Athletic training and management software can be used to update and store personal information regarding athletes, to be accessed by athletes themselves, coaches, overarching organizations, and individual teams. As technology advances, sports facilities are looking for more than just a portal for athlete metrics; athlete management software offers capabilities well beyond the basics. Modern athletic training software   is integrated with wearable technology and other health and wellness softwares, and is  accessible on both the web and your mobile device. Here, we’ve listed our best practices for selecting a software for sports and athletic training  for your team, and what the key features to include are. Whether your practice is large and well established, or a digital health startup, Healthie’s management software can work for you. To set up a free Starter account to test out these features, click here.

Selecting Athletic Software

Before beginning your search for a virtual athletic training software, it’s important to consider two questions, the first being: What do you want to achieve with this software? Maybe you want to track athlete metrics to measure improvement over a season and identify areas of weakness; or, it’s possible you need to demonstrate KPIs of your sports teams to shareholders, using a comprehensive dashboard or Excel report. Whatever it is, knowing the outcomes you want to achieve after implementation will help you select a software that can meet those needs. The second consideration is: When is the right time to implement? You may immediately default to implementing new software in the off-season, as there will be more time to focus on training and understanding the software. However, during the sports sason, you are more likely to have the proper staff and athletes in the same place, at the same time, to complete training modules and set expectations for using the software. Ultimately, you will need to weigh all the pros and cons and make the right decision for your facility. 

As you begin to research virtual athletic training software, you’ll quickly realize that most systems offer a host of features, capabilities, and cater to different specialties. First and foremost, your AMS should be HIPAA-compliant and cloud-based, so that you and your athletes can rest assured their information is secure, yet easily accessible. To help get you started, think of what is essential for your sports facility.  What features does your team absolutely need, and which ones would be convenient add-ons?  The ideal AMS for your organization will check-off all of the boxes in your “need” list, and most of the features in your “want” list. Healthie offers a complete solution for inventory management & client care. To set up a free Starter account today, click here.

Key Features in a Comprehensive Virtual Athletic Training Software  

✓ Metrics Tracking

Tracking metrics with your athletes not only allows a more personalized approach to training, but can also be a huge motivator for them. Using a more relevant and data-driven approach will help athletes feel confident in their progress, and propel them to continue working on their goals. The right athletic training software will allow you and your team to track metrics such as anthropometrics, calories burned, hours of sleep, workouts, daily steps, and any other relevant health metrics that can be used to monitor performance. Consolidating all of this data into each athlete’s portal is a great way to create a holistic picture of athlete health and performance.

It would be extremely beneficial if the metrics feature in your athletic training and management software was integrated with wearable technology, such as Fitbits or Apple Watches. With syncing capabilities, coaches can easily check in on client progress each day, offering feedback and motivation.  Being able to see daily progress allows coaches to have a more comprehensive view of an athlete’s physical and mental wellness.  The extra data from wearables gives coaches the ability to personalize fitness goals, so they are realistic and achievable for team members.  

✓ Reports and KPI Dashboards

Key Performance Indicators, better known as KPIs, are metrics that are used to measure the success of an organization’s goals and objectives over a period of time.  KPIs allow you to evaluate past performance, and also predict future trends for your business.  KPI reporting can allow supervisors to monitor athlete performance across a team.  You can then leverage this data to identify athletes ready for more intense training and on the other hand, identify athletes who need extra training and support. The right athlete management software should have reporting and KPI tracking capabilities integrated into the platform. Coaches should be able to aggregate athlete data to show managers and stakeholders the performance of the team or facility, using easy to read graphics and charts. 

✓ Scheduling Capabilities

Organizing the schedules of athletes, coaches, managers, and athletic trainers is crucial for team success and athlete growth. First, your software for sports training should be customizable in that you can easily create different session types for your team, such as practices, games, conditioning, physical therapy, etc. so that everyone can be aware of the purpose of each session, and come prepared. Additionally, each coach or manager should have their own calendar, with the ability to create sessions, book one-on-one meetings with athletes, and view other coaches’ schedules. Athletes should also be able to view their personal schedule, and book extra sessions or appointments with members of the athletic training team if need be.

Look for a scheduling software that allows external sync with Google Cal, iCal, or Outlook. Athletic training software scheduling features are likely to be specific to athletic facility events; but, syncing with external calendar software allows athletes and coaches to integrate their sports schedule with the rest of their life, whether it be school, work, or a social life. Trying to coordinate an external cloud calendar across an entire team can quickly become unorganized and cause scheduling misunderstandings; integrating with your athlete management system keeps schedules focused, organized, and in one place. 

✓ In-App Messaging and SMS Reminders

When working with a sports team or facility, trying to communicate with hundreds of athletes at a time can become disorganized quickly. A software for sports training and  management  that allows you to create group messages or send message blasts to many athletes at one time saves communication time, is more efficient, and ensures all athletes have received the same message. Additionally, finding an athlete management system that allows for SMS session reminders and confirmation is key for elevating your scheduling workflow. Send text reminders for practices and games, and include important information about each. Allow athletes to confirm they will be present and use confirmations to track attendance. 

✓ Session Designer

When training high-performing athletes, it can be helpful to plan out sessions ahead of time. Athletes can review before your session and come prepared to work. Being able to design and share these plans within your athlete management system streamlines this workflow to a new level. Additionally, creating and sharing a pre- or post-session for athletes is an effective way to reinforce the concepts discussed. Whether it’s a written summary of your workout regimen, recommendations or additional resources for them to review, the training you give to your athlete in session can continue afterward.

Look for an athletic training software  that lets you design, customize, and share session plans with athletes. Each session could include a schedule, a set of exercises, topics to be covered, or regimens for between practices. 

Healthie for Virtual Sports and Athletic Training

Healthie’s telehealth and client engagement platform has everything sports facilities need to run wellness programs for athletes and community members. Healthie can be scaled across athletic facilities of all sizes, and utilized in a number of wellness settings.

• Secure Healthie Portal where students and participants can log food & lifestyle entries, log metrics, book sessions, and more
• Group messaging for student-provider communication regarding health services
• Create Care Plans to easily deliver treatment recommendations and resources to participants
• Create treatment and wellness goals for students to complete
• Add pre-recorded videos, emails, educational resources, surveys and more into automated online programs that can be used to deliver quality care more broadly
  

Sports facilities who have implemented Healthie have seen success in improving their workflows, streamlining athlete care, and consolidating technology into one tool. Read Healthie’s case study with the sports teams of Michigan State University here.