Well needless to say, this project has certainly created that itch for football season to get started again, and luckily spring football is right around the corner. I must say the three young gentlemen who created Hudl have struck a gold mind, as almost every high school and college football program across the country is now using their program in some capacity. For me, I was able to learn about something I am passionate about (the idea of Google's 20% Project), and also provide a learning experience for others using technology and the Internet. I am excited to see how Hudl can enhance practice this season and also in game scenarios with the use of iPads on the sideline. The overall film process is also more efficient for both the players and coaches thanks to Hudl, and it is providing both parties with more time to spend with their families thanks to the efficient manner it allows film to be shared and reviewed. I am glad I had the opportunity to learn and research more about Hudl using the Internet and also my experience at the Glazier Clinic in Los Angeles.
One major thing that I have failed to mention about Hudl to this point is the fact that they provide student athletes with the opportunity to create highlight tapes of themselves that they can send to colleges for recruiting purposes. My colleague John Briggs reminded me of this in a comment that he left on one of my videos on Google+. In the same way that I created a playlist below for spring football, student athletes can click on plays from whatever game during the season they would like and then save them to one playlist, which will act as their highlight tape. This has made the jobs of college coaches easier because they are no longer receiving VHS tapes in the mail and instead are able to go on the Internet and watch highlight tapes like the one posted below. Here is the highlight tape of Allen, Texas wide receiver Jalen Guyton, who has committed to play at the University of Notre Dame. Another advantage of using Hudl is the mobility it brings to providing game film to student athletes. Because Hudl has apps for the iPad and iPhone, I can show clips to student athletes about our upcoming opponent on the actual practice field. This increases the number of One of the best ways to prepare for an opponent is to know what tendencies they have in certain situations. By inputting the down, distance, defensive front, blitz, and coverage for each play, Hudl will then do all of the number crunching for you by simply pressing the "Generate Report" button. The report will give a detailed analysis what how often a team runs a certain coverage, blitz, front, etc. on certain downs. Coaches can then share these reports with each other and also with their players. After much exploration and studying of what Hudl has to offer, I have created a video below that explains how I have used Hudl for my own professional growth and also for the betterment of the overall learning experience of the student athletes. Hudl is continually evolving, and I will look to show that in the series of videos I have created that capture what Hudl is all about. Since I have been writing my blog, a few people have asked about the individuals who created Hudl, so I did a little research. Back in 2010, Hudl Founders David Graff, John Wirtz, and Brian Kaiser were named to America's 30 under 30 list, which recognizes the top 30 entrepreneurs in the country that are under the age of 30. Founded in 2006 by Agile Sports, Hudl has risen to the top of its market. To learn more, check out the article here: http://www.siliconprairienews.com/2010/07/hudl-founders-named-to-inc-magazine-s-30-under-30-list
Hudl playbooks is now available. I noticed in my last login to Hudl the new "coaching tools" tab, and Hudl Studios was on it with a new video of what they offering. Hudl now makes preparation for practice much more efficient with their easy to make scripts and practice plans. This will be especially helpful when my time will be better served grading Catcher in the Rye essays, like I am right now. Check out the video below! Hudl, designed originally for football, is now in the process of improving its technology for basketball. Hudl allows a manager, parent, or JV player for the team to input information about the game as it happens via a smartphone so that when the game is over a coach can have an immediate breakdown of the game. This is a big advantage over football, where Saturday mornings are consumed with inputting data from the game on the computer. Hopefully, this will help me be more aware of how I can do this same thing with football. Over the weekend, I attended the Glazier Clinic in Irvine. The Glazier Clinics are held nationwide and were created by former collegiate head coach Frank Glazier. The clinics are held in 34 cities throughout the country and feature NFL, college, and high school presenters who discuss various schemes, techniques, and fundamentals in the game of football. A quick browse of their website (http://www.glazierclinics.com/) will give you a sense of how well respected the Glazier Clinics are. On my most recent experience at the Glazier Clinic, I listened to college coaches from UCLA, Oregon, Arizona, and the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals speak on variety of topics. The insights into the game are very beneficial for a young coach like me, and I had a similar takeaway to the one I had a few weeks ago at the 2014 CATE conference.
The best thing about the Glazier clinic is that by purchasing a season pass, you have access to unlimited football content on their website with presentations from previous clinics and even eClinics that occur during the offseason. Glazier's company slogan of "Football Education 24/7" is seen no clearer than in the amount of material that is on their website. In order to run their eClinics in the offseason, Glazier has partnered with Hudl so that they can stream a clear and easy to follow picture across the Internet. I have found these eClinics to be very beneficial in terms of expanding my knowledge of the game. At the clinic over the weekend, Hudl also had a table with other vendors offering their services to any high school who is not already onboard with Hudl. Together, Glazier Clinics and Hudl have formed partnership that takes full advantage of our online world today. In fact, the coach from Arizona I listened to said they have their incoming recruits who are still seniors in high school watching spring practice on Hudl so that when they come to camp in the Summer they are a little bit closer to being all the way up to speed. During my 20% research this week, I discovered Hudl has a youtube channel called Hudl Studios. I watched my first of what I am sure will be many Hudl Studio videos, this particular one focusing on the ability to create your playbook using Hudl. Today, many NFL teams distribute their playbook using an iPad instead of handing out a hard copy in binders that can be overwhelming for young players. Hudl wants to offer that same feature for high schools and colleges that use their program. Hudl can allow teams to streamline the way in which they organize their plays by series, situation, or formation. By distributing a playbook on Hudl, players can see a visual representation of the play and their assignment, and then can click on the play and watch it unfold in a previous season. This applies to the learning needs of all student athletes by providing the information in multiple forms. As a coach, I obviously worry about the fear of information being hacked or the student athlete that transfers to the rival school and share the playbook with the enemy. Hudl has a plan in place to prevent this, and controls who can see and download certain information. Hudl is saving coaches nationwide more time on administrative tasks and allowing them to focus more on the actual coaching duties. Here is the link to the video since I know many of you are also coaches... and Hudl is for more than just football! See the video below! |