SWINDON Storm have enlisted the help of technology as they bid to make the post-season in only their second competitive campaign.

Storm’s season got off to a stuttering start following a heavy defeat at the hands of a power-packed Farnham Knights side on the opening day, but they will be bidding to get back on track on Sunday when they entertain Bristol Apache at Supermarine.

The coaching team, headed by Steve Bennett, have begun using innovative video coaching tool, Huddle, from the United States which allows the team to watch their performances back and analyse plays in detail, which Bennett hopes will help his players make rapid strides in their development.

“We filmed our first game from three different angles which has really allowed us to analyse our performance very closely,” he said.

“We’ve also got this new online coaching package where we can review games, draw lines, and add commentary to plays so the players can review them at home.

“It’s from the States and it’s revolutionised the way we work.

“The added benefit of it is that, as coach, I can log on there and see which players have spent the most time on there and see who is most wanting to learn.

“It’s a bit like Facebook in that each player gets a profile and can update it with their information and even make a highlight reel.”

The biggest advantage for Bennett is to be able to focus on specific players during review sessions rather than having to rely on general coaching.

“When we review games in a classroom you are talking to the masses, but when you use this tool you are able to focus a little more and do things for certain situations,” he said.

“You can look at certain players and find out where they went and their angles of attack, their coverage zone drops and, for running backs, where they should be attacking. There’s a lot of geometry and angles involved because you can be the fastest guy on the team but, if you’re running in the wrong direction, you’re not much use.”