Best iPad Apps

Sports & Recreation

Best App for Drawing Up Plays

PlaybookBball

$9.99 Version: 1.3.2 | Daren Chow

Eight seconds on the clock, your team’s down by two with the ball. Coach, how you gonna pull this one out? Suddenly you remember: the Elevator Play (Google it). It’ll never work, you think. Then again: it just might work!!! Grab your iPad, fire up this app, and show your crew what to do. What you’ve got here is basically a stripped-down animation program, custom rigged for coaches (other sports covered in companion apps include football and soccer). Most users will opt to design their plays prior to the game but, truth is, this system’s simple enough to whip up a quickie court side. The game changer? Play mode shows your Xs and Os in action. Swish.

PLAYER PLANNING: Start by positioning the players wherever you want them (you can show either or both teams). Then drag one or more of ’em along whatever routes you have in mind. At any point, players can execute different actions: a simple run from one spot to another, a dribble, a screen, a pass, or a shot. Add as many steps as you like for each play you design.

BONUS POINTS: You can tag (label) any of the plays in your collection, making it easy to pull related ones for special situations (“three-pointers,” “Two-Minute Drill”). Other handy options: add onscreen notes to remind you of key tips, step through the action move by move (as opposed ...