SCOTT Watters has been St Kilda coach for less than two months, but some of the changes he has brought are evident just by watching training.

One such initiative involves the players linking arms and standing in a circle for a couple of minutes before and after each session.

It is something Watters encouraged his men to do when he coached Subiaco to two WAFL premierships.

"It's just a pre and post-training ritual that we've brought in this year," Watters said while his players (minus Nick Riewoldt, who is on holiday in Texas with his American girlfriend) were standing in a circle at St Kilda beach on Tuesday morning.

"In a lot of team sports it is about trust. There's a lot of symbolism in the circle, and they get the opportunity to look each other in the eye and set their goals for training.

"Then immediately post-training they get the chance to reflect on what they've just done.

"So it is about maximising every minute. We want a minute-by-minute culture at our footy club, where we're taking every opportunity, and that gives them a chance to set goals and reset goals.

"They're connected, and they've got to stay connected as a group."

Having taken over from Ross Lyon in mid-October, Watters' biggest challenge is teaching the players a new game-plan.

The former Collingwood assistant wants the team to be stingy when it comes to conceding goals, as it was under Lyon, but he's also trying to make it more potent in attack.

"From my perspective the players have been really engaged in everything we've thrown at them," Watters said.

"They're seeing real opportunity within the game-plan changes that we're throwing at them, and I guess the best measurement for us is how keenly they're attacking training, and there is a real positiveness about the group.

"You'd expect some of that with a change of coach, but what I'm liking is the way they're attacking some of our game-plan changes.

"They're upbeat, really energetic and enthusiastic, and probably have a good understanding that we really do need to make some changes."

Watters has been particularly pleased with the way more experienced players have adopted his philosophies.

"Who am I impressed with? I mentioned Stephen Milne last week, from his communication point of view," he said.

"Lenny Hayes. You can't not be an admirer of the way he goes about it. Justin Koschitzke has been outstanding with what he's done out on the track so far.

"Brett Peake's training really well. There are a lot of them that are stepping up.

"It shouldn't be up to one or two. I've mentioned four; I could probably mention a dozen."

Star midfielder Nick Dal Santo remains on a restricted training program after breaking his hand last month.

"He's going well," Watters said. "It's never really been a major concern. It's given us time to get some running into him. He's as fit as he's ever been in a pre-season.

"It was a minor hiccup with the hand. He's not really the sort of player that needs a lot of ball-work to get himself in good touch, so he's fit and ready from an endurance and power perspective.

"He's very close to being 100 per cent right."