The U.S. Army’s GoArmy EDGE app launched last week to provide football coaches and players increased ability to manage and learn playbooks digitally. The app will allow coaches to organize playbooks for their roster and help players make proper reads and play calls, and perform mental repetitions of their assignments in a digital environment, all before stepping onto the field.
With the EDGE app virtual coaching simulation is detailed and customizable for all users. It provides an interactive playbook that lets players view plays as they are being executed in a 3D environment. This makes GoArmy EDGE a more effective and safer way to prepare players because they can learn plays and gain reps without placing an additional physical toll on their body.
Get a glimpse inside the playbook of the Nation’s first team with #GoArmyEDGE. Learn more: http://t.co/KNKFYDJq0C pic.twitter.com/ovwYlGLvTA
— GoArmy (@GoArmy) August 8, 2015
Since 2014, the Army has partnered with the Indianapolis Colts enabling them to incorporate helpful insights to enhancing EDGE. “We are excited to enter our second year working with the U.S Army on the technology for GoArmy EDGE. Preparation is a critical factor for success in our sport so it made perfect sense to team up with the Army, an organization that truly epitomizes preparedness,” Ryan Grigson, Indianapolis Colts General Manager, said. “This program utilities the same technology that our brave servicewomen and women use to prepare themselves when they are called to action. I believe this app can help revolutionize the way coaches at any level across the country prepare and develop their players for the gridiron.”
For coaches, EDGE has the potential to be a very valuable tool. The key features as GoArmy originally announced are:
- Built-in Playbooks and Drills – GoArmy EDGE comes loaded with built-in playbooks and drills for the pro-style, spread, and wing-t offenses, which are mapped against even, odd, nickel, and dime defenses. Coaches also have access to hundreds of offensive and defensive formations, put together as virtual flashcards to test players.
- Draw and Edit Your Plays – Draw routes, blocks, pre-snap motions and more to create plays. Use built-in tools to quickly select standard moves, set the ball on a hash or precisely align players.
- Whiteboard – A pre-populated mode for instantly drawing plays and moving players around. Draw as fast as if using a whiteboard.
- See Your Plays in Real-Time 3D – See offensive and defensive plays in 2D or in 3D virtual environments with accurate animations, timing, and ball-handling. View from any camera angle, or player perspective to see it as they do on the field.
- Precision Player Movements – Use the play editor to fine-tune player movements, such as first cuts, option handoffs, and more, in order to illustrate plays accurately.
- Customize Uniforms – Customize uniforms to match team colors, style and numbers for your team and upcoming opponents.
- Train – Set up drills for players to review formations and plays on their own with notes from the coach.
- Shareable – Coaches can create personnel groups and invite other coaches and players to join in the app to share the information.
Consultant on the project and assistant football coach and defensive coordinator at Westfield High School in Chantilly, Va., Rob Everett said, “Through the GoArmy EDGE app, we’re able to visualize and simulate hundreds of plays, which helps us practice with more flexibility and efficiency while reducing the risk of potential injury and preparing our players for any potential on field situation.” By creating more viewing angles and giving players a new perspective of the field, the GoArmy EDGE could be used for teams of all levels. It will be a beneficial tool to better prepare players.
GoArmy EDGE can be played on a projector, TV or tablet and it is available for free download for any school.