PlayFlow

Timeline0.0 s

Drag a block to move it earlier or later; it snaps to line up with other moves. Tap a block, or a line on the court, to edit that move: drag its dots to reshape it. Tap the ruler or an empty lane to set where Play starts.
Coaching notes
Timeline

Help

Nothing matches. Try a shorter word, like pass, read or playbook.

How it works

PlayFlowO turns a drag into a basketball action. Drag a player along the path they take, and where the drag ends tells PlayFlowO what you meant: onto a teammate is a pass, next to a teammate is a screen, to the rim is a shot, anywhere else is a cut or a dribble. It then works out the timing, moves the defence and plays the whole thing back.

There is no sequence to type and no long lists to pick from. Draw it the way you would on a whiteboard, then fix anything it read differently from what you meant.

Your first play

  1. Tap New. The play opens in Set up. Type a name in the box at the top.
  2. Drag players to where they start. Tap a player to give them the ball.
  3. Switch to Draw. Drag each player along their move, in the order things happen.
  4. Check the orange message box after each move. It says what PlayFlowO understood, and offers a one-tap fix when it could have meant something else.
  5. Press Play. Slow it down with Speed, or turn on Step through to stop at every moment.
  6. It saves as you go. Share sends it to another coach; a Playbook puts it with your other plays.

PlayFlowO proposes; you decide. Every guess it makes (the type of move, the timing, where the defence goes) can be changed, pinned or undone.

Ways to use it

Design a playSketch it fast, play it back, then adjust spacing and timing until it works against the defence you expect.
Teach at trainingiPad on the sideline. Turn on Step through, drop the speed, and set Lines to As they happen so players see one action at a time. Moment notes give the coaching point as each moment comes up.
Teach decisionsAdd a read where the defence decides the play: "if X2 denies, go backdoor; if not, take the pass". Players see each option in the same play.
Prepare for an opponentSet Defence to how they play (2-3 zone, pack line, switching screens) and watch how your play holds up. Pin defenders where you know better.
Build a club playbookGroup plays by organisation, season and section (sets, out of bounds, zone offence), then walk through them in order with Prev and Next.
Share with coachesSend a link or a play file. They get their own copy to change; yours stays as it is.
Start from ready-made playsPreloaded packs appear in your Library and as a playbook. Duplicate one to make your own version, or change it directly and use Reset to original to go back.

The screen

Top barPlays opens the Library and Playbooks. New starts a play. Undo and Redo. Share sends or exports. Load opens a play file. Sign in syncs your plays between devices. Help is this page. ⏮ goes back to the start. Play plays and pauses. The box beside the logo is the play's name: tap it to rename.
Set up / DrawSet up places players and the ball. Draw adds moves.
Speed, Step throughHow fast playback runs, and whether it stops at every moment.
Paths, LinesHow drawn paths look, and which lines show during playback.
DefenceHow the opponent defends this play. The button shows the current setting.
Message boxThe orange box says what PlayFlowO just read or did, with buttons to change it. During playback it shows the notes.
TimelineEvery move as a block, one lane per player. Read cards sit above it; the edit bar opens below it.
Coaching notesWhat the play is for, its cues, reads and common mistakes, and the list of moment notes.
Playbook barShows above the court when you open a playbook: where you are, Prev, Contents, Next.

Set up

  • Tap Set up. Drag players to their starting spots. Tap a player to give them the ball.
  • Drag a defender to pin it to a spot. The auto defence won't move a pinned defender. Press and hold it to unpin. With Defence set to As drawn, dragging a defender here moves its start spot instead.
  • Moves you've already drawn follow: a player's first move starts from their new spot.
  • Half court or full court is chosen when you make the play: Plays → New half-court play or New full-court play. New in the top bar makes another play of the same kind. On full court the team attacks the basket on the right.

Draw moves

In Draw, one drag is one action. Each move starts where that player finished their last one. While you drag, an orange ring shows what the drag will snap to.

MoveDrag any player along the path. After a screen, the screener is read as roll or pop and the player it was for as curl or flare.
DribbleDrag the ball handler into space.
PassDrag the ball handler onto a teammate. Players side by side are read as a hand-off.
ScreenDrag a player next to a teammate. The teammate's next move waits for the screen.
ShotDrag the ball handler to the rim.
ReboundAfter a shot, tap the player who gets it, or just keep drawing.
MorePress and hold a player (or right-click): remove their last action, give them the rebound, or give them the ball at the start.
DefenceGuards itself. Drag one defender to draw a move for just that defender: it follows your line, the rest of the defence stays auto, and afterwards it goes back to the auto defence (or holds, if you choose Then hold). To pin a defender, use Set up, or press and hold it. To draw the whole defence, set Defence to As drawn.

When it reads you differently

After each drag the message box says Read as: … and offers the likely alternatives: Make it a cut, Dribble there instead, Make it a roll (or pop, curl, flare), Make it a pass. For a dribble hand-off, drag the ball handler onto a teammate further away and tap Dribble hand-off: the drag becomes a dribble that ends beside them, then the hand-off.

