What managing exercises requires in daily training
Managing exercises and training drills creates specific demands for football software. Pure access to drawings is not enough in the long run. Three centrally evaluated criteria determine whether a system works sustainably in daily use.
First, collaboration and communication in the coaching team are crucial. Coaching staffs rarely consist of lone wolves. Head coaches and assistant coaches must be able to work together on exercises, adapt variations, and exchange feedback. If drawings sit isolated on a single coach's tablet, valuable knowledge gets lost. New colleagues need quick access to proven drill formats without having to send templates back and forth manually.
Second, session and training planning demands a direct connection to the database. An exercise collection is only valuable if drills can be seamlessly integrated into the specific training session. Coaches must filter exercises by criteria such as age group, number of players, primary focus, training zone, and available equipment. The selected drills must immediately adopt duration, intensity, and coaching points into the plan so the session on the pitch is precisely aligned.
Third, data export and portability play an essential role. The created sessions and exercises must not be trapped in an isolated platform. Poor reception often prevails on the pitch, or paper is preferred. Coaches require flexible exports such as clean PDF files for printing, forwarding in WhatsApp groups, or digital handovers to the backroom staff. Switching devices must also not restrict the availability of the collections.
Our approach: Structured data instead of loose stacks of paper
At Coach OS, we do not view an exercise database as a rigid library, but as a living tool for daily practice. Many coaches spend hours searching for exercises on pieces of paper, in note apps, or folder structures. Our approach does not separate systematic management from actual training work on the pitch.
We believe technology must simplify training planning without taking professional decisions away from the coach. The software delivers sound suggestions, prepares content methodically, and organizes knowledge. The final decision on using and adapting a drill is always made by the human on the pitch.
A central point of our philosophy is transparency and accessibility within the team. Knowledge belongs to the club and coaching staff, not individual devices. That is why we connect the exercise database directly with tools for visualization and training control. When several coaches work on a club philosophy, changes must be visible to everyone involved immediately.
At the same time, we attach great importance to independence. Professional software must offer working interfaces and simple export paths. Coaches must be able to take their plans as PDFs or access them on smartphones at any time. This relieves the club's organization and ensures that focus remains entirely on working with the team.
How Coach OS specifically implements exercise management
Coach OS solves these requirements with an integrated architecture comprising exercise database, the Sketch drawing tool, and coordinated training planning. At the center is a database with over 1,244 individually designed and animated exercises. In addition to sequence and titles, each drill includes coaching points, equipment requirements, intensity, duration, and recommended player numbers. All exercises can be filtered by category, age, equipment, difficulty, and criteria such as suitability for holiday camps. You can create, adapt, and favorite your own exercises.
For visual design and collaboration, Coach OS uses the tool Sketch. Coaches draw drills in 2D or 3D and use features like auto-morphing for animations, five team shapes, eight colors, three arrow types, and flexible pitch dimensions. Multiple coaches can draw on the same exercise simultaneously. Created drawings initially remain private and only become visible to the team after active approval.
The connection to training planning is direct. The training generator accesses the stored equipment inventory as well as the pitch and creates sessions with warm-up, main part, and cool-down. Assistant coaches are invited via code, link, or email through role management. They go through a separate registration process for the existing team, preventing empty duplicate accounts.
For export, Coach OS offers a clean PDF function. Every training session can be exported as a professional document, printed out, or shared digitally. In addition, live mode is available on your smartphone directly on the pitch to adjust exercises and groups in real time.
Who Coach OS is suitable for and where its limits lie
Coach OS is ideal for individual coaches, assistant coaches, grassroots clubs, and youth academies that want to digitize their exercise collection and use it systematically within the team. The solution convinces clubs striving for a uniform training philosophy, wanting to design exercises together, and quickly export sessions as PDFs or use them on mobile devices on the pitch.
