What Makes SkillShark’s Athlete Evaluation App Unique?
Features
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Elimination of data entry and instant access to player results. If you’ve researched athlete evaluation apps, you might assume these are the only advantages of moving away from pen-and-paper forms. In reality, switching offers many more benefits.
SkillShark, a top-rated athlete evaluation app that is customizable for any sport, boasts a myriad of vital features to make the evaluation process efficient and stress-free for coaches and evaluators alike.
Let’s dive into the top 5 features of SkillShark!
1. Player Report Cards
When an athlete doesn’t make the team or feels they’re confidence lagging during practice, player feedback becomes a crucial source of guidance.
With SkillShark, individual player report cards are automatically generated after an evaluation, based on the scores each player receives. These reports give athletes a clear view of their performance and show how they compare to the team’s average.
Athlete report cards in SkillShark
Additionally, comments and videos can also be added to the player report card, enhancing the level of feedback provided to athletes and their parents.
Comments: Coaches/ evaluators can create pre-filled comments ahead of time, which can later be added to the report when an evaluation takes place.
Videos: Coaches/ evaluators can record an athlete performing a specific skill and attach the video to the report card. This enables athletes to visually observe themselves performing a skill, making it easier to apply the written feedback they are given.
2. Developmental Resources
Train and develop your athletes using your very own resource library of resources: PDFs, videos, infographics, and more. Developmental resources enable athletes to improve their overall performance within a given skill(s) outside of regular practices.
How does this feature work? If a player receives less than *set score* on a specific skill (exact score will be set by you), a developmental resource, in the form of a PDF or video, will be attached at the bottom of the player’s report card.
Let’s give an example. Before your mid-season basketball evaluations, you set the criteria so that any athlete who scores below a 6 on dribbling (ranked on a scale of 1-10) will receive a YouTube video on the “Best Dribbling Techniques.” After your mid-season evaluation is complete, all athletes who scored below on this skill will have this video automatically attached to their report card.
Developmental resources in SkillShark
SkillShark is an essential tool for all youth sport organizations to take advantage of. As coaches, it is our job to provide both reinforcing and constructive comments to young athletes. SkillShark has helped immensely with our player development and provides a superior solution to our program.
Bill Edwards. Hofstra Head Coach
3. Live Event Leaderboards
Build excitement and friendly competition among your players at any event with live leaderboards, ideal for combines, camps, showcases, or tryouts. Aside from building competition among players, leaderboards are equally engaging for parents and fans, as they can get a good visual of their athlete’s performance.
Did you know that our leaderboards are completely customizable, allowing you to display LIVE data at any event? As scores are inputted into SkillShark, player data is automatically synced to the leaderboard, and results are instantly displayed.
Additionally, you can create groups on your live leaderboard. For example, you can create a leaderboard for Top Shooters, showcasing the players with the highest scores in shooting
Event leaderboards in SkillShark
4. Athlete Self-Assessments
Practices and tournaments are not usually conducive environments for athletes to reflect on their performance. However, when athletes are provided with a self-assessment that can be completed from the comfort of their own homes, they are more likely to take the time to reflect on their performance.
Self-assessments enable athletes to respond to pre-selected questions concerning their performance, mental well-being, and goals. I.e., Questions such as:
How would you rate your dribbling ability on a scale of 1-10?
On a scale of 1-10, how apprehensive do you feel before practices?
What three skills would you like to work on before the season comes to an end?
Coaches can then leverage the data gathered from these self-assessments to further enhance their coaching approach. This could come in the form of adding additional drills to help players develop a specific skill they’ve identified as wanting to improve. Alternatively, it could involve offering additional one-on-one conversations after practice to support an athlete who feels overwhelmed
Athlete self-assessments in SkillShark
5. Integrations: PocketRadar
Assessing players on hitting, pitching, and ball velocity for baseball and softball is no longer subjective. As SkillShark has recently integrated with PocketRadar, velocity metrics such as change-up, drop ball, fastball, and rise ball are now captured on a speed radar and automatically uploaded into the app.
