach them based on their ability. This is why observation is key. Try to take in as much as you can; bringing a pad of paper to practices and writing down notes is a great place to start. This way, what you say to your players will help them improve, which will in turn prove your ability as a coach.

3. Don’t Assume You Know Everything

This one is pretty self-explanatory, but essential nonetheless. When it comes to coaching, especially new coaches, you aren’t going to be an expert right off the bat. Even if you have played sports your whole life, there are certain things you just can’t, and won’t, know. Coaching is a partnership, and if you cannot learn from observing your players about what works and doesn’t work for an athlete, than you won’t even make it coaching T-ball to toddlers every other Sunday.

Now don’t get me wrong, you don’t always have to give in every time your players complain; working hard shouldn’t be comfortable. However, if it is clear that some methods just aren’t working, it is okay to admit that you need to try a different approach. Try finding a mentor who can share their experience, or reading books and articles to help improve your approaches. Talking to your players is also very beneficial; Coaching is, after all, a two-way street.

4. Be a Good Role Model

“Attitude reflects leadership.” Whether or not you’ve seen the movie Remember The Titans, it would be good to remember that sentence. As a coach, you are in a very powerful position. Your athletes not only look to you as a mentor in their sport, but in their life as well. If you come into practice unprepared, your players will reciprocate. If you get angry with them and yell or swear, expect to hear profanity from them on game day. It is your responsibility to set a level for commitment and acceptable behavior, on and off the field, for your athletes. Even the little things are important, like dressing professionally or coming in to practice early. If you want your players to give you everything, show them how though your actions.

5. Remember Why You Started

Learning new techniques and studying new methods is all good and well, but it is just as important that you have fun coaching as well. Sure, “have fun” may be cliché, but for good reason. Whether you started coaching because you used to play yourself, are passionate about teaching, or are just in love with the game, you got into it for a reason. It is so easy, among the chaos of organizing practices, analyzing players, and adjusting workouts for you athletes’ specific needs, to lose sight of why you became a coach in the first place. Prepare yourself, because there will be days that are harder than others, and it will be especially important on those days to remember what you want to achieve from this experience. Reflect on it before each day, write it down and read it if you have to. In the end, the difference between a good coach and a great one is passion; that desire to truly improve and inspire those you’ve taken responsibility for.

Do you have any other tips for first time coaches? Any mistakes you made when you first started? Leave your comment below.

Ubersense Golf Instruction Survey

We thought it would be cool to ask 400 of our golf coaches to share their thoughts on a number of topics, including taking up golf, toughest shot, bad habits, most valuable teaching aids, and pro golfers. The coaches had a lot of interesting things to say that we want to share with you.

Taking up golf is no easy task! There are many barriers that can stop you from getting on the green. Many instructors felt that time & cost are two main factors preventing golfers from playing. So making time to practice is vital to being successful. It’s also important to keep in mind that feedback from a coach is extremely beneficial, so it’s crucial to find one whose right for you. Don’t make the mistake of giving up too early; with practice and a good coach you will be sure to raise your game.

Once you’re getting the hang of it you’ll find some shots come with ease, while others will seem impossible. We asked our golf coaches what shot they find to be the hardest to master. Half of them agreed that a long iron shot is the most difficult, followed a hitting a drive. When practicing these shots, make sure to pick up on any bad habits you may have and try to eliminate them. Three of the most common habits are gripping incorrectly, inconsistent stance/swing, and lack of body rotation.

We asked the coaches what the most valuable teaching aid is and 75% strongly believed that it’s video analysis. So, next time your playing a round be conscious of these habits and try video analysis to help stop them.

Some other cool things the coaches shared with us are:

• Most coaches don’t like to teach their students to emulate a pro
• Instructors suggest avoiding trying to replicate Bubba Watson’s swing
• Tiger Woods is the most popular golfer people want to emulate

Getting Started with Ubersense

 Record

You can’t fix what you can’t see. To get started, record your first videos. Tap the record button to begin capturing footage or import existing videos from your camera roll. Also check out our best practices page to learn how to get the best quality videos.

Analyze

Once you’ve recorded a video it’s time to start analyzing and improving. Use the slow-motion controls to adjust the playback speeds. Choose from various drawing tools to mark-up the video screen and make annotations.

