Last week, we discussed the 3 key benefits of video analysis. If you haven't read it yet, be sure to check it out at this link before you read this post.
To recap: way too often I see coaches going down the dreaded video analysis rabbit hole, completely losing sight of its potential and creating unnecessary work for themselves that goes unused or unappreciated.
When it comes to video analysis, coaches are often "missing the forest for the trees". Between this and last week's post, we're gonna make sure you aren't one of them.
Here are the top 3 mistakes I see coaches make when implementing video analysis into their coaching:
I constantly see people go overboard with the video overlay features in the CoachNow app.
Coaches will cover a video with insanely complicated technical notes and obsess with line drawing, angles, boxes, overlays, and comparisons.
My advice here is simple: it doesn't help your athletes if you break down technique in an overly complicated way.
At most, I recommend giving 1-2 pieces of technical advice per video. As I mentioned above, progress happens when many small changes aggregate over time.
Don't make the mistake of trying to fix every issue in one post – keeping it simple will ensure that your feedback stays actionable and that the information is retained.
As an added bonus, simplifying your feedback will save you time and make your life easier too. Getting bogged down in the rabbit hole of video analysis doesn't serve either party, so avoid it at all costs!
Allowing your athletes to take ownership of their development is a big deal. Your athletes shouldn't expect you to comment on every video with detailed analysis.
Instead, give them cues on how to be effective with analysis themselves. I always encourage coaches to teach their athletes how to break down technique. Don't just break it down for them.
Doing so leads to a deeper understanding of their own progress, and gives them a sense of empowerment. You won't always be there to give specific feedback, so it's important to give them the tools they need to improve on their own.
In CoachNow, you have the ability to compare your athlete to a model in your particular sport.
When importing models, be sure to choose a model with a similar body type and movement patterns you feel your athlete can achieve. Helping an athlete see where they're headed is key but it can also be discouraging if the model is too advanced or has a different body type.
One quick tip - be sure to use the "slow motion" feature in the app. When doing so, try adding voice-over feedback over the slow motion video. This is really helpful for your shared understanding of the athletes form, and can be easily used as a model to reference when you are taking videos at a normal speed.
If you follow the guidelines in our last blog, and avoid the mistakes here, you will be well on your way to effectively using the video tools in CoachNow to improve your athlete's results.
Video analysis is a key component of ConnectedCoaching. As with all things, it will take a bit of adjustment to get it right and the specifics will depend on what/ who you coach. But I hope this advice will help you save time and improve your results.
Here's to using video effectively!
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