Draw in the order things happen. You don't have to get the timing right as you draw; PlayFlowO lines things up, and you can shift any move afterwards.

Edit a move

Tap a line on the court, or a block on the timeline. It lights up and the edit bar opens under the timeline. On a phone it's in the Timeline tab, which gets an orange mark.

◀ 0.1 s · 0.1 s ▶Start the move a little earlier or later.
TagWrite the move's name on the court. See Tags.
Hand · Smooth · Curve · StraightPath shape for this move only.
Jog · Run · BurstPace. A burst cut is faster than the auto defence, so it can get separation.
to 2 · for 3Change who receives the pass, or who the screen is for.
Fight through · SwitchHow man-to-man defends this one screen.
RedrawDrag from the ringed start spot to draw the path again.
Reset timingClears your earlier/later changes on this move.
Add readThe play forks here. See Reads and options.
Add noteA coaching point for the moment this move starts.
DeleteRemoves the move, with its note and any read on it. Undo brings it back.

Reshape by dragging dots

The orange end dot moves where the player finishes; their next move starts from the new spot. White dots reshape the path. With Curve, one white dot bends the arc more, less, or the other way.

Path shapes for the whole play

Paths sets the default: Smooth (clean curves through the main turns), Curve (one arc from start to end), Straight (whiteboard lines) or Hand-drawn (exactly as drawn). Your drawing is always kept, so you can switch back.

Timing and the timeline

Timing is worked out, never typed. Each move takes as long as its distance at its pace. A pass waits until the receiver gets there. After a screen, the player it was for waits for it. Each player's moves run one after another.

  • Each player has a lane; blocks are coloured by type, the same colours as the lines on the court. Total time is top right.
  • Drag a block to move it earlier or later. It snaps to line up with other moves (a dashed line shows where). A small orange dot marks a block you've moved; Reset timing clears it.
  • With a block selected, ← → shift it by 0.1 s, or 0.5 s with Shift.
  • Tap the ruler or an empty part of a lane to set the playhead. Play starts from there.
  • A white square on a block means it has a note. An underline means it belongs to a read option. A red outline on a pass means a bounce pass longer than is realistic.

Playback

  • Play plays from the playhead. Tap again to pause; Continue carries on. ⏮ goes back to the start.
  • Speed runs from 10% to 100%. 100% is real speed.
  • Step through stops at every moment (everything that starts at the same time) and lists what happens, with any note. Next ▶, ◀ Back and Stop are in the message box.
  • Lines: All shows every line. As they happen fades each line in when its action starts and out when it ends: best for teaching. None shows only the players and ball.
  • Notes appear in the message box as playback reaches them.

Defence

The defence is worked out as the play runs. It reacts to the ball and the players, so changing a cut changes how the defence moves. Tap Defence to choose how this opponent defends.

Man-to-manEach defender guards their number. Three settings:
Position off the ball: Ball side (in the lane or the gap) or Behind (always between player and basket).
One pass away: Deny (hand in the passing lane) or Pack line (sag, ready to stop the drive).
Screens: Fight through or Switch. Change a single screen from its edit bar.
2-3 zone · 3-2 zoneDefenders hold areas and shift with the ball. Some junior competitions allow man-to-man only.
As drawnDefenders move only as you draw them. Drag a defender to draw its move, like a player. If the play has no drawn defenders yet, they start where the auto defence had them, so you can switch to As drawn and adjust from there. Set up moves their start spots.
NoneNo defenders. Pinned defenders stay.

The auto defence is a sensible starting point, not a scouting report. Where you know better, draw it: in Draw, drag a defender to give just that defender its own move (the rest stay auto). Tap its line to choose Then auto (rejoin the scheme) or Then hold (stay at the end spot), change pace or shape, or move it on the timeline. To fix a defender to one spot for the whole play, pin it in Set up.

Reads and options

A read is the moment the play can go more than one way, depending on what the defence does.

  1. Select the move where the decision happens (often the pass or catch) and tap Add read.
  2. Option 1 keeps everything you'd already drawn after it. Option 2 is showing and empty: draw what happens on that read. Whatever you draw goes into the option that's showing.
  3. The read card above the timeline lists the options. Tap one to switch; Play and the defence follow it. + Option adds a third.
  4. Edit on the card: write the cue (e.g. "X2 denies the wing"), name the options (e.g. "Backdoor"), make one primary, delete one, or remove the read and keep the primary.

★ marks the primary option: it plays unless you pick another, and it's the one sent to the hub. An orange diamond marks the read on the court. An option can have a read of its own. Shared links and play files keep every option.

Notes

Moment notes

Select a move and tap Add note. The note shows when that move starts: in the message box during Play, at each Step through stop, and in the Coaching notes list. Tap a note in the list to jump to that moment. Deleting a move deletes its note.

