Coach guide · Player App

    Introducing the Player App to your team

    Around 5 minutes at training. You know your group better than we do, so take what fits and leave the rest. This is what has worked for other coaches.

    01What players are actually thinkingUsually unspoken

    Most players will not ask these out loud. They will decide how honestly to answer based on whether you covered them.

    Minutes

    Will this affect my playing time?

    Growth

    Does this actually help my game?

    Exposure

    Will my answers be used against me?

    02Six things worth getting rightWhat drives honest answers

    The data is only as good as the trust behind it. These six tend to be what separates a squad that answers honestly from one that answers to look good.

    1Introduce it in person.A link in the group chat rarely lands.
    2Do the first check-in together.Phones out, 90 seconds, everyone at once.
    3Say the honesty rule out loud.If low scores could cost minutes, they will not tell you the truth.
    4Keep names out of it.Share patterns with the group, never individual answers.
    5Close the loop early."A few of you flagged heavy legs, so today is lighter."
    6Attach it to something that already happens.Cooldown, bus ride, pre-match meal.
    03Framing it by ageSame app, different reason to care

    What motivates a U14 group is not what motivates a senior squad. A starting point for each, in your own words.

    U13 – U15

    A team ritual

    "Our secret weapon. Two minutes, all of us, every match."
    Performance pressure language tends to backfire here
    U16 – U19

    Minutes and growth

    "I decide your minutes anyway. This gives you a voice in them."
    This age tests whether you act on it before they trust it
    Senior

    Respect for their time

    "Two minutes saves you junk sessions and physio visits."
    Gamification and extra admin land badly with this group
    04Six things to cover in the talkThis order tends to flow

    Not a script. The six things coaches tend to cover, in the order that usually flows best. Put it in your own voice.

    1Open with the gap

    "I see maybe 10% of what's going on with you."

    Sleep, soreness, headspace. Most of it happens away from the hall, and right now you are coaching that part blind.

    2What it is

    One app. Three jobs.

    ScheduleAttendance · one tapCheck-ins · 2 min

    Worth keeping this part short. The detail matters less than the next two points.

    3What you're asking of them

    90 sec before. 3 min after.

    Before a match
    EnergySleepSorenessFocusConfidence
    After a match
    Role executionOne good decisionOne mistake + whyWhat I'll train
    4Why it matters to them

    "Your answers change what we do on court."

    Training loadSession focusRecoveryYour minutes

    This is the part that decides whether they bother. Worth being specific: "When the squad flags something, you'll see it in the next session."

    5What they get from you

    The four points that build the trust

    Honest answers never cost minutes.
    Hiding a problem is what costs you, and the team.
    Answers stay between us. Patterns get shared, names do not.
    No comparing players. You against last month.

    These are commitments to them, so only say the ones you will actually keep.

    6Close it

    First one. Together. Now.

    Send the invite before training. Phones out, find your name, answer honestly. 90 seconds and it's done. Doing the first one in the room is the single biggest thing that gets the second one done at home.

    From here, it's just part of how the team operates.

    A line like that is a good way to end it. Then get on with the session.