So let’s test your awareness.  Watch this video and let us know how you get on.

It’s said that an average coach will see around 55% of what actually happens in the game, and that same average coach will remember 35% of the events one day after the game.  We’d say that was pretty good.  Often coaches aren’t even quite sure what the score is during a game.   We’ve all been there right?   So looking back over a season how do we really do?  It’s pretty  clear, if we dont record the game stats, the probability is that we won’t remember them, and we sure will not be able to share them.   As coaches we just dont have the capacity to accurately ‘remember the data’. We’re human, after all.

Statzpack are proud to announce ourselves as corporate members of the NSCAA - National Soccer Coaches Association of America. The largest association of coaches in the world is well known for it’s coaching education and annual national convention, attended by Statzpack in Baltimore last year.  The Soccer Journal is an official publication of the NSCAA, produced exclusively for soccer coaches. Keep your eyes peeled for Statzpack in The Soccer Journal in coming months.

Statzpack exhibited at this years Grass Roots Football Live over 4-6 June 2010 at the NEC, Birmingham. Here are a few pics.

What’s a pass, a shot on goal or a turnover?   If you are recording passes, are you going to try to record every one or are you only recording passes that ‘move the play forward’, or ‘passes that are made under no pressure from the opposition’.  It’s your call – but make sure you discuss them and define them, and make sure they are meaningful to your age group.   If you are gathering match stats it is vital that you define what is meant by each term you are using.   This allows coaches and players to understand exactly what you mean if you find an individual had six incomplete passes.  Presenting clear cut definitions also helps the person collecting stats to be more objective and systematic – it will make their task easy.  And, it will provide your team with more consistent and meaningful data.

What do you think are the problems with defining the stats you are going to collect?  Any stories?

Feedback is the food of champions. But it can also choke up the toughest of players.   Players appreciate information on their performance, but they will only be receptive to it if they feel it is balanced and constructive – and too much emphasis on the negative is a sure way to close the ears.   Do not fall into the trap of collecting only negative data about your players.  Giving your players access to their stats on Statzpack is a way to empower your players and make them feel involved – but make sure the data is relevant and your players are mature enough to take look.   Get in the habit of choosing positives to start your stats feedback and always end on a constructive note.

When giving feedback to your team make sure they can digest it and make sure you do it at the right time.   During game intervals players can only take in so much information in. And don’t use ‘numbers’ unless you really have to.  Use language you and they understand. Focus on the outcome you want.  Use the data to drive your message, don’t let it be your message.  For example let’s say you have identified that 82% of free kicks in a game so far have been conceded by your team, and 74% of those have been in your half, mostly committed by a Sarah in left midfield.  Convey the message clearly, but focus on what the possible cause may be and what action you want to see.  “We’re conceding too many free kicks in our half, this is causing us too much trouble on our left flank, it created one of their goals, what we need to do is be less reckless in our tackling and cover for each other.”   

Sharing more info and use of numbers are likely to have more of an impact at training sessions when you have more time to communicate.  Combine the data with real language.  Telling Sarah that she conceded 56% of all our free-kicks will have a limited impact if you don’t combine that with some discussion on what the probable causes might be, and what your desired outcomes are for her and the team.  

 Never use data to beat up on a player.  Harping on Jonny because he had 10 unsuccessful passes and only one good pass all match will accomplish nothing in the long run.  Statistics are a tool with which to improve players, they are not the end all be all.

They say that women are better multi-taskers than men but when it comes to recording stats during a game it’s vital to cut down the number of tasks regardless of gender!  Many people who start to use Statzpack for the first time tell us, ‘I really found it hard to record the stats and watch the game’.  Well that’s probably because you can’t do both at the same time.  You’ll certainly find it hard to cheer on your team and record meaningful accurate stats.  Even more difficult if you are actually coaching or one of the team is your child J.   It’s important to create for yourself an ‘observation environment’ away from vocal crowds or from your buddies chatting about the night before.  Ideally you should have one person with you who is tuned in the game and will help you with game info during the match.  Arrive early so you do not get stuck sitting in a row where you have to let people in and out past you or in a place where your view can be obstructed. And if needed where a hat that says ‘Do not disturb’ on the front.  Or even as one user from Vancouver, Canada told us  ‘It’s easy, I just sit up on the bench, away from the guys, plug in my earphones, kick into Bruce Springsteen, watch the game, and record the stats.’  Good idea, just watch the battery level on the iPod touch!

What do you get if you combine a 17 year old Man United fan and our new App, ManU Tracker.  Answer = a lot. So here are the stats that this user – David – recorded using our new App.

Now available in iTunes, the ManU Tracker iPhone App.  For all Manchester United fans and soccer stattos who love to follow the game and track their own player stats we’ve made the perfect App.  You pick the team colours.  You pick the team from the available squad.   Get half time and full time stats summaries and you can even post the summary to the web to share with your friends. All for less than a cup of coffee.  All powered by Statzpack.

In my last post I talked about defining your stats, this time I’m talking briefly about setting that process out.  Agreeing the stats should be discussed amongst the coaches working with the team, and even you are the only coach – take some advice, talk to the players or another coach.  It’s really important that the set of stats are talked about and agreed upon within the team.  You really want to avoid having a discussion about them each week.  

And.. PRACTICE.  Don’t forget to try out ‘your set’ in a practice or friendly game. Review them.  DISCUSS.  Are they useful? Can we do this each game?   Will they be useful if we use the same set each game, or shall we use a different set for each game? The one thing that is for sure, for most grades you will likely be better to trial, revise, discuss and set out a plan.   Unless I’m wrong?  What are your experiences?

Statzpack the company making team stats simple, announced today an agreement with the Houston Dynamo, the Major League Soccer (MLS) team in the USA. The Houston Dynamo have established themselves as a leading franchise in the MLS, reinforced by their launch of the youth academy in 2007.       “I can see how clubs at the grassroots and non professional levels could embrace a system like this. With the help of the team at Statzpack we got up and running very quickly and it’s simple to use.” says Houston Dynamo Youth Development Director, James Clarkson. “It beats pen and paper and is very affordable. StatzSoccer allows me to track and record data that we can feed back into our training sessions or share with the team in general.”

Statzpack launched their Soccer product in August with significant interest from clubs and teams around the world. Teams simply record stats by iPod or iPhone touch, and the data makes its way to a website where it is graphically presented on a simple-to-use ‘click and play’ dashboard system. The company boasts English, Irish, Dutch, Canadian and now American professional clubs in its user base. With an English Premier League team using the system in first team games.

“We thank the Houston Dynamo for their interest and support. To be selected by such a high profile club proves the robust and flexible nature of our StatzSoccer product. We’re pleased with response throughout the US and Canada, especially within our primary focus, the youth teams and development academies.” said Mark Roberts, Director at Statzpack. “We believe stats can help teams improve their game, and equally important, that the data should be owned by the club, not the stats collector, and made available to share with players, and stored for use over the years not forgotten in a corner somewhere.”     You can find out more about the Dynamo Houston Academy here and you can email us at info@statzpack.com.