Play notes

In Coaching notes, tap Edit notes to write About this play (what it's for and when to use it), Cues, Reads and Watch for, one per line. You can also edit or remove moment notes there. Done saves; Undo reverses the whole edit. On a phone, notes are in the Notes tab.

Tags and your words

PlayFlowO names moves for itself (roll, pop, curl, flare around a screen; hand-off when players are side by side) but doesn't write those names on the court. To show a word, select the move and tap Tag, then pick one.

  • A dashed button is what the move was read as automatically. Tap a tagged button again to remove the tag.
  • Cut types: cut, V-cut, backdoor, curl, flare, relocate. Screen actions: screen, roll, pop, slip. Passes: chest, bounce, lob, hand-off, DHO. Shots: shot.
  • For cuts the tag is only a label. A pass type changes the ball's flight time. Picking Screen makes it a real screen, so the teammate waits for it.
  • Tags… lets you add your own names (Fill, Lift, Drift) that count as a built-in type, and rename the built-in types in your club's words.

Renamed types are kept on this device, so a play you share shows the other coach's words. Your own tags travel with the play.

Saving and the Library

  • Every change saves automatically on this device, in this browser. There is no Save button.
  • Plays opens the Library. My plays lists your plays, newest first; preloaded packs are listed below them.
  • On each play: Open, Duplicate (a copy in My plays), Reset to original (a pack play you've changed) and Delete (tap twice; also takes it out of every playbook).
  • New half-court play, New full-court play and Open a play file are at the top and bottom.
  • Undo and Redo cover every change since you opened the play.

Without signing in, plays live only on this device. Clearing website data, or using a private window, loses them. Sign in to keep them in your account, or download a play file of anything that matters (Share → Download play file).

Playbooks

A playbook is an ordered set of plays for one organisation, with a title, a season or age group, an introduction and sections.

  1. Plays → Playbooks → New playbook. Pick an organisation, or choose New organisation….
  2. Add section and name it. Add plays to a section: search, tick several, then Add.
  3. ↑ ↓ reorder plays; moving past the top or bottom of a section moves the play into the next one. ✕ takes a play out of the playbook only.
  4. Open playbook shows the contents. Start at play 1, or tap any play. The bar above the court has Prev, Contents and Next; × closes the playbook.

A playbook points to your plays rather than copying them: fix a play once and every playbook that holds it is up to date. Deleting a playbook keeps its plays. Rename an organisation from the Playbooks list.

Sign in and sync

  • Tap Sign in and enter your email. PlayFlowO emails you a 6-digit code; type it in. There is no password.
  • Once signed in, plays you change are kept in your account and appear on your other devices when you sign in there. The app still works offline and catches up when you're back online.
  • Plays that were on the device before you signed in aren't uploaded until you choose to.
  • If the same play was changed on two devices, nothing is lost: you keep both, and this device's version is saved as a copy named "(this device)".
  • Not synced yet: preloaded pack plays and playbooks.

Share, Load and files

Copy linkThe whole play travels inside the link: positions, moves, timing changes, defence, notes and reads. Nothing is uploaded. Whoever opens it gets their own copy in their plays. Links are long, so send them by message or email.
Download play fileA .playflowo.json file to keep as a backup, email, AirDrop or open on another device.
LoadOpens a play file as a new play. It never overwrites one you have. Library → Open a play file does the same.
For the hubThe play in coaching-hub format (plays.js), with timing and defence baked in. Only primary options are included.

Share sends one play at a time. Playbooks stay on the device they were made on for now.

iPad, phone and computer

  • Finger, Apple Pencil and mouse all work the same way. Press and hold does what right-click does.
  • Install it so it opens like an app and works offline. iPad or iPhone: Safari → Share → Add to Home Screen. Chrome or Edge on a computer: the install icon in the address bar. Android: Chrome menu → Install app.
  • When there's an update, a message says A new version of PlayFlowO is ready. Tap Refresh. If something looks wrong right after an update, reload the page (Cmd+Shift+R, or Option+Cmd+R in Safari).
  • On a phone, ☰ holds Plays, New, Share, Load and Help. The tabs at the bottom open Timeline, Notes and Options (speed, step through, paths, lines, defence), plus Undo and Redo. Full gives the panel the whole screen; Court goes back. Turn the phone sideways for a bigger court.

Keyboard shortcuts

SpacePlay or pause
HomeBack to the start
SStep through on or off
← →Paused in Step through: back or next. With a move selected: 0.1 s earlier or later (Shift for 0.5 s)
[ ]Slower or faster
LCycle Lines: all, as they happen, none
Ctrl/Cmd ZUndo
Ctrl/Cmd Shift ZRedo (also Ctrl Y)
?Open Help
EscClose a menu, panel or Help

Your data

  • Plays, playbooks and your tag names are stored in this browser on this device. If you sign in, your own plays are also kept in your PlayFlowO account. Otherwise nothing leaves the device unless you share a link or a file.
  • Players are numbers, not names. PlayFlowO doesn't ask for player names, which keeps junior teams' details out of it.