ALEXANDRIA, Va. & CANTON, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The U.S. Army today announced the launch of GoArmy EDGE, a free software application adapted to help football athletes learn their team’s playbooks, make proper reads and play calls, and mentally practice their assignments in a virtual environment before taking the field. GoArmy EDGE takes virtual coaching simulation and training to a new level through unprecedented detail and customization, helping improve football team performance through more effective and safer player practice capabilities.
“Currently, many high school football teams use paper copies of their playbooks and whiteboards, as well as videos of practice and previous games to teach plays and formations, all of which limit viewing angles and have no drill capability,” said Rob Everett, assistant football coach and defensive coordinator at Westfield High School in Chantilly, Va. and a consultant on the project. “Through the GoArmy EDGE app, we’re able to visualize and simulate hundreds of plays, which help us practice with more flexibility and efficiency while reducing the risk of potential injury and preparing our players for any potential on field situation.”
GoArmy EDGE uses the latest technologies to enhance coaching strategies by providing interactive playbooks, allowing players to view the plays as they are being executed in the 3D environment from the players’ perspective or from any position on the field. To ensure the highest level of coaching and player input was integrated in the GoArmy EDGE functionalities, the Army has partnered with the Indianapolis Colts since 2014. This collaboration has allowed the Army to incorporate invaluable insights to continue enhancing the EDGE technology.
"We are excited to enter our second year working with the U.S. Army on the technology for GoArmy EDGE. Following its implementation last year, we received tremendous feedback from our coaching staff and players," said Indianapolis Colts General Manager Ryan Grigson. "Preparation is a critical factor for success in our sport so it made perfect sense to team up with the Army, an organization that truly epitomizes preparedness. This program utilizes the same technology that our brave servicemen and women use to prepare themselves when they are called to action. I believe this app can help revolutionize the way coaches at any level across the country prepare and develop their players for the gridiron."
"We have been honored to partner with the U.S. Army in adapting the GoArmy EDGE app,” said Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Chuck Pagano. “One of the most important aspects of football is teamwork, and there is no better team to learn from than our military. Many of our principles align with the Army as we both seek to prepare our teams to perform at the highest level."
As a team reviews an upcoming opponent’s game film, they can elevate their preparation with GoArmy EDGE by modeling the opponent’s plays against their own. This facilitates both coach-led training and individual training, and provides players quality mental reps from anywhere at any time while minimizing risk of injury in contact-based practice.
“For more than 240 years, the Army has been a leader in training the most adaptable team because failure is not an option,” said Mark S. Davis, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for marketing. “GoArmy EDGE provides the Nation’s coaches and youth with a preeminent training experience to drive increased player and coach performance, so they can win for their teams like the U.S. Army expects to win when the American people call on us.”
With GoArmy EDGE, coaches can put their plays onto a projector, TV screen, and/or tablet for optimal review during a team strategy session. Other key features of the GoArmy EDGE app include:
- Built-in Playbooks and Drills – GoArmy EDGE comes loaded with built-in playbooks and drills for the pro-style, spread, and wing-t offenses, which are mapped against even, odd, nickel, and dime defenses. Coaches also have access to hundreds of offensive and defensive formations, put together as virtual flashcards to test players.
- Draw and Edit Your Plays – Draw routes, blocks, pre-snap motions and more to create plays. Use built-in tools to quickly select standard moves, set the ball on a hash or precisely align players.
- Whiteboard – A pre-populated mode for instantly drawing plays and moving players around. Draw as fast as if using a whiteboard.
- See Your Plays in Real-Time 3D – See offensive and defensive plays in 2D or in 3D virtual environments with accurate animations, timing, and ball-handling. View from any camera angle, or player perspective to see it as they do on the field.
- Precision Player Movements – Use the play editor to fine-tune player movements, such as first cuts, option handoffs, and more, in order to illustrate plays accurately.
- Customize Uniforms – Customize uniforms to match team colors, style and numbers for your team and upcoming opponents.
- Train – Set up drills for players to review formations and plays on their own with notes from the coach.
- Shareable – Coaches can create personnel groups and invite other coaches and players to join in the app to share the information.
GoArmy EDGE is available for free to schools of all sizes and can be used on both tablet and PC browsers. It is available to download through Apple’s App Store and Google Play. For more information, visit www.goarmyedge.com.
Coaches can contact their local Army recruiting station by pressing the unlock button to gain access to more features, including additional playbooks, as well as the ability to use drills in their own playbooks and modify players’ uniforms. Recruiters are also available to answer questions about the app and share tips on physical and mental fitness, as well as leadership training for athletes.
GoArmy EDGE was produced by the Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center's Software Engineering Directorate Army Game Studio, located at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala., and funded by the Army Marketing and Research Group.
About the Army Marketing and Research Group (AMRG)
The Army Marketing and Research Group (AMRG) is the U.S. Army’s national marketing, marketing research and analysis and accessions analysis organization. The AMRG develops innovative and effective ways to: connect with the American public and make the Army more accessible and understood; increase awareness of both the benefits and value of Army service; and motivate the most qualified candidates to choose the Army as their service of choice.