Compare

Track your progress or compare to a ‘model’ video with the side-by-side comparison feature. Simply tap the grey ‘compare’ button in the top-right corner of the video and select the 2nd video.

Introducing Ubersense 3.0

We are very excited to bring to you the latest and greatest version of Ubersense!

This update contains a new look and feel for the app designed to make your experience recording and managing your videos as simple as possible. The new app structure also sets the foundation for some awesome new features we will be adding over the coming months.

Among the new features are:

• Improved video tagging and storage
• Full-screen HD quality video recording. You can also tap on the recording screen to re-focus the camera.
• Instant processing for video analysis. No more waiting for videos to process after recording!
• Lock and synchronize videos when comparing side-by-side. This allows you to set the two videos to a certain frame during comparison.
• All new, easy-to-use athlete management feature for coaches. Now you can add, edit and store all your client and team videos in a simple and accessible tab.
• Faster sharing and uploading process
• TONS of bug fixes!

If you have ANY questions or concerns at all please email us directly, support@ubersense.com. As always, we welcome any feedback you may have.

Update your app now!

Managing People in Ubersense

The easiest way to manage and store your videos in Ubersense is to tag people in your videos. This will also allow you to sort and store videos by athlete name.

To view the team page in the app tap the team icon in the upper right corner.

Once you tap that you will be able to see a list of all the people you have added, or you can add new people.

To view the videos you have recorded of a certain person click on their name.

You can also edit a person’s name, contact info, or delete them entirely from your app by pressing the ‘edit’ option.

To add someone new, press the ‘add new’ button and select from your device contacts or add a new person manually.

Ubersense Community Reaches 100k Coaches

We are psyched to announce that the Ubersense Community has just reached 100,000 registered coaches. With coaches in over 30 different sports and activities around the world we are coming closer to realizing our vision of becoming the go-to platform to improve at sports. We couldn’t have reached this milestone without the help and support of our awesome community and we thank you for that!

Below you will find a visual representation of the breakdown of coaches by sport:

Is your sport listed above? If not, tell us what sport or activity you analyze using Ubersense.

Coach of the Week: Scarsdale High School Head Coach Doc Scholl

Each week Ubersense showcase’s a coach or athlete of the Ubersense community we think our users and everyone else would like to meet (all articles can be found on the Coach of the Week page).  This Friday we’re talking with David “DOC” Scholl, a baseball coach for 22 years now. Coming soon is his very own website @ www.docsdugout.com

Can you talk about your baseball career and how you began?

My name is David Scholl, but I always go by “Doc” Scholl when it comes to baseball. I started playing Little League baseball when I was 6 years old. My dad said I started coaching when I was just 8 years old, as I helped him coach my sister’s softball team. I played ball at Lincoln High School in New York and we won the league championship in 1987. I then attended Pace University in Pleasantville, NY. I played in the Division I program for four years. I was then invited to a New York Mets tryout at Shea Stadium in Queens, where one of my highlights was hitting a ball into the bullpen in right. I was offered a chance to play rookie ball, but decided to start working towards a degree in Special Education at the College of New Rochelle. While playing at Pace University I met a player from nearby Scarsdale High School named Andrew Forbes. He was one of our catchers. At the end of my senior year, he mentioned that Scarsdale was looking for an assistant varsity baseball coach. In 2001 I took over as the head coach. It has now been 22 years coaching in the district and 12 years as skipper. During that time we’ve developed some great young arms, and many have gone on to pitch at the college level. This past spring we had 10 alums playing college ball. In addition, I have been voted Coach of the Year twice and we won the league championship in 2006.

How did you ultimately decide to stop play baseball and start coaching?

It was a very interesting moment in my career because I had always been a die-hard Yankees fan. My whole life I wanted to play Major League Baseball, however, when the moment came to decide to start my coaching career and get my masters degree or play in the minors I knew the right call. The decision was easy because I played against Mo Vaughn when he was at Seton Hall and played against pitchers like Joe Grahe and Alex Fernandez, who where at Miami University, and they were men amongst boys. I had spent countless hours practicing the game I love and still these players were so beyond my level of talent. It was after the tryout that I decided it was time to get my masters degree and start my coaching career. I continued to play in the MSBL wooden bat adult league until I hit the age of 40, which was four years ago.