Coach OS is not the right choice for clubs looking purely for video analysis or video recording of matches. Match data analysis takes place in specialized third-party systems and can be imported via interfaces if needed. Likewise, Coach OS offers no member management for collecting fees, dunning, or club accounting.
The software is also not suitable for people expecting integrated tracking hardware such as proprietary GPS vests or heart rate belts. Such hardware comes from external manufacturers whose data can be integrated at academies. In addition, the software holds no official certification from DFB, UEFA, or FIFA. Licensed are the coaches who develop the content, not the product itself. Anyone looking for these specialized features requires other dedicated applications.
FAQ: Managing the exercise database: Structuring & using exercises
Can I create my own drills in the database and share them with the coaching staff?
Yes, you can create your own drills completely from scratch in the database and share them with your coaching staff once enabled. Using the drawing tool Sketch, you draw drills in 2D or 3D and add custom coaching points, duration, or required equipment. As soon as you share the drill, your colleagues can immediately view it, edit it together, and add it directly to their session planning.
How does collaboration with assistant coaches work for drill management?
Head coaches simply invite assistant coaches to the existing team account via code, link, or email. Once registered, the entire coaching staff accesses the same database to draw on proven drill formats. In the Sketch drawing tool, you can work on drawings simultaneously, so adjustments or new variations are immediately visible to everyone involved.
What options are available for exporting drills and sessions?
You can cleanly export any created training session as a PDF document or use it mobile on the pitch in Live Mode. The PDF export is ideal for printing physical copies, sending via email, or sharing in WhatsApp groups with your backroom staff. This ensures your plans are always available on the pitch, even with a poor signal.
Does Coach OS also include tools for video analysis of drills?
No, Coach OS does not contain tools for direct video recording or video analysis of matches and sessions. The software specializes in the graphical creation, animation, and structured organization of drill formats. However, if you use match data from external analysis tools, you can import it into the system via corresponding interfaces if needed.
Yes, in Coach OS you can create your own exercises completely from scratch, favorite them, and add individual coaching points. With the integrated Sketch drawing tool, you draw drills in 2D or 3D. Once you actively release an exercise, it is immediately visible to your entire invited coaching team and usable in training planning.
Head coaches invite assistant coaches to the existing team via code, link, or email. During registration, assistant coaches use the special path to join as an assistant coach. As a result, everyone works in the same team account, accesses the same exercise database, and can edit drawings in Sketch together simultaneously.
Coach OS offers a clean PDF export for every created training session. You can print out the training plan as a clear document, send it via email, or share it in WhatsApp groups. Alternatively, you can use the mobile live mode on your smartphone directly on the pitch to manage exercises and groups in real time.
No, Coach OS offers no features for video recording or direct video analysis of matches and sessions. The software focuses on graphic creation, animation, and structured management of drills. Match data from external analysis tools can, however, be imported into the system via dedicated interfaces.
Questions about structured exercise management
How do I create digital sketches for new exercises without spending much time?
You either draw sessions directly in 2D from a bird's-eye view or switch to the three-dimensional TV View with one click. If you use photos from books or enter short texts, an AI automatically converts your templates into digital drawings. The AI suggests suitable titles, sequences, and coaching points directly to you. This way you create clean exercise sheets without losing time and use your drawings flexibly on desktop or tablet.
Who decides which coaches can see and edit their own drawings?
You remain in control of your created graphics. All drawings initially remain in your personal space and are invisible to others. Only when you actively set an exercise to public does your coaching team see the result. Multiple coaches can also work on the same drill simultaneously. This prevents chaos in your collection and lets you decide when a draft is ready for the team or your colleagues.
How do clubs ensure that all teams train according to uniform standards?
The club defines fixed training proportions for different age groups and skill levels in a shared development philosophy. These guidelines give you orientation while you fill open sessions flexibly. Via a central club database, you share exercises with appropriate approval levels. Across ten roles with individual permissions, the club manages access for coaches, youth directors, or physios. Learn more about the club database in Club OS.