What I Learned from Letting AI Observe My Coaching

I kicked off pre-season this week with my team, Currie Chieftains, and we are starting with Clarity Week, a mix of fitness testing and presentations on our principles of play. This year, I’m coaching alongside my brother Ben Cairns, who has been incredibly intentional with his coaching over the past decade. He’s a Level 4 coach, regularly attends conferences, and is Director of Rugby at a school in Edinburgh. Coaching is his profession.

For me, coaching has always been a passion, a hobby, but at a high level. I have not been as intentional as Ben and I often don’t have the time (or prioritise) to stop and reflect properly. But that changed this week.

📹 A £15 Investment That Changed My Perspective

To capture my session, I bought a chest harness and phone mount from Amazon for £15 (link)—nothing fancy, no expensive camera, no elaborate set-up. It worked brilliantly. I recorded the session using my phone, and within minutes I had uploaded the footage to Coach Logic for analysis by SAM, our AI-powered coaching observation too.

The Immediate Impact

We have designed SAM to support formal Coach Education by automating observations on coaching sessions and supporting mentors to deliver meaningful feedback. Initially, I viewed it mainly as a solution for Governing Bodies to deliver courses at scale.

But this experience has given me a new perspective.

As someone coaching on the side, I underestimated how valuable SAM could be for everyday coaches. Getting feedback without needing a mentor on-site, and being able to reflect on my own practice with data it’s a game changer.

I ran our attack presentation and only had 20 minutes, so I expected limited interaction. My SAM results reflected that: few questions, minimal feedback moments. It aligned with my intentions, but still gave me something to reflect on.

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Then I looked at Ben's defence presentation data.

Even shorter time period and his data showed significantly more questioning and feedback types. Despite the constraints, he was able to deliver content and engage players more effectively.

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That insight alone made the recording worth it.

✅ One Session Down, New Habit Formed

It’s just one session. But that’s one more session than I was observed on last season!

SAM has given me a new lens, not just on how I coach, but how I can develop as a coach, week to week. And with such a low barrier to entry (just a phone and a £15 chest mount!), I now see how powerful this could be for community coaches, not just those on formal pathways.

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