Tips and Ideas

General functionality can be reviewed in the documentation that comes with the Top Coach app. Here are a few extra tips and ideas on how to best leverage Top Coach.

If you have others, please let us know and we can add them to this list.

Uses

The Top Coach app is flexible and can be leveraged for a variety of uses. Here are a few.

Tactical Boards for Matches

Create Boards in advance on set pieces and communicate ideas or tactics on the fly during the match. Combine the relevant Boards into a Plan for the match. Pick a Board already created to avoid having to reconstruct the concept during the match. Make a copy of a Board to use as a scratch version.

Training Plans

As of Top Coach 2.0, the app now has a way to combine Tactical Boards together into a cohesive Plan. Create Boards for each drill and group them under sections into a Training Plan. Add duration and additional notes to complete the plan. Use the Plan directly from the iPad or export a report via email, printing, or other document sharing apps like DropBox.

Team Presentations

Connect your iPad2 or "new" iPad to a projector to show Tactical Boards and Training Plans to the entire team. Use it as a whiteboard to clarify and answer questions right on the big screen.

Opposition scouting

Top Coach can be used for opposition scouting. The player notes field was specifically added for this. Document formations, player strengths/weaknesses, attacking/defensive tendencies, etc. The results can be shared via email, printed, or stored in a document sharing app like DropBox.

Here are some suggestions as how Top Coach can be currently used for opposition scouting.

• • Formation -- drag and drop icons onto the field

  • Note on players -- double-click a player icon.

    • Add player number in the "Abbreviated Label" (shown inside the icon)

    • Add player name in the "Detailed Label" (shown beside the icon)

    • Add player notes in the "Notes" field (shown when exporting or emailing as a report)

  • Attacking/Defensive tendencies -- click on the 'i' button to add general notes to the Board

  • Grouping -- use the Plan and Categories to group similar Boards together for quick reference and reporting

Usage Tips

• Create a Play Template with Icons and labels already specified. Copy that template when creating a similar play.

  • • Speed up your ability to create new plays.

    • Set the Category under the "i" button to organize all of these templates.

• Organize Drills and Formations by specifying a Category for each Board.

  • • Click on the "i" button and set the Category.

    • Create custom fields under the "Edit" button

• Use different field types

  • • Click on the "i" button and specify full, half, third, or blank fields depending on need.

    • If working on a Set Piece like a corner kick, then use the "third" field type.

• Use Icon labels

  • • Double-click a Icon to open its properties

    • Use the "Short Name" for a few characters that are inset in the Icon

    • Use the "Details" for a longer description, player name, or notes.

• Set Icon Scale and Rotation for orientable Icons like goals and ladders

  • • Double-click a Icon to open its properties

    • Adjust the "Scale" for the both small and large goals

    • Orient the Icons that do not always face up like ladders

• Use different colors and linetypes

  • • Use the different line colors for different occasions.

    • Differentiate line types of solid, dashed, and dotted depending on use

• Use the "pencil" and "direction arrow" buttons to prevent unwanted editing

  • • If you only want to move Icons, then click on the "pencil" button to prevent accidental drawing.

    • If you only want to draw, then click on the "direction arrow" button to prevent Icon movement.

• Switch between portrait and landscape orientation

  • • Depending on the need, use either portrait or landscape.

    • All labels will auto-orient.

    • Landscape also displays an additional set of Icons most commonly used in Exercises like cones, disks, ladders, etc.

• Email/Share with the team the Tactical Boards and Training Plans

  • • It is easy to email out a report of the Boards and Plans to your team, print it out, or store it off in a document sharing app like DropBox. Just click on the export/email button at the top to get started.