Rald Ricafort explained how his tablet helps him maintain objectivity during PVL games, relying on numbers rather than emotions to guide PLDT’s in-game adjustments.
It has become quite a familiar sight for PVL fans.
PLDT head coach Rald Ricafort on the sidelines, eyes fixed not just on the action on the taraflex, but also on the tablet he always carries in his hand.
But the device is more than a gadget for the multi-titled tactician—it’s a tool that keeps his coaching grounded in objectivity.
Ricafort’s habit traces back to his early days in coaching, when his main role was to handle statistics.
“Siguro nakasanayan ko lang siya since nag-start ako with coaching,” he explained to One Sports.
“By the numbers lang ako nagba-base. ‘Yung mga scoring runs, kung sino ‘yung mainit—lahat objective lang.”
Rald Ricafort uses his tablet during PLDT's match in the 2025 PVL Invitational. | Photo: RM Chua/One Sports
That reliance on numbers has carried over to his tenure with the High Speed Hitters, which came after his successful run with the Petro Gazz Angels where they won the 2022 Reinforced Conference.
Unlike others who might lean heavily on gut feel or raw emotion, Ricafort takes pride in making decisions rooted in data, ensuring that his instructions are clear and purposeful.
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The PLDT mentor believes that the tablet helps strip away distractions, especially when the pressure mounts during games.
“Lalo kapag medyo hindi maganda ‘yung mga nangyayari, eto ‘yung walang emotions,” he shared. “Kung ano lang talaga ‘yung nakikita mo dito, dun mo lang talaga siya iba-base para din ‘yung tulong mo sa players, objective din.”
This approach not only helps him make calculated adjustments in real time, but also ensures that the players get feedback that’s constructive and not clouded by frustration or panic.
To the fans, Ricafort’s tablet has almost become a part of his persona. But beyond the optics, it has become a philosophy that has carried PLDT to its best run yet, capped by the High Speed Hitters' breakthrough PVL on Tour championship and now a near-perfect run in the Invitational.
As the saying goes, “Numbers don’t lie.” And in a league where emotions often run high, Ricafort’s tablet offers something priceless: clarity.
PLDT will now go for a historic back-to-back PVL titles when the High Speed hitters face Japan’s Kobe Shinwa in the Invitational Final on Sunday, August 31, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
(With reports from Jamie Velasco/One Sports)