January February 2024 - 45

A
lot can change in four years. Just ask Brian Staub.
In his first three seasons as head coach of the
Point Pleasant Borough varsity football team
in New Jersey, Staub went 8-16. Ahead of the 2021-22
season, Staub responded to an email from GoRout, an onfield
sports wearable display technology company, about
using the software for installing plays and getting quicker
scout team looks on the practice field.
And in the four years since incorporating the
communication software into his program, the Panthers
have gone 31-8, winning their conference for three
consecutive years while earning a trip to the NJSIAA
South Group II championship game in 2021.
" It's obviously not the only reason we had success, but
I would put it up there with one of the bigger impacts on
the program in those three years, " Staub said.
GoRout allows coaches to transmit digital play cards
to each player wearing GoRout custom devices on
the field at practice. These devices, worn during full
contact, allow players to quickly receive a play, review
their responsibilities, and execute efficiently. Using this
technology, coaches can also communicate individual
coaching points to each player without huddling or
looking at a binder, allowing teams to double their
repetitions at practice each day.
Specifically for Staub, the technology " completely
changed " his defensive practice structure in terms of
being efficient, and getting the most reps in a given period.
" Any time we were in a group period or defensive
team period, we would always have to huddle everyone
up and hold the play card up and explain each thing, "
Staub said. " Now we don't have to huddle as everyone
has their own individual device. So our coaches can send
in the plays on a cell phone and they quickly look at it.
It's unbelievable how many reps we can get in a 15 or
20-minute defensive period. "
That's the way GoRout intended for its product to
be used.
" Instead of a coach holding a binder and having to flip
through his sheets or go to a completely different binder
for a different segment of practice, now we've taken that
binder and put it in the palm of their hand through any
cellular device, " said Drew Robinson, former director of
football operations at Western Michigan and current VP
of sales at GoRout. " They then have the ability with one
click to send that play card to their players who are then
wearing one of the GoRout devices. "
With the coaches not having to spend as much time
explaining plays for each situation, they can spend more
time doing what they love-developing players. And that
was a difference-maker for Point Pleasant Borough.
" We're a firm believer in the more quality reps you get,
the better your practice will be and the better overall
football players you'll develop, " Staub said.
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January February 2024

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