ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – For the past few years, many football teams in the area have been using a software called GoRout to make communication easier between coaches and players. The software was actually created in Rochester. In total, more than 600 teams across the nation are using the software.
In practice only, coaches use an app on their phones where they can input plays. They then send those plays to the devices worn around their players’ waists that vibrate when a play is sent.
“Every time a play comes in, a player can see where they’re supposed to be, where to line up. Coach doesn’t need to tell them where to go, who they are, what they’re doing. It’s all there for them. They get on the ball, they snap the ball and they’re off and running,” founder and CEO Mike Rolih said.
Generally, coaches will have the younger athletes wear the devices during scrimmages to run the teams’ upcoming opponents offense and defense to help prepare the starters for the next game.
“It allows coaches now to be able to seamlessly prepare whether in the meeting room, in film breakdown or now on the practice field using the tools that they’re already consistently familiar with,” Rolih said.
One of these coaches is Stewartville varsity football head coach Garrett Mueller. His team has been using GoRout since 2017, and he says it’s helped increase the number of reps the team can run in a practice.
“In the past, before we had our GoRout devices, after a play was done we would typically have to bring all 11 players back to a huddle, so it would take anywhere from 60-90 seconds between plays to get the next one ready to go and players lined up to execute it. Now within two to three seconds, we can get the next play off into the group,” Mueller said.
While you can’t predict what’s exactly going to happen in your next game, Coach Mueller says GoRout has helped his team get an idea of what’s to come on Friday night.
“We’re never gonna be able to replicate how it’s exactly going to be on a Friday night, but we feel that using this tool certainly helps put our players in the best position possible to get us the best look that we can get,” Mueller said.
While GoRout has generally focused on football, the company is looking into other sports as well. Most recently it’s expanded into basketball which the boys varsity team at Lourdes is already using this season.
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