The Benefits Of Having Live Video On The Bench

The NHL allows teams to have 3-4 iPads on the bench during games and teams can also have a couple in the locker room for players to look at during intermissions. If you don’t have the budget of an NHL team, there is an affordable option called GameStrat. You can view our introduction post to them here and check out their website here.

How do the iPads work?

If you’re curious about how the process works, it is very simple. The iPads are configured to pull video and the markings from the video coaches computer. These markings are pushed from the computer to the iPad on the bench. The players and coaches can “scrub” the timeline back and forth with your finger to get to a specific game time, or they can select a marking that has been marked by the video coach.

How can and iPad on the bench help my team?

There are a number of benefits to having iPads on the bench:

1. Instant review of a play

   With the ability to review the last shift on the bench, you can make extremely quick adjustments in preparation for the next time this situation arises without waiting until the intermission. This is extremely useful for special teams.

2. Visual learning benefits of video analysis

   Everyone understands the importance of video analysis post game and being able to have that on the bench during the game adds a whole new level of competitive advantage. Most often coaches are able to see and recognize plays without having an iPad to verify, however to be able to use the iPad and video on the bench to effectively communicate with players is much better than just telling them the adjustment or coaching point. 

3. Ability to review before making a coaches challenge

   If your league allows a coaches challenge, you can take a quick look at a play before making your decision. The margins for winning and losing at all levels are extremely thin and can come with a penalty if you are wrong.

4. Medical staff for injuries

   The medical staff’s top priority is player safety. Having replay on the bench gives them an opportunity to see what happened on a play and have a better idea of what the injury could be before the player comes back to the bench or assess the situation while the player is going back to the room with another staff member.

Here is a close up of what the tagging and replay system look like:

*Photo from GameStrat website

GameStrat In Action

Here are some images of GameStrat customers operating the system on the bench. You can see that GameStrat offers a a product that you can mark the game with as well as the components you need for iPads on the bench.

Here is what GameStrat customers are saying about having live replay on the bench:

Junior A Brooks Bandits: Coach Papaioannou

“I became 10x better at my job because now I don’t have to think I saw something - instantly I know. And if I know, then the players know.”

“The players use the iPads all the time. We used GameStrat Replay every day, at every single practice and every game. You almost knew after a shift, which guy was going to come off and want to watch something to get that instant feedback.” 

Full testimonial - Click here

OHL London Knights: Coach Steadman

“We had connection issues with other instant replay systems before, but we’ve had none of those issues with GameStrat Replay. We were worried about lagging video footage but now we have it and it’s there right away. It’s got great definition, replay capabilities, in time support and its very enjoyable.”

Full testimonial - Click here

OHL North Bay Battalions: Video Coach Eric Kistemaker

“Our coaches use GameStrat Replay for everything! They’ve completely bought into it. We don’t use Steva or Thunder, because we have everything we need on the GameStrat system”

“The players are always rushing to grab the iPads so they can see certain things, so it’s definitely liked & loved in our dressing room”

Junior A Blackfaulds Bulldogs: Coach Brady Bakke

“GameStrat has been a great tool for us honestly, we got a lot of use out of it. We used it for in-game review a ton, It gives us instant and honest feedback right away. The post game work flow is easy and simple to understand. The people behind GameStrat are always there to help with anything we need or any questions we have! This is a great product for all teams and we look forward to continuing our relationship with them!”

If you are interested in GameStrat, click here to check out their website and we highly recommend you inquire about their free demo here.