Smith College's squash team are Pioneers in more than name. They also are pioneers in technology.

When their coach Tim Bacon, was laid up with hip-replacement surgery, he had the team set up a laptop with a Webcam at court-side. He tracked the team's play via Skype, giving them notes in chat as well as on Audio and Video calls.

Team members stopped by the webcam to check with the coach on his recovery.

A decade ago, Bacon pioneered techniques of mental training for athletes using phone and e-mail.

He said Skype takes this idea to the next level, noting that "most kids do Skype" already and the technology is easy to learn and use.

Bacon said squash, unlike tennis, is not a "rich sport." But using Skype on a laptop at courtside would enable squash players to "bring along" their coaches. He noted that the Skype calls are free, whereas a traveling coach would set a player back $5,000 per event.

Bacon said this approach would work with all the racquet sports, bowling and "anything with a bench," including hockey, basketball and soccer.

He said he could even supervise his athlete's strength training and mental training when they're home for Thanksgiving.

"The uses are endless," he said.

Bacon shares his thoughts on remote coaching in this Video: