Using video analysis is an important tool for showing your athletes exactly what they are doing so they can make adjustments.
It’s also great for positive reinforcement when they do something the right way.
You can explain drills and skills to them and demonstrate something yourself (as a coach) the correct way.
But when you can show them clips of themselves, they can get a deeper understanding, and I think they can make improvements to their skills quicker.
A deeper understanding of how to improve skills
Some coaches film games for review at team practice, which is great for seeing how the players interact and perform together in different situations.
Each player can also look at game film to review their own performance and get a better idea of how they can improve within the team concept.
Or if they are in solo sports like tennis, how they act and react in game situations.
But just as important is to show athletes recordings of themselves while practicing (doing drills).
It helps them internalize the correct movements and the feelings of success when they are making progress.
That’s why I like to film each player in game-like situations as well as while they are doing drills in practice sessions.
Just make sure you get clips of them doing the skills the correct way in addition to some clips of them where they need improvement.
The magic of combining sports training and video analysis to help teach athletes
Something magical happens when athletes can see themselves doing things correctly as soon as it happens.
They are still feeling good from your positive feedback, and when you show them a video clip of themselves doing it, it has a much stronger impact than if you just told them “good job”.
The combination of them doing the skills correctly, hearing you compliment them, and then actually seeing themselves do it is very powerful.
The combination of them doing the skills correctly, hearing you compliment them, and then actually seeing themselves do it is very powerful
You can use your video camera or phone to record clips of your athlete to show them, but it’s a good idea to use their phone to record some clips too.
That way, they can review the clips whenever they want.
It helps them to mentally reinforce all the correct movements and skills by watching the clips repeatedly…which they will do if they have the clips on their phone.
A brief history of video analysis in sports
The use of video analysis wasn’t extensive until the 1990’s. And even then it was used mostly by professional and college teams.
More recently, Kobe Bryant talked about his use of video to help him get a competitive advantage.
He not only used video to analyze his own game, but he got videos of some of the all time great NBA players so he could analyze their signature moves and habits.
Going back further, there were certain players who started using video to help their own performance back in the 1970’s and 1980’s.
One of the most famous was MLB Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn.
He asked his wife to use their VCR to record all of his at-bats during his games.
This allowed him to analyze his stance, movements, and swing in the batter’s box, as well as how the pitchers would pitch to him.
He claims that this use of video helped him the most in his career. (He is regarded as one of the best hitters of all time).
(Here’s a great video of MLB Hall-Of-Famer Tony Gwynn explaining the importance of using video and how it helped him)
“With video, it’s a lot easier to remember.”
– Tony Gwynn, Hall-of-Fame baseball player
What to record and show your players
For your sport, you’ll have to decide what angles you want to record that’ll help your athlete.
As an example, when I am teaching free throw shooting, I’ll set up the camera in these angles:
- Directly in front – helps me see alignment of the shooter’s body, how they keep their head straight, their follow through, etc.
- Side view – shows their up and down motion (which should be mostly leg power), the angle of their follow through, etc.
- Back view – shows similar things as the front view but at another angle
All these together give me a better understanding of what the player is doing correctly and what they need work on.
I not only like to show them normal speed, but also slow-motion so they can get a better look.
An example of what to record for video analysis
Here’s an example I recorded a few years ago to show players what to look for with great free throw shooting.
NOTE: I didn’t have a top notch HD camera or fancy editing equipment, and you don’t need those either. Just as long as you can get some basic angles and good samples for your athletes to see, you can help them. Most phones today have everything you need for taking great video.
If you are experienced with editing, you can take photo snapshots from the videos and use simple graphics to show athletes how they look in terms of their mechanics. (The pics below are samples I did of this).
If you coach baseball pitchers, you might want to use the same angles:
- Front, from behind the backstop – to show front facing delivery mechanics
- Side view – to show shoulder/arm mechanics, to see the side view of release point, and how they plant the foot on the step-off for the delivery
- Back view – to get another angle for a more complete analysis
These same angles will probably also apply to football quarterbacks, volleyball servers, tennis players, etc.
You only need 3 things…
As for equipment, all you need for video analysis is (1) a phone or a basic video camera.
And (2) a decent tripod that will hold the camera or phone in position while you conduct your sessions.
Again, the most important thing to remember is to find out (3) what your specific players need help with and then decide which angles will capture their movements the best for you to show them what they are doing correctly and what they need more work on.
* * * UPDATE: There is an app that is perfect for incorporating video analysis into your training.
It’s called CoachNow (CoachNow.io).
With CoachNow, you can create a “Space” for each of your players. Think of each athlete Space as a private training area for you and the athlete to be able to interact with each other.
This allows for an enhanced training experience for both of you.
One of the great functions of CoachNow is that it not only lets you record video clips, it has editing functions that allow you to draw lines, create slow-mo clips, and do voiceovers for audio breakdowns of the athlete’s technique in those clips.
This can help you in several ways…
- Recording clips at training sessions so each athlete can see themselves performing. This provides an immediate impact with positive reinforcement.
- Each player can post clips they take with their phone to their Space so you can analyze their technique and provide feedback when you aren’t in your weekly face-to-face sessions.
- Each Space is an ongoing record so your athletes can review feedback (which reinforces lessons). This archive also allows for both of you to track improvement.
Also, the ability to give feedback during the week when you aren’t face-to-face is perfect for elevating your training to something far above just doing on-site drills. This remote coaching aspect is an extra benefit for the athlete because it’ll be like having a coach in their pocket (and you can raise your training fee rates for this access).
There is a monthly fee (or a discounted annual fee if paid in full) for CoachNow, but that investment is more than paid for with the training fee you charge with only one student.
I really think this a must have for every training coach.
Go to CoachNow.io to find out more about this great training tool.
NOTE: I receive an affiliate commission from CoachNow when you use the app after clicking through these links. I have personally reviewed and tested many of the other private coaching apps, but CoachNow is the best I’ve found, which is why it’s the only app for private and remote coaching that I recommend.
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Links to check out:
Kobe Bryant has a video analysis show called “Detail” (available on ESPN+) where he breaks down NBA players’ skills. Definitely worth checking out. Here’s one where he breaks down Scottie Pippen’s defense.
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