Interview with Katharina Lackinger from Faustball Austria

Interview with Katharina Lackinger, national team coach at Faustball Austria: “Force8 Coach is my digital notebook—only much more powerful”

We met with Katharina Lackinger—national team coach at Faustball Austria—for a conversation and asked her questions about the Force8 Coach product. Here is the interesting interview: 

Marco Bäschlin: Katharina, you coach several national teams simultaneously at Faustball Austria. What was the situation like before you started using Force8 Coach?

Katharina Lackinger: To be honest: pretty chaotic. Athlete data was scattered across various Excel spreadsheets, training schedules were managed via email, and you had to keep track of who was injured and when in your head. Especially when you’re working with men’s, women’s, and U21 teams all at once, like I am, things can easily get lost in the shuffle.

MB: Which modules do you specifically use at Faustball Austria?

KL: Mainly training planning and tests & batteries. I plan training sessions directly in the platform, add exercises with descriptions, and can see what was done in the weeks prior—even for athletes who only attend training camps. The tests are also very helpful: We regularly record our test results and receive useful evaluations. 

MB: How do your athletes experience the platform? Is there acceptance?

KL: That was my biggest concern at the beginning. But Force8 Coach works as an app on a smartphone—which most people have with them anyway. Feedback now comes in much more regularly than before. 

MB: What has changed the most in your daily work?

KL: I simply save time. Before a training session, I no longer need hours of preparation to get an overview. I open Force8 Coach, filter my squad, and have all the relevant information at my fingertips immediately. That gives me more time for what really matters—the work on the field.

MB: Is there anything else you’d like to see?

KL: A broader user base in Austria. If we can expand Force8 through the clubs, athletes and coaches will benefit even more from the platform, which we currently only use at the association level. 

MB: Katharina, thank you so much for your candid insights.

KL: You’re very welcome. Anyone in organized sports who’s still using Excel should really check out Force8 Coach.

 

Faustball Austria – the Austrian Fistball Federation – can be reached at faustball-austria.at. Force8 Coach is available at force8.coach.