CAP II CLIPBOARD
Using video and still
photography as coaching tools Images provide young athletes with accurate feedback
by Tam Thanh Huang (North Potomac, Md., Maryland Volleyball Program)
ideotaping in sports is an important coaching tool. It can be used as a checkpoint for coaches to assess the team’s strengths and weaknesses to determine where the improvements are needed, and as a feedback and correction method for athletes to progress and improve their technical and tactical skills. Videotaping is useful during both matches and practices. By vid- eotaping matches, coaches will not have to rely on fi rst impression of the game and short-term memory which can be faulty and subjective. Coaches can view the videos repeatedly in real-time, in slow motion, or using freeze frames to make their assessment of the team’s perfor- mance, individual problems and tactical problems. Video can also be used to scout the opponents and fi nd out their strengths and weak- nesses.
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Coaches can help their athletes to progress and improve their technical and tactical skills by providing accurate and relevant feedback. Video images are the most convincing method to communicate the facts of the game. To help their athletes reach their goals and set new ones, coaches need to set objective goals, measure their performance against the goals set and show what changes would be needed. Using video clips for this purpose can help get the message across more suc- cinctly. Videotapes of practices help coaches assess the effectiveness of drills, allowing the coaches to adjust or change drills as needed.
As an assistant coach on our U17 boys’ volleyball team, one of my main duties is to videotape the team with the purpose of helping the team improve throughout the season. Our team has been using video- tapes for several seasons, and here are the things we do that we have found helpful.
During our practices, we run a video camera in a close up view of the activity, and a second video camera with a general view of the practice court. The fi rst camera is a point-and-shoot Canon PowerShot Elph 510HS with videotaping capability, and specifi cally a slow-mo- tion video function. The slow-motion video function records at a higher frame rate (120fps or 240fps) and replays at normal frame rate (around 30fps). The resulting playback video is ¼ or 1/8 times slower than real time. We use the slow-motion video focused directly on the skill set being worked on. For example, in order to focus on the connection between hitters and setter during quick sets, the camera is set from the end line. For blocking drills, I prefer to stand on the referee stand and videotape along the top of the net to capture whether the blockers penetrate, or I may stand across the net to capture multiple blockers closing the gap and hands pressing toward the center of the court. We choose the second video camera to be a GoPro for its wide angle viewing and its sturdiness. This camera has a 270 degree angle view- ing. It is a low maintenance type of camera with no movable lens, no zooming capability, and a durable case to protect it from hits. We can
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set this video camera on a tripod behind the end line and leave it. The resulting video is useful to review the fl ow and pace of the practice, effectiveness of drills, or movement and positioning on the court dur- ing scrimmages. The GoPro’s wide angle lens results in a fi sh-eye effect of the video. Because of this, we prefer to use our Sony HD video camera during tournaments. The Sony has a decent wide angle, about 76.5 degrees (27.4 mm lens), so that we can capture as much court as possible. The quality of the video from the Sony is high defi nition (1080P), in case our players would like to use the video for volleyball recruiting at the end of their junior year.
Our preference of the taping angle during tournament is directly behind the team whenever possible. If not, we will try to tape from the corner without the line judge, also on the same side as our team. We found that by taping on the same side as the team, we can more easily look for gaps between the blockers, or whether the back row players hide in the shadow of the blockers, or whether we have hitters’ cover- age.
After the tournaments, we typically upload the video up on YouTube for players’ ac- cess. We use an unlisted link for security measure against unauthorized access to the
video. We typically assign homework to the players by asking them to view the video and take their statistics. For hitters, we ask them to chart their hitting shots on a court drawing and mark the success of the hits (kill, error, in play) so they can see their hitting tendencies and success rate. This usually helps them realize they need to practice more line shots or cross court shots or increase their repertoire of shots. For setters, we ask them to take statistics on the different types of sets they make, so they can see their setting distribution. We feel that having an assignment when viewing the videos help players learn to watch with a purpose and a critical eye.
Having a good video viewing tool as well as a good video editing tool is helpful. We use free video software called Avidemux that we download free from the web. This tool allows us to review the video frame by frame, as well as saving a single frame as a JPEG picture. Several times, we have printed out video frames showing blocking defi ciency or incorrect coverage position to point out to the players what needs to be worked on. Avidemux allows us to trim the video, cut out the dead time, copy and paste parts of the video. We have spent time to create hitting vid- eos for individual players so that they can get feedback on their forms and timing. We have found that using video has been very helpful to the coaches and players. There have been times when we have used videos from previous tournaments to scout opponents in upcoming matches. As the team plays at a higher level, we see the usage of our video move from a technical perspective to a more strategic and tactical perspective.
PHOTO: USA VOLLEYBALL
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