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AFM Magazine

AFM Magazine


Use Video Technology to Enhance On-Field Performance

DartTrainer’s on-field video analysis software enables coaches to record and analyze practice moves immediately to reinforce fundamentals and correct mistakes.
by: Rod Smith
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Once a high school wide receiver myself, I remember the way our football coach would stress the importance of two things – execution and fundamentals. During the season, both play crucial roles in any team’s on-field performance. The off-season, however, is the best time to develop them.

Free from the day-to-day headaches of game planning, the off-season affords you a chance to work one-on-one with athletes to isolate fundamental flaws or glitches in technique. Of course, the better fundamentals your players have, the better your team’s execution will be. So my old high school coach was definitely hitting the right chords. Imagine what he could have done if only he’d had the technology at his fingertips that’s available today.

With just a digital video camera, a laptop computer and the right educational software, coaches can help athletes improve their techniques and fundamental skills. Recent video analysis technology allows you to compare your quarterbacks’ throwing motions; analyze and correct a kicker’s technique; isolate a flaw in a safety’s back pedal; or immediately analyze, instruct and correct any other practice field fundamental.

On the Field

No matter what position we’re talking about – quarterbacks, running backs, linemen, linebackers, defensive backs – all athletes can benefit from the feedback that comes with fundamental video analysis.

After all, opportunities to improve are inevitably lost when a player has to wait until after practice or the next practice to apply the appropriate technique adjustments. That’s why having the video analysis on the practice field becomes so important.

One team garnering the benefits of video analysis software this off-season is Mike Leach’s Texas Tech Red Raiders.

As a special teams intern, Louie Matsakis became the individual responsible for integrating a version of educational training software from Dartfish USA aptly named DartTrainer into the Red Raiders’ practice arsenal. Matsakis, who received and was trained on the software only a few days prior to Tech’s spring football, believes DartTrainer will provide immense benefits. However, because of the short preparation time, he says his immediate applications will only scratch the surface of the program’s on-field capabilities.

Initially, Matsakis plans to use DartTrainer to improve fundamentals of Red Raider punters and kickers. For example, he says the instant, recorded analysis will help Tech coaches to illustrate and pinpoint key kicking fundamentals such as plant-foot placement and direction, step or approach mechanics, ball contact, follow through, and hip and shoulder placement, as well as other fundamentals. According to Matsakis, recording the kicking movements allows for more thorough and complete analysis in a shorter period of time. With the ability to capture and analyze the video footage frame-by-frame, coaches can watch and correct more than one fundamental simultaneously. When practiced with moderation, this technique will not overload athletes with information but instead invoke quicker skill development.

“If you truly want to compete and be one of the top 25 teams in the nation ... be an elite program, I think you need to do (video analysis) like this to get down to the fundamentals,” Matsakis says. “DartTrainer makes the teaching of fundamentals so much quicker. You don’t have to wait a day to tell the kids something. Instead, you just email them the video clip with coaching points.”

Of course, that is after you show and instruct them on the practice field. But Matsakis is right. With e-mail capabilities, you no longer have to worry about your instruction being left behind when the players leave the field. Whether working with kickers, punters or quarterbacks – as Matsakis says Tech will focus next - you can easily supplement and reinforce the immediate, on-field instruction. For example, enhance e-mail images by drawing in proper technique lines or simply add additional coaching points or words of praise, if applicable.

In addition to individual fundamentals, Matsakis thinks entire units such as the kickoff coverage team may also benefit from video analysis.

“We took two individuals and isolated those two out of the entire eleven on kickoff coverage: one person who did the job correctly (and) did what he was supposed to do, and another guy who did the job well because he got it done but wasn’t perfect technique wise.” In doing so, Tech coaches were able to compare individual performances, correct overall kickoff coverage, as well as isolate and correct individual mistakes.

Perhaps the primary benefit Matsakis sees from using video analysis tools on the practice field is the athletes’ immediate ability to adapt and correct their technique – especially younger athletes. “I think this would help high school athletes tremendously,” Matsakis says, “because that’s where technique and fundamentals, generally speaking, are bad, and that’s where athletes are just learning to play the game of football.”

ANALYZE YOUR PURCHASE

One high school coach agrees with Matsakis’ statement. After using DartTrainer in the weight room this winter, C.J. Stockel, strength and conditioning coordinator at Woodward Academy in College Park, Ga., believes video analysis will be a useful on-field training aid for his kickers and punters.

With this product, your imagination is your limitation,” Stockel says. “Almost everyday I think of something else I can use it for. The more I use it, the more I realize the capabilities it has.”

Capabilities aside, though, as with other technology products, it is essential that you do your homework:

• Make sure you have the appropriate hardware - memory, operating system, etc. – to run the video analysis software you purchase.

• Double-check your video camera and computer configurations for compatibility before purchase, not after.

• Be prepared to invest in the equipment – whether an inexpensive tripod or some extra hard-drive storage – that will be necessary to get the most out of your investment.

Investing in video analysis software can enhance fundamental skills of the practice field. If selling your administration on its value proves difficult, you should point out the versatility of the product. Adapting it to other sports, as well as using it in the weight room with all athletes, makes it an extremely versatile investment that should boost on-field game performance of your athletes – something fundamentally valuable to any administrator.


To learn more about video analysis technology contact Dartfish at 888-655-3850 or visit www.dartfish.com





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