Eliminate intricate formulas and calculations when it comes to measuring radar-related metrics. After velocity metrics are captured and imported into the SkillShark app, leverage this detailed data instantly to rank and compare players, bringing you closer to drafting top teams.
Pocket Radar Integration
Wrapping Up
What began as a mobile app for scoring players has turned into a multifaceted evaluation software. Regardless of whether you are coaching new or returning players, providing clear feedback and facilitating opportunities for self-reflection can significantly enhance player development.
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Explore how SkillShark has transformed careers and organizations through real-life success stories. Join our community and streamline your evaluations today.
Probably the best service you will ever receive. Good job Neil and team
Rufus Nel
Director of Tennis | Abony Tennis Centre
SkillShark is the most innovative evaluation tool out there. It’s easy to use and completely eliminates any data entry. SkillShark will revolutionize your athletes and your business. You will not be disappointed!
Frank Gilford
Owner/Director
SkillShark is an essential tool for all youth sport organizations to take advantage of. As coaches, it is our job to provide both reinforcing and constructive comments to young athletes. SkillShark has helped immensely with our player development and provides a superior solution to our program.
Bill Edwards
Hofstra Head Coach
Ontario’s Canada Games program has athletes all over the province. Providing them feedback about their performance is our biggest challenge. SkillShark software makes it easy for our coaching staff and guest coaches to record data and share it instantly with athletes. It is a great tool for teams and organizations of any size.
Scott Searle
Softball Canada Coaching Committee Member
We have 1000 kids, 87 different sessions, and close to 100 hours of evaluations that take place. I wouldn’t even be able to calculate the time SkillShark has saved us. Evaluators find it easy, coaches are happy, and I now have concrete data that I can show a parent if questions come up. It’s a great program.
James Mays
Technical Director, PA Minor Hockey
FAQ — What Makes SkillShark Unique
Who can benefit from athlete evaluation software?
Coaches in charge of any sized team in any sport! Soccer, cheerleading, rugby, track & field, and hockey — the list goes on. Evaluation software can be used to measure metrics that matter to you most, regardless of the sport.
Is athlete evaluation software difficult to learn?
No. Evaluation software doesn’t come with a big learning curve at all. In a matter of minutes, you can import your players, design an evaluation template, create your first event, and get to inputting scores right away.
How does athlete evaluation software compare to the pen-and-paper method?
• Data entry is reduced.
• Data won’t get lost, stolen, or misused.
• Easily run reports once scores are inputted.
• Rank & compare players while monitoring the individual development of each athlete.
• Make team placemnt decisions quickly and more accurately.
How many players can I evaluate using athlete evaluation software?
There is no limit. Whether you have 10 player or 1,000, an evaluation software has the capabilities to evaluate any number of players.
What types of reports does an evaluation software offer?
Athlete evaluation software, such as SkillShark, offers the below reports:
• Scoring grid: Coaches can look at scores across categories (i.e., hitting, blocking, defense, and fitness in volleyball). They can further look at the scores of a specific skill within that category. I.e., Coaches can look at hitting, power, and attack scores within the category of hitting. • Strengths & weaknesses: If coaches are choosing between 2-3 players for the goalie position on their hockey team, they can see how these players stack up against one another across a variety of skills (up to 5 skills). • Weighted reports: This is best used when selecting players for a specific position. For instance, identify the metrics that are most important to you when choosing a forward player and assign a weight to them in your evaluation template (e.g., accuracy, shot velocity, forward skate, and game sense). Using the weighted report, you will be able to see which players are most suited for your team’s forward position.
Who can benefit from an athlete evaluation software?
Coaches of sports academies, camps, and scouters can all benefit from athlete evaluation software.
Danielle Stringer
Danielle is a dynamic content marketer with a unique blend of creativity and analytical expertise. She is driven by her passion for helping companies scale through lead generation, always finding distinctive ways to connect with her audience. Drawing from her extensive background in B2B SaaS, she is thrilled to apply her skills and knowledge in her current role at SkillShark Software Inc.