Team Update #3 Posted

[Brandon Holley]

I say if you MUST keep track use a board and marker or a pad and paper like bharat said, otherwise, i think your coach should be plenty capable of devising your "next best move" in his/her head.

[Ali Ahmed]

I think if you used a program specifically designed for the game, like Cody said, for use on a tablet or Palm would be the best choice. In my opinion, using a normal laptop would be too distracting because a coach needs to keep his mind on the field the ENTIRE time because a lot of things happen at the last second. The next best thing would be pen and paper and draw some sort of diagram that suits your coach the best. I would advise against whiteboards because dry-erase markers dry out fairly quickly and I would hate it if someone was in the middle of a match and their pen drys out. My point is, use a method that allows the coach to keep his/her mind in the match.

[Taylor]

Originally Posted by Brandon Holley

I say if you MUST keep track use a board and marker or a pad and paper like bharat said, otherwise, i think your coach should be plenty capable of devising your "next best move" in his/her head.

I agree. In the month between now and regionals, your coach(es) should have a very good understanding of the game and gameplay. I would trust a dry-erase board, some markers, and a well-prepared coaching staff over an electronic device prone to malfunction (battery life, interference, programming error, crazy electrons bumping into each other, etc.). I may be an old-timer at 27, but I think there's enough technology on the field and in the drivers stations.
Also, there are no rules about drivers/coaches handling non-electronic devices. A picture's worth a thousand words, and if the drivers can see a pictoral representation of the rack, that could be much better than a coach shouting directions in their ears (not to mention all the noise that happens during gameplay).

[Rick]

Real coaches dont use "strategy assistants" during matches.