Sportscode Window: Current Build (2019)
Designer, Programmer
Now after our analytics systems were well defined and organized, I started to look towards video.
Our video coach was having a hard time with the software, and given I have a degree in Media Production, I figured I'd help him get our new Sportscode software working through the expected bugs and errors.
Eventually I took over the Video Coach role as my main role, and began developing and improving the systems we had there.
I pushed pretty aggressively for our team to switch to Sportscode from STEVA. I never liked STEVA, it looked like crappy PC software from the 90's. It always crashed and the UI was just awful to use. None of the coaches liked using it.
I saw that London was using Sportscode and I instantly loved the Code Window that allowed complete customization. After we switched to Sportscode, I threw together my own custom code window, using the Iconography system I had built.
Most code windows are just dozens of boxes with labels on them, and offer the main markers that coaches are looking for: goals for and against, powerplay and penalty kill, and faceoffs.
I began with those features, although I used my custom symbols instead of labels, and assigned the actions to specific keys.
I had recently bought a Chroma keyboard from Razer for my Macbook, and what I quickly realized was that if I used the Chroma keyboard, I could map custom colours and behaviors to each key.
That mean that I could use 1,2,3, Q,W,E, A,S,D, Z,X,C keys as forward player buttons, and IO, JK, ,. as defence player buttons. The right number keypad allowed me to have goals scored, shots for and against, scoring chances all close to my fingers.
I could use NumPad 1,2,3 to mark the Zone (Defensive, Neutral, Offensive), and NumLock, 7, 4 and *, 9, 6 as Scoring chance quality.
I put the space bar as the clock start/stop, F1,F2 as faceoff wins and losses, and F3 and F4 as powerplay and penalty kill.
And because each key could have it's own behavior, the space bar lights up and flashes when it becomes active.
The Powerplay button flashes green and the player buttons light up yellow when active and blue when not.
Between the keyboard and the Code Window, there was enough visual feedback that I could track all these events happening simulataneously, and not fall behind.
I also mapped B and N as possession changes, which I classified just as breakouts, and used G and H as success or fail indicators.
This allowed me to mark all the important information of a game live, without being overwhelmed or making mistakes.
It's turned into a great system. We only need one person tracking on one laptop, to get the tracking of several people and several devices from before.
There's also a really satisfying rhythm to it.
Breakout, up the neutral zone to the offensive zone, scoring chance in the B area, missed shot. Possession change. Breakout failed. Turnover. Scoring Chance A, Royal Road. Goal. Stop clock.
In 2018, I added passing indicators to the scoring chances, meaning we could differentiate chances even further based on the pass that occured beforehand. Where did the pass originate? Was the shot a one timer? Off the rush? Was it cross-crease?
All that information is broken down into icons and buttons on the keyboard that I can key in as they happen.