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Trainer setup guide

Set up your trainer in about ten minutes.

No apps, no coding, nothing to install on your computer. You need a grown-up for steps 1 and 2; after that, kids can do it on their own.

What you need

  • An M5Stack CoreS3, the small square touchscreen device. Get one on Amazon
  • A USB-C cable that carries data. Many cables only charge; if the computer can't find the device, try another.
  • A Mac or PC with Chrome or Edge. Safari, Firefox and iPads can't install it, but they can still play the game.
  • A phone, to connect the trainer to your Wi-Fi.
  • Home Wi-Fi with a 2.4 GHz network. Most home routers have one. The trainer can't use 5 GHz-only networks.

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No trainer yet? A phone works too: train on your phone with the same mini games, training log and plan. It doesn't count steps, so log your runs instead. In the game, open Trainer and choose Train on your phone.

  1. 1

    Install the trainer

    5 minutes
    1. Plug the CoreS3 into the computer with the USB-C cable.
    2. In Chrome or Edge, open the installer: Open the installer
    3. Click INSTALL. A list of devices pops up: pick the one called USB JTAG/serial debug unit (or similar) and click Connect.
    4. When it asks about erasing, tick Erase. This is only for the first install.
    5. Wait about a minute while it installs. Don't unplug it.
    6. The trainer restarts and shows No player yet. That means it worked.

    Device not in the list? Try a different cable. Or hold the small reset button on the side of the CoreS3 for 3 seconds until a green light flashes, then click INSTALL again.

  2. 2

    Connect it to your Wi-Fi

    3 minutes
    1. On the trainer, tap LINK. It says No Wi-Fi saved yet. Tap SET UP WI-FI.
    2. The trainer makes its own little Wi-Fi network called Soccer-Trainer. On your phone, scan the QR code on the trainer's screen, or open your phone's Wi-Fi settings and join Soccer-Trainer (no password).
    3. A page called Soccer Trainer Wi-Fi opens on your phone. If it doesn't, open a browser on the phone and go to 192.168.4.1.
    4. Pick your home Wi-Fi, type its password, and put your child's name in Coach name. Tap Save and connect.
    5. Your phone goes back to your normal Wi-Fi by itself. After a few seconds the trainer shows Linked! in green.

    You only do this once. From now on, tapping LINK connects straight away. To save battery, the trainer only uses Wi-Fi while the LINK screen is open.

  3. 3

    Send a player from the game

    1 minute
    1. On the trainer, tap LINK and wait for Linked!.
    2. On a computer or tablet on the same Wi-Fi, open the game: Play Proto Soccer
    3. Start a Career (Youth to Pro) if you haven't already. Your squad lives there.
    4. Click Trainer (in the menu or the career screen). The status next to the address may say Connected, or Can't check from https, just try Send. Both are fine.
    5. Pick a player and click SEND. A page opens saying the player is on the trainer, then takes you back to the game.

    Chrome asks to "access devices on your local network"? Click Allow. That's the game talking to the trainer.

  4. 4

    Train!

    every day
    • Carry it in a pocket. Walking and running build pace, even with the screen off.
    • LOG real practice like shooting, passing or a team session to earn experience for that skill.
    • PLAN shows today's drills from the weekly plan. Tick them off for bonus experience.
    • PLAY five mini games: Penalties, Tilt Dribble, Keepy-Uppy, Tackle Time and Speed Shot (a real ball and a rebounder). Each costs one energy, and energy comes from moving and practising for real.

    The screen goes to sleep by itself to save battery; it keeps counting steps. Press the power button, or touch and hold the screen, to wake it. Hold the power button for 6 seconds to turn it off completely.

  5. 5

    Bring your player back

    1 minute
    1. On the trainer, tap LINK and wait for Linked!.
    2. In the game, click Trainer, then Sync from Trainer.
    3. The game shows what he gained. His stats go up wherever he plays, and he wears a ★.

    Sync as often as you like; the player keeps training on the device. To train someone else, just SEND a different player. The trainer remembers everyone's progress.

For parents: the weekly plan

While the trainer shows Linked!, scan the small QR code on its screen with your phone (or open http://soccer-trainer.local). You'll see your child's progress and step history, and you can set the drills for each day of the week.

Speed Shot: how hard can you kick?

Speed Shot measures real kicks into a net rebounder. The trainer hears the boot hit the ball and feels the frame jolt when the ball lands in the net, then shows the speed.

  1. Mount it on a side leg of the rebounder frame with a bike phone mount or a strap, low down, away from the net, screen facing the kicker. Pull it tight: it must not rattle. Never put it anywhere the ball can hit it.
  2. Measure the distance from where the ball sits to the net with a tape measure, put a cone there, and set it in PLAY → Speed Shot → SETUP (or MORE → SPEED SHOT SETUP). Kick from the cone every time.
  3. Tune it in TEST MODE. Kick a few balls. KICK should light up for every kick and HIT for every ball in the net, and nothing else. If one doesn't light, press + next to it; if it lights when nobody kicked (talking, wind in the net), press −. The yellow line on each bar is how strong a sound or jolt has to be.

The net stretches a little before the frame moves, so readings run a few percent low. That's the same every kick, so it's perfect for beating your own best. If you want closer numbers, raise Correction a step or two.

If something isn't working

The installer can't find the CoreS3

Use a different USB-C cable (most problems are charge-only cables), plug straight into the computer rather than a hub, and use Chrome or Edge. Then hold the side reset button for 3 seconds until the green light flashes and click INSTALL again.

The trainer never says "Linked!"

Check the Wi-Fi password and that you picked a 2.4 GHz network (names ending in "5G" are usually 5 GHz only). Move closer to the router. On the trainer, use MORE → WI-FI SETUP to enter it again, or FORGET WI-FI to start over.

The game says "Not found", or SEND opens a page that won't load

Make sure the trainer is still on the LINK screen showing Linked!. It turns Wi-Fi off when you leave that screen, and after 10 minutes with nothing happening. Also check that the computer is on the same Wi-Fi. If it still can't connect, look at the Link screen: under soccer-trainer.local it shows a number like 192.168.1.57. Type that number into the Trainer address box in the game's Trainer screen and try again.

Two trainers in the same house

Both call themselves soccer-trainer.local, so use each trainer's number (shown on its Link screen) in the game's Trainer address box.

Updating the trainer later

Open the installer again and click INSTALL. This time don't tick Erase; that keeps the player, training history and Wi-Fi settings.

The installer page won't work at all

Use Espressif's official tool instead. Download soccer-trainer-cores3-full.bin, open espressif.github.io/esptool-js in Chrome, click Connect, set Flash Address to 0x0, choose the file and click Program. This wipes the trainer, so only use it for a first install.

The screen is blank or it keeps restarting

Hold the power button for 6 seconds to turn it off, then press it once to turn it on. If that doesn't help, reinstall with Erase ticked. Still stuck? Tell the person who sent you this guide.