How USTS plans every session with LEAD

USTS is a field hockey club in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, between Geneva and Lausanne. Xavier Santolaria, its sport director, puts the club’s purpose simply: “At USTS, everything we do is about the development and growth of our teams and players.” And in his words, “LEAD has become the tool that helped us deliver on that every single week.”

Before LEAD: pen and paper

Before LEAD, we relied on each coach preparing their own sessions based on their own thoughts with pen and paper. Every coach did their best, and the result depended on the time and the ideas they had that week.

Today, Xavier says, “everything is logical, adapted to each team, and built with a long-term vision for the player’s journey.”

A plan for every block of the season

It starts with the season planner, LEAD’s Season Engine.

It prepares the sessions for each block of the season based on our needs, the level of each team, and where the players are in their journey. We always know what to work on and why, so every session is a step forward for the players.

A drill library that helps coaches grow

The second piece is LEAD’s drill library.

It’s big, full of great drills, and every drill is adapted to its level. The explanations are very detailed and give the coach all the cues they need. That means better sessions for the players, and it also supports the coach’s own development, so the whole club grows together.

A solid foundation, and room for the club’s own ideas

LEAD also gives us freedom. We can build a session from existing LEAD drills or draw and create our own when we want to work on something specific. We get a solid foundation and room for our own ideas.

Built by people who know the pitch

You can feel that the drills and the platform are built by people with a lot of experience in hockey. The content speaks the language of the pitch, and it shows in every detail.

What impresses him most is the pace of development: “The platform gets better every day, just like we want our players to do.”

From the desk to the pitch

It’s easy to use on mobile or on the web. I can prepare at my desk, then pull up the sessions on my phone on the pitch.

Part of the daily routine

For USTS, LEAD is part of our daily routine, and it keeps our focus where it belongs, on helping every team and every player grow. I warmly recommend it to any club that wants to coach with clarity and confidence.

Xavier also teaches drills on LEAD: you can find him among our trainers and coaches.