How has video analysis helped you in your 22 years of coaching?

My video analysis goes well beyond my 22 years of coaching. I have been analyzing film since I was 14 years old. My dad would tape every game I played in and I would watch the footage in one of those huge VCR recorders during the game and even make some adjustments. I would even put two VCR players together and splice my own highlight tapes of Don Mattingly to watch before every game I played. I had that passion, even back then! What I find amazing over my 22 years of coaching is that technology has played such a major role in all sports. The biggest change in technology was that for years only major leaguer’s had the elite tools to analyze at such a high level. Now with software like UBERSENSE and an IPad, you have the same tools needed to analyze at the MLB level. You just need the knowledge. So, about 10 years ago, after reading almost every book about baseball and reading tons of articles online, I was still not completely convinced about all the different views on how to pitch and how to hit. I decided to do my own research, spending almost every night analyzing high school, college and MLB players and coming to my own conclusions. I then implemented my approaches to my program and players started making dramatic improvements. More of my players started to play in college and the program was really improving. This past MLB draft, I had my first player ever drafted. Pitcher Henry Hirsch (http://scarsdalenews.com/Scarsdale_Inquirer/Scarsdale_Inquirer_SPOTLIGHT_061413.html ) was taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 22nd round and is now playing rookie ball in Florida. A month ago I started my own YouTube channel called “DOC SCHOLL,” where I post my video analysis on all levels. Within two weeks I connected with UBERSENSE and currently my breakdown of Miguel Cabrera has over 1,000 views on their channel. My goal is to start my own website this summer called www.docsdugout.com and share my passion and love for the game with everyone in the baseball community.

What features in the app have helped you most in your coaching career?

The feature in the UBERSENSE app that has really pushed my analysis to the next level was the ability to compare two videos side by side. This gave me the ability to show a player’s adjustments that we made in their hitting or pitching mechanics and why they started to produce at a higher level. Finally, the ability to zoom into a video really gives me the option to record a player during a game and then zoom into a particular area to isolate the adjustments needed. If you watch some of my video, you will notice how often I zoom into a particular area to discuss the small details that can really effect the outcome.

Why would you recommend video analysis to other coaches?

The human eye doesn’t notice many of the small details in a proper swing or proper pitching mechanics. Also, a player can’t always understand what a coach is trying to say when making adjustments. When he visually sees himself and compares his mechanics with MLB players or a previous video session, it really hits home. The app also allows the ability to record a player at the field, analyze his mechanics, make some adjustments and then record a voice-over. This is beyond powerful! I often record a player, add a voice-over and then email it to their parents and the player for them to watch at home. It gives them a visual reference to refer to and something to work on until the next practice or session. Finally, what I have learned is…it never stops. I have learned and improved my skills as an analyst of baseball and instructor every year. You can always improve as a coach as long you are willing to put the time in. It starts with PASSION!!! My last suggestion is DON’T over analyze… work on one thing at a time… create drills that develop muscle memory, which I plan on posting on my YouTube channel… and make sure that once the umpire says, “PLAY BALL!!!” let them do just that.

A special thanks goes out to DOC Scholl for answering these questions and for helping student athletes get better each day.

Golf Swings Analyzed by Club Type

Since January 2013, the Ubersense community has shared over 30,000 golf swing videos. With that much volume we thought it might be cool to see if there were any interesting trends in which types of clubs people are using when analyzing their video.

The chart below shows all the club types golfers and instructors have been recording.

 

The number of middle iron shots, particular with the 7 iron, was definitely surprising.

Anyone venture to guess why the 7 iron is the most popular club to analyze? Leave a comment or tweet us your thoughts!

Coach of the Week: Former Army Ranger and CrossFit Coach Matt Hoff

Each week the Uberbloggers showcase a coach or athlete of the Ubersense community they think our users and everyone else would like to meet (all articles can be found on the Coach of the Week page).  This Friday we’re talking with Matt Hoff, a CrossFit coach and active Paleo blogger. Blog posts can be found at Paleonow.com.

Can you tell us a little about your background?

I recently got out of the Army. I served for 9.5 years as a Cadet at West Point, a Scout Platoon Leader in the 82nd Airborne, and a Ranger Instructor. I now have a desk job and go to Grad School at Georgia Tech. I’ve always played sports, but honestly have never been that good. I love CrossFit for the competition aspect, but I like the social aspect of it just as much. I’d give you a laundry list of certs and competitions that I’ve done, but that’s kind of boring. Frankly, an embarrassing amount of my expendable income and time goes to competitive exercise

How did you get into CrossFit and coaching?

I got into CrossFit while I was at West Point. At the time the main site was still pretty new. Some buddies of mine introduced it to me as this cool thing that elite Soldiers did. I did my first “Cindy” in 2005 in the barracks bathroom. Probably not the best place to do push ups, but my hands didn’t fall off so that’s a win. I got into coaching by working out with some of my Soldiers while in Iraq. I was definitely not an instant covert to CrossFit, but that was mostly because I had no clue what most of the lifts were. Once we got back I got my Level 1 so that I could better run my platoon in PT. I kept going to certs and learning as much as I can. I started coaching when I moved to Columbus, Ga/Ft. Benning. Mark and Chris at CrossFit Inception asked me to start coaching and its been a life changing decision.

How does CrossFit compare to other workouts and training programs?

Doesn’t even compare. Its the most fun and effective thing I’ve ever done. I never thought that at 28 I’d be in better shape then I was in as a Cadet or as a young officer. I also didn’t think I’d be a better athlete at this point in my life then I ever was before. I love the community and to compete. I can’t think of any other exercise program that give that to so many people.

What is the ‘Paleo lifestyle’?

Basically, the Paleo lifestyle gets a bad rap. Its not trying to recreate what some dude in a loin cloth with a club did when humanity first started. Not only is it inaccurate its also impossible. The world and humans have changed too much. Human beings are incredibly resilient. We’ve thrived in everything from the jungle to desert to the arctic. You won’t instantly die from grains or from a can of soda. You can also live through a gun shot to the stomach. Living a Paleo lifestyle means that you’re trying to optimize your food and daily routine to give you the best results for health, athleticism, and longevity. You eat real food, primarily meat and vegetables, and avoid food that you know are going give you problems.

How did you begin working with military soldiers? What types of coaching do you provide them?

I began working with them as a Platoon Leader running morning physical training session. I coach the early morning class at CrossFit North Atlanta off of Howell Mill Road. The only military people I work with nowadays are friends or friends of friends. Its usually someone who wants to compete as an athlete, but needs to balance it with work schedule or someone who wants to get ready for a selection or specialty training course like Ranger School.I have more experience than most with both of these, so I fill a niche market.

How does video help with CrossFit and Olympic lifts?

I haven’t really had consistent coaching or training partners over the past however eight years of CrossFit. Video allows me to follow through on being my own worst critic. It lets me actually apply all of this hard earned knowledge to myself.

How do you use Ubersense in your coaching routine?I’m not the world’s best weightlifting coach, but being able to watch lifts in slow motion gives my eye a chance to catch up with what my brain is thinking. I also coach a lot of people remotely, so video is really the only way to see what they are doing. Without seeing how people move I can’t correctly program for them. The ability to record my voice over the video makes it incredibly easy for my athletes and I to keep a track of progress, give cues, and fix lifts. I can watch a missed lift, record a video, and email it back to Afghanistan before the next training session. That’s pretty cool.

What are you favorite features?
The voice over feature is amazing. I also like being able to draw lines as reference points.

Anything else you’d like to add?
I’ll use Ubersense on myself between lifts, on my athletes in the gym to show them how they’re moving when I’m at loss for words with my cues, and with people half a world away.

A special thanks goes out to Matt Hoff  for answering these questions and for serving our country.  To learn more about Matt’s CrossFit and Paleo lifestyle check out his website at Paleonow.com.

Comparing Nadal and Djokovic

With the 2013 French Open semi-finals right around the corner, we asked a couple Tennis coaches in the Ubersense community to break down some video of two of the top tennis players in the world, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Former professional tennis players and current instructors Christian Straka and John Letts compared the forehands of Nadal and Djokovic side-by-side, highlighting some key differences in style between the two players. Check out the videos below: