Sharing Sports Video Analysis

On the Video Analysis of Sports site we often show you some analysis that we have done using a particular software. We have used software from Dartfish, Innovision Systems Inc. - MaxTRAQ and our favorite open source application Kinovea.

Recently we were introduced to David Keefe. David let us in on his new project called UpMyGame. You may have noticed UpMyGame as a new menu item on this website. We do not endorse one video analysis software product over another. If you read our posts regularly you will know that we believe the most important aspect of video analysis for sports is camera positioning and quality of the video footage captured. Features of a video analysis software such as drawing lines, calculating angles, scaling and measuring distance and synchronizing two videos are great to have and can be found in many applications.Therefore we like video analysis software that is easy to use, easy to share and of course as inexpensive as possible.

So why do we have a link to UpMyGame on our website? Easy to use, easy to share and free for a start, but what we really liked about UpMyGame is that it is hosted online and your videos can be analyzed, commented on and shared online by you, your coach or players or anyone you allow to view it.

The software allows you to create coaching session for players or teams and can be hosted or embedded directly into your own website. This embedding feature is one of our favorites as it allows us to do some analysis and very simply share it with you on this website.

Below is an embedded coaching session using UpMyGame. You may have seen part of this analysis before at Improving Your Basketball Free Throw with Video



The UpMyGame software allows us to measure angles, draw lines, highlight areas of interest and make comments. The audio comment tool seems particularly useful for coaches to share their views and explain their analysis in more detail.

For the athlete who is trying to get more information there is also the option to ask for coaching. UpMyGame has a simple button to "Request Coaching" which allows you to ask a coach or UpMyGame member to have a look at your video and do some analysis. The coach has the opportunity here to charge for any coaching requested or if he feels generous he may just offer to help for free.

If you are looking for some video analysis software to analyze your sports performance or that of your athletes then we suggest that you have a look at UpMyGame. The free sign up price is hard to beat and if you ask for coaching from us "Sadaka" we may make you famous as we can write about and embed (with your permission) your coaching analysis directly in one of our future posts.

Using Video Analysis for Strategy

Video analysis can be used to evaluate sports performance and technique. We discuss many of the biomechanics aspects and tools used to do performance assessments right here on this website. Video analysis however can also be used to provide detailed game strategy and analysis of on field play.

We see these game strategy statistics all the time when we watch almost any sport on TV. How many shots did Kobe Bryant take and make. What percentage of first serves did Roger Federer get in and how many resulted in winning points. These statistics are fun for the viewer, but they are essential to the coach and player in refining their strategy.

Let's take an example from basketball, as we are currently watching the NBA playoffs. Any team coming up against the Orlando Magic this year will need to find a way to get past Dwight Howard, who was once again named defensive player of the year. The teams employ a coach or video analysts to watch every play that Howard makes. Every time he blocks a shot or an opponent manages to beat him and score. Using this information they can determine how best to play against him.

Below is video of some of Howard's best blocks of last season. Notice how often Dwight is alone and far away from an opposition player as he gets into position for the block. This may seem necessary in order to make the block, or as the Orlando Magic play a zone defense he may not have a specific man defensive assignment. Coaches or video analysts though would look at this video and may be able to create plays that take advantage of his position on the floor.

Of course a team also needs to play to its strength and similar video analysis of the coaches own team can be used to determine how they may take advantage of any opposition mistakes, close any gaps or change any patterns that may be obvious and strategies the best approach to take on an upcoming game or player.

To do Video Analysis of this sort properly you need to have some basic equipment.

• You will definitely need a video camera and to set that camera up so that you can see the whole game. This can be difficult in sports with large fields such as soccer or rugby.
• For larger fields you can use 2 video cameras, with each one focused on, one half of the field.
• A great advantage in well televised sports is that much of the video footage already exists. A recorded video of an NBA game will allow you to track most of the players on the court for most of the game.
• Some video analysis software is also recommended. This software can be the same as the software that you use for performance and technique analysis, but the software must allow you to tag events. Tagging events such as the first serve will allow you to go back and look at all the first serves in one place. This will enable some statistical analysis of the results of the serve and if you have software that allows it you can also analyze each serve for technique and performance.

The website http://www.thevideoanalyst.com/ has some great information on video analysis of this type and everything that you may need.

When working with a team or player combining this type of video analysis with biomechanics and technique analysis will provide excellent resources for performance improvements wherever they are needed.

Analyzing the Details of the NFL Combine

Every year the NFL scouting combine is attended by all 32 NFL teams, scouts, coaches, trainers and owners. They watch prospective players run 40 yard sprints, bench press, vertical jump, broad jump, 3 cone drill and shuttle run. They are there to get an in depth analysis of the college and invited players who they plan on drafting.

Now that the 2010 NFL draft is completed, with quarterback Sam Bradford going first and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh going second, how much does the scouting combine affect the results of the draft?

As many of the college football players entering the draft have been in the spotlight for a couple of years at least, most scouts and coaches know what to expect from each player. If the scouts impression of a safety is that he is fast on the field when covering a wide receiver, he is unlikely to change his mind when the player runs only 4.45 in the combines 40 yard dash (a great time would be under 4.4).

Sticking with the 40 yard dash, each football position has a different requirement. A running back, wide receiver or safety may be required to run 40 or even 60 or 80 yards as quickly as possible. The speed at which they cover the ground is what makes them great.

The defensive and offensive linemen on the other hand are expected to have excellent reaction time and acceleration over 5 or maybe 10 yards. They need to hunt down quarterbacks or hold back defensive tackles. Their 40 yard time is almost irrelevant, but their reaction time and acceleration will be critical to their performance on the field.

The trainers watching the combine know what to look for and are using video replay to analyze the athletes' performances in much more detail.

A recent episode of Sports Science did a great job of getting into the analysis of the results of the NFL scouting combine. Below is some video of Ndamukong Suh and some detailed analysis of his 40 yard dash and his tackle force. As a defensive tackle Suh's job is to react quickly, accelerate over a short distance and hit hard. This Sports Science segment does a great job analyzing these specific details.



What is interesting in the video is Suh's reaction time recorded by the Sports Science episode at 0.26 seconds. In an analysis of Usain Bolt, the 100 and 200 meter sprint world record holder, Bolt's reaction time for his world record 100 m was recorded as 0.145 seconds. Of course Bolt is a lean sprinter, using blocks and spikes and Suh is not, so this is not a fair comparison.

However the standardized tests and gathering of all potential recruits on the same day at the same time at the combine, allows trainers and coaches to compare all defensive tackles with the type of detailed analysis seen in the video. Suh's reaction time in comparison to other defensive tackles is what will be relevant, although his 300+ pound frame and tackling power will also be important.

The scouts expect the players they are scouting to perform to spec and very few players can change their draft position with any significance based on excellent performance at the combine. The detailed analysis that we do not see may however determine which team takes which player and how their NFL contracts are negotiated.

Running in Minimal Shoes

A large following and interest in barefoot running has been developed lately, encouraged by Christopher McDougall's book "Born to Run" which describes the Tarahumara or Rarámuri, an indigenous peoples from Northern Mexico, who have been known to run long distances in thin soled sandals. We recently assisted a runner with some video analysis as he trains to run a marathon wearing the Vibram FiveFingers minimal shoe.

Last year we discussed using video analysis to analyze rear foot pronation and attempted to see whether there was a difference in rear foot pronation between running in shoes and running barefoot. We described how a camera should be setup and the measurements that could be done. However, as we studied a runner who does not suffer from pronation we were only able to see a normal amount of pronation in the foot stance phase of his running.

Our runnerwanted to determine how much he was pronating when running in his FiveFingers minimal shoes. He also reported getting blisters under the pads of his feet and on his right big toe.

He used all the techniques for filming his motion that we have discussed on this website in the past and sent the videos on to us. He set up to run on a treadmill at a constant speed of 8.3 miles per hour and ran 12 miles in total capturing video at intervals along the way. Set his camera on a tripod at the level of the treadmill to capture the video and his foot placement. He captured video both from the side view and the rear view so that we could assist him in analyzing his foot strike. Take a look at the video below.



From the video we have taken a few snapshots to help us analyze his foot strike characteristics.



In the images above we can see a side view of the left and right foot strike. We can see that:

• Both the left and right foot is inverted at foot strike. This means the feet are turned in and the athlete lands on the outside of his foot.
• The main muscle used to invert the foot is the Tibialis Anterior (the muscle on the outside of the shin bone). These muscles are also used to dorsi-flex the foot (lift the foot up). This can be seen in the video as the foot and toes are flexed back just before foot strike.
• Striking with an inverted foot can create a slapping of the foot onto the ground rather than a controlled foot placement.
• Striking with an inverted foot can also exaggerate any rear foot pronation.
• The foot strike is occurring toward the midfoot and not the heel. This is to be expected when running in minimal shoes. The runner in minimal shoes is trying to avoid heel impact and is taking greater care to control his foot strike.

Now we can look at his rear foot pronation. In this instance an estimate was made for rear foot pronation using a 4 point angle. Rearfoot pronation is measured as the amount of eversion (rotation inward) of the foot from heel strike through mid stance. The angle is measured by drawing a line along the center of the Tibia bone in the lower leg and another line describing the center line of the Calcaneus (heel bone).




As our runner was concerned that he was pronating more in his right foot, we have looked only at his right foot here:

• The pronation angles displayed in the images above are estimates. As there are no markers identifying the necessary landmarks of the midline of the Tibia and the midline of the Calcaneus.
• The athlete lands with an inverted foot position. The rear foot pronation angle of 171 degrees shows this. An angle of 180 degrees would be neutral while anything over 180 degrees is everted (pronated).
• At mid stance the athlete has 13 degrees of pronation (193-180). The foot is expected to evert (pronate) by approximately 10 degrees through mid stance for normal pronation. Therefore this would be considered excessive pronation.
• The eversion of the foot from foot strike to midstance is also rapid and large, pronating 22 degrees.

As can be seen from the video and the images our runner pronates while running at 8.3 miles per hour.

Our runner has been training in his Vibram FiveFingers shoes for less than 2 months. Prior to running in these minimal shoes he ran in a shoe offering maximum pronation support. It may therefore be too early to tell whether the minimal shoes are improving his pronation by encouraging him to control his foot placement.

Our runner has also been suffering from blisters, since wearing these shoes. Unfortunately a minimal shoe such as this will likely cause the foot to blister more readily. The shoes are worn without socks (as each toe is separated in the shoe)causing more friction between the shoe and the foot. Being that there is not much cushioning between the shoe and the road surface, any scraping on the hard road or treadmill surface will also cause friction and possible blisters.

It is possible that our runner is in fact suffering from the effects of his blisters and is running as seen in the video because of the blisters on his foot. The exaggerated inverted foot at foot strike may be a way of attempting to protect his foot from injury and further blisters.

We still believe that barefoot running or running in minimal shoes will help to improve a runners mechanics. Barefoot Ken Bob Saxton says, “Don’t strike the ground. If you do it’ll strike back!” The idea of running barefoot or running in a minimal shoe is to feel your feet and understand how much they can take and to learn how to control your running so that you can continue running faster and with less injury.

If you want to try running in minimal shoes, allow yourself sufficient time to get accustomed to running in them before trying to do to long a distance at too high a speed.

Also pull out your video camera and film yourself. This will help you to visualize what you are doing and possibly help you to achieve success in a minimal shoe. We are always ready to offer our services to help you analyze your motion.

What it takes to compete in Freestyle Aerials

In our previous posting, we discussed the technique used by Freestyle Aerialist Anton Kushnir. In such a challenging and potentially dangerous event, it takes a variety of skills for an athlete to be successful.

One of Team USA's hopefuls this year is Olympic veteran Emily Cook. Growing up, Emily participated in gymnastics and skiing events; when she learned about the Freestyle Aerial event, she recognized her chance to combine her passion for both sports. There's a nice interview with her at: http://www.teamusa.org/video (search for Emily Cook).

We've also found a really nice compilation of videos that shows Emily's progression over the years. While Emily's gymnastics background undoubtedly helped her succeed in this sport, the video shows it's taken her almost an entire lifetime of hard work and practice to make it to the Olympic level.



We wish Emily and the rest of this year's winter Olympians the best of luck in Vancouver, and look forward to watching all of the events! Go Team USA!

Freestyle Skiing Aerials

Freestyle Skiing Aerials is the springboard diving of the Winter Olympics. Athletes complete huge back flips and twists after taking off from a ramp with takeoff angles ranging from 60 to 70 degrees.

Athletes are judged on their take off, the height attained during their trick, the control, form and body position during the trick, and how they land and ski out.

Some male athletes such as the World Champion, Anton Kushnir from Belarus can attain heights of 50 feet or 5 stories during a trick. In comparison the highest jump height in a half pipe was achieved in 2010 by Peter Olenick at 24 feet 11 inches.

Below we have some video of Anton Kushnir, favored to win the gold medal for Free Style Skiing Aerials in the Vancouver Olympics 2010.



Here Anton is performing a near flawless trick with 3 back flips and 4 twists.

Analyze the video closely and you will see that Anton completes his first twist in his first flip on his way up. He then completes 2 twists in his second flip and the last of his 4 twists in the third flip.

The slow motion video also allows us to analyze and understand how Anton maintains good form and is able to land so smoothly out of the trick.

After each flip notice how he ends with his body in an upright position and how he slows down his twist. He even opens out his arms to help him slow down his twist.
He does this so that he can review his position and height in the air before moving into the next part of his trick.

Being aware of your body and spatial positioning in a big complicated trick like the one performed above is essential. If Anton began to twist off axis or drift laterally (to the side) during the trick, he would find it much more difficult to complete.

By "spotting" his position between each flip he is able to make any small corrections prior to the next flip, or in an extreme case to abort the trick and try to land safely.

We also see in the slow motion replay how Anton uses his arms and head during the second flip with the 2 twists to speed up his twisting motion. In the first and last flip he is only completing one twist and uses his arms minimally. In the second flip, by turning his head in the direction of his twist and bring his arms into his chest he is able to spin faster and complete 2 twists.

Form and landing are also critical components of the Aerial trick. We can see that Anton keeps his legs tightly together and his body straight during his flips and twists, for perfect form.

On landing he brings his arms forward and together in front of him and bends his knees into the land. When landing from 50 feet or more on snow or any hard surface your knees have to bend quite a bit to absorb the impact of landing.

Keeping his arms out in front and his head still and looking forward as he lands, he is also able to ensure he does not fall back on landing and can ski out of the trick.

So what's the biggest aerial trick we may see at the Olympics in 2010. US aerialist Jeret Peterson plans to attempt his "Hurricane", which consists of 3 flips and 5 twists (one more twist than in the video above). We also may see some other big tricks from Anton and other contenders.

Please contact us if you have any questions or are interested in analyzing your performance. Video Analysis is not only for the pros. It is great for any sport in which mechanics, form and technique are important. This covers just about all sports, except Poker :).

Dribbling the Basketball While Running

Basketball as a sport can be made to look so easy. We watch Lebron James dribble the ball down the right side of the court while he surveys the positions of his team mates and the opposition. Suddenly he breaks left toward the basket, switching his dribble to his left hand, one more step and one more bounce then he switches back to the right hand as he elevates for the dunk.

Not once in this sequence does he look at the ball (until it is going through the hoop). As he does each movement, including side steps and head fakes, he keeps the ball bouncing slightly out in front and to the side, positioned ready for the next spectacular play.

Dribbling the ball is an essential part of basketball. A player that can dribble with confidence and control will have more options to attack the basket and get good looks to shoot a jump shot or attack the basket for a lay up or dunk.

We collected some video of a player running and dribbling the ball with his right hand, as well as some close up video of the players hand while he bounces the ball while standing.

We set up the video camera on the side of the court so we could watch the player run through the camera field of view. This allows us to see where he bounces the ball as he runs through. If the player ran toward the camera we would be unable to determine how far in front he pushes the ball.

The close up video of the hand will show a good example of how to bounce the ball in the dribble.

1. A correctly inflated basketball should bounce most of the way back up to your hand if you simply dropped it. You only need to push the ball down with enough force to get it back to your hand. Push too hard and the ball will bounce higher than expected and you may lose control.
2. Bounce the ball off your spread fingers. You do not want to push down with your palm. Allow your fingers to feel for the ball as it bounces up and then spread your fingers and push down on the ball for the next bounce. Push down by bending flexing (bending) your wrist.
3. Keep your head up surveying the court and position of your team mates and the opponents. You should do this whether you are running with the ball or simply standing still.
4. Keep your legs slightly bent and be ready to make your move. You do not want to be caught back on your heals as you are dribbling the ball as this makes it easier for an opponent to steal the ball. Be in a position ready to move.
5. Although we do not show this in the video, you should learn to dribble with both hands and on both sides of your body. This will allow you more options when driving toward the basket or preparing for a pass.

Now take a look at our player in the first part of the video as he runs at 3/4 speed while dribbling the ball. Dribbling while running fast can put your opponent off balance and create room for yourself and your team.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when dribbling and running:

1. Once again, do not look down at the ball. You need to trust that the ball will bounce where you want it. This may be difficult at first but will come with practice. When running and dribbling it is even more important to keep your head up and see the court and be prepared to change direction quickly.
2. Bounce the ball far enough out in front of you so that you do not need to check your run to keep control of the ball. Many a fast break will come to nothing if you need to slow down to get control of the ball.
3. Bounce the ball out a little to the side. If you are dribbling with your right hand keep the ball a little outside and far enough in front of your right leg. If you bounce the ball directly in front of you then you will have more difficulty controlling it as you run. Of course if you are about to cut in toward the basket then you will need to bounce the ball in front of your body, but then you will also be turning your body or switching dribbling hands and will still be keeping ball slight outside your legs.
4. Once again use your fingers to bounce the ball and push it out in front of you. Do not use your palm as you are likely to lose control and probably the ball if you are running fast.

Practice will help you learn any new skill or get better at it. The more you practice the easier you will find the skill as your muscles and body learn what to expect and anticipates the limb movement and muscle action required.

We often say watch video of pros and of yourself and then practice with this in mind. Watching pros allows you to see how it should be done. Watching yourself ensures you know how you compare to these pros. Both are important. If you practiced all day but had no idea what you were doing wrong, you could teach your body to perform the skill incorrectly.

With video technology today there is no reason why you cannot easily assess your own performance. Take a look at previous articles in this website to find more tips on filming yourself or how to do specific skills.

Happy Holidays

Evaluating and Comparing your Broad Jump

The broadjump is a drill used to measure how far an athlete can jump from a standing position. The NFL has potential players perform this exercise during its annual combine, and uses the results as one of the many ways to evaluate the athletes' power. Below we have synchronized two athletes' broadjump trials. We've also slowed down the side-by-side video to help with the comparisons. And beneath the video window, we've included stillshot images of each athlete during key positions of their trials.


1. Loading Phase
During the loading phase, the athletes swing their arms back, in preparation to swing them forward. They will use this forward momentum to help them jump as far as possible. Also, notice their hips, knees, and ankles are all flexed (sometimes referred to as "triple flexion"). By flexing at these joints, the athletes are building up potential energy that will be released during the liftoff phase. From these two images, we see that the second subject has a slightly deeper knee bend than the first subject.




2. Liftoff Phase
During the liftoff phase, the subjects swing their arms forward and upward, and use this momentum to help propel their bodies forward. We see that the first subject extends his arms all the way, while the second subject has his arms flexed at the elbows. The second subject can definitely improve his form by extending his arms fully. Driving your arms forward as far as possible will allow you to use all the energy your arm swing can provide.

Also worth noting, their lower bodies also go through "triple extension" now (hips, knees, ankles), converting the potential energy into kinetic energy. We see that both subjects take off at about the same angle relative to the ground.




3. Maximum Height
In the pictures below, we see the key positions showing the subjects' centers of mass (COM) at their maximum heights, and at what distance from the start their maximum heights occurred. An athlete's COM during a jump follows a path similar to that of a ball flying through the air - in other words, it follows a parabolic arc. It will reach its highest point midway between the distance it is thrown. By driving your arms upward and forward you can get your COM higher and further forward. By then driving the arms down and bending your hips and knees forward at the top of the jump, you keep your COM elevated allowing you to gain added distance before touching down. Lifting your arms arms/knees and bending hips raises your COM. We see that the first subject reaches his maximum height at a further distance than the second subject.For the second subject, it's difficult to anticipate whether he will land closer or farther than the first subject though, as his maximum height is a few inches higher.

Both subject 1 and subject 2 have not remained fully extended through the peak of their jumps and have started to rotate for the landing. Subject 1 has begun to lift his chest, while subject 2 has already dropped his arms and brought his knees forward. Keeping yourself extended, as long as possible, through the peak height of your jump will allow you to jump further. A body position midway between that of subject 1 and 2 would probably be ideal.

At the peak of the jump it is now time to start rotating your body to get your legs out in front of you. The distance of the broadjump is measured where your toes land, so upon reaching the top of the jump, you should get your legs out in front of you. To make this happen, drive your arms downward and bend your hips and knees up toward your chest. Do not lean back as subject one has began to do; it is better to bring your hips and knees up to your chest.




4. Landing
In order to land safely and get the most distance out of the jump, our subjects flex their hips and extend their legs, landing on their heels with their toes pointed upwards. The second subject lands with his torso bent forward a bit more; but besides this and the placement of their arms, the subjects' landing techniques look quite similar.




5. Finish
The broadjump distances were measured from the subjects’ starting toe positions to their final toe positions. In order to absorb the shock of their landings, it’s important that the subjects bend their knees through impact. We see that the first subject doesn’t flex his knees as much as the second subject, and as a result ends up falling forward a bit at the end of the trial. This shouldn’t matter much though, as the jump distance has already been measured and the purpose of the drill isn’t to work on the landing. However, if someone was performing additional movements at the end of the broadjump (some training camps have the athletes do three consecutive broadjumps and measure the overall distance), it’s recommended to have more of a controlled landing at the end of each jump.




We hope you’ve enjoyed this article, and that you’re getting out there and filming great videos of yourselves and your athletes for detailed analysis!

Kobe Bryant Perfect Trick Shot Mechanics

Kobe Bryant is one of the three best players in the NBA. However, there can be no doubt that he makes more unbelievable and impossible shots than anyone still playing professionally on a basketball court

Take a look at this one from the LA Lakers Game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. There is no need to try and spot the trick, he is shooting over the backboard.



Kobe can make these incredible shots time after time, because of two important facts.

1. He practices making shots from almost anywhere on the court. To learn how to shoot the ball over the backboard , you need to try it and try it often. It may seem like a waste of time but professional athletes practice trick shots to give themselves more options on the field. Having a practiced trick up your sleeve also confuses your opponent who in the professional leagues has probably seen and knows how to defend the regular shots. Practicing trick shots happens in all sports. Take a look at Roger Federer and his trick shot winner at the US Open in 2009.
2. Practice is important, but what also makes this shot and many other of Kobe's trick shots possible is that he uses flawless shooting technique. Take a closer look at his mechanics in the video above as he shoots.

• Kobe gets up in the air and squares his shoulders so that he is facing the net.
• He keeps his elbow high.
• He paints the ball with his hand, allowing the ball to roll off his fingers rather than pushing it toward the basket.
• He shoots the ball on a high arc, taking advantage of the size of the basketball rim (2X the diameter of the ball).

Take a look at this video of Kobe shooting free throws. Notice that his arm mechanics here are pretty much the same as for the over the backboard shot against the thunder. Shoulders squared to the basket, elbow high, paints the ball with his hand and launches the ball on a high arc.



By using good mechanics for all his shots, Kobe is ready to try any trick shot at any time.

Football Quarterback Throws - The Long and Short Pass

The NFL is becoming a very offensive game, with quarterbacks like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Phillip Rivers airing out long passes regularly and using short quick passes to their running backs more often than the hand off.

The reasons for the increased amount of passing in the NFL are still up for debate. The simple fact is that the teams whose quarterbacks are throwing more are winning more. If throwing is the winning formula then all teams are going to try it.

All this throwing makes for exciting football. Hail Mary passes for touch downs, miraculous interceptions and numerous spectacular catches have all been part of the 2009 season. The wide receivers have to be on their game and the quarterbacks have to throw accurate passes with the right amount of force , often under pressure.

The quarterback has two basic options when throwing a pass. He can either step into it and air it out for distance, or he can throw a short accurate pass.
In both cases it is important to use proper mechanics to achieve the results and also to prevent any injury to the shoulder or elbow.
In general the best mechanics for all throws can be described as:

1. Aim your non throwing shoulder at your target.
2. Step forward with the opposite foot to your throwing arm to counterbalance the throwing action.
3. Rotate your hips toward your target followed by your shoulders and finally your throwing arm.
4. Follow through with your throwing arm, so that you put speed on the ball and prevent injury.

Lets take a look at two different types of passes, by our two quarterbacks. These quarterbacks (myself and Dennis) are weekend flag football quarterbacks and do not have the best mechanics. Although we will comment on their mechanics (good and bad) we are focused on the differences between the two throws.

The first throw shows QB1 stepping into a throw and attempting to follow the mechanics described above. He is attempting a long throw to his wide receiver way down the field.

• QB1 starts by taking a few steps back. Most quarterbacks do this to create some room to step into a throw. This is not always possible, but it is usually necessary if you are trying to throw to a wide receiver way down field.
• He then does a little skip hop to position his back foot at right angles to the direction he wants to throw. He does this so that his hips also remain closed to the target (at right angles).
• His lead shoulder (left) is also pointing toward the target. This also keeps his shoulders closed to the target.
• The red arrow shows how QB1's hips will rotate toward the target, while the blue arrow shows his shoulders. Rotating first his hips followed by his shoulders toward the target will create a kinematic sequence which will allow QB1 to put more speed into his throw and therefore get more distance. The kinematic sequence was first described in golf but it can and should be used to create power in any throwing or hitting sport. The idea is that by first accelerating your hips, then shoulders then arm toward the target in the throw you will create the most energy for the throw with the most efficiency and least effort.
• Our QB1 does not make best use of the kinematic sequence as his hips and shoulders rotate toward the target almost simultaneously, but he is still using his rotational energy to create throwing speed.
• Finally he follows through with his arm across his body to obtain maximum speed until ball release and allowing his arm to decelerate after the throw.

Now lets look at QB2 , who is also stepping into a throw, but he is keeping his hips and shoulders open to the target and using mostly his arm to make the pass. With this technique it is very difficult to throw a long pass and is usually used in rushed situations and for short passes.

• QB2 also takes a few steps back to create space. This is not necessary to throw a pass like this but it may give the quarterback some time to make a decision.
• He also takes a skip hop but lands with his back foot facing toward the target. This keeps his hips open to the target.
• His lead shoulder turns a little toward the target, but he cannot turn as much because he has kept his hips facing the target. Turning his front shoulder toward the target a little, allows QB2 to get a bit of rotation of the shoulders into his throw.
• The red arrow describes the direction of QB2's hips moving forward and the blue arrow the direction of his shoulders. He is not using the kinematic sequence to create arm speed in this case. Although by turning his front shoulder a little toward the target, he is getting some of the energy of rotation that the kinematic sequence gives a thrower.
• Unlike QB1, QB2 needs to use much more strength in his throwing shoulder and arm to throw his pass. For this reason it is very difficult to throw a long pass using this technique. If QB2 attempts to throw as hard as he can with this technique he could cause shoulder or elbow injuries, because of the extra stresses and forces on his muscles.
• QB2 is meant to be throwing a short accurate pass, but he does release the ball a little early, so we will assume he was just trying to lob it over the defenders head.
• Finally QB2 follows through across his body, allowing his arm to decelerate without injury.

Watch the quarterbacks in the NFL and notice when they throw with an open hip and shoulder technique and when they rotate toward the target. In most instances you will see that they use the kinematic sequence and rotate their hips and shoulders into the throw to create good accurate passes, even for short passes.

Once in a while however, usually when they are under pressure, you will see them launch a pass with hips and shoulder facing their receiver and using mostly their arm power and little rotation.

Enjoy the rest of the NFL season. We hope to see many more games with more than 300 yards passing. Get out your video camera and film your throwing mechanics to compare to the pros.

Analyzing Dane Reynolds in Slow Motion

Sometimes it is simply fun to see a pro athlete perform in slow motion. Usually though we can learn a lot from watching him or her in such detail.

Surfing is one of those sports that lends itself well to photographs and video clips. The action is usually intense and the surfers positions so contorted that it is a wonder to see them perform. Of course because their movements are often quick and dynamic, it is difficult to analyze their motion at normal speed. Recently there have been attempts to analyze professional surfing from a scientific stand point of physiology and biomechanics. Check out a previous article we wrote about a trip to the Mentawai islands.

Recently the Quicksilver surfing team was in Mexico and took along a high speed vision research camera. This super slow motion camera can record at high resolution up to a frame rate of 7530 frames per second. We do not know the frame rate used to record this video clip, it is most likely at around 1000 fps. This does not sound like a lot when we consider that golf swings seen with the Swing Vision system are often recorded at 10X this frame rate. However it is generally accepted that the fastest movement that a human can make can be recorded at 250 fps, therefore a high speed capture at 1000 fps is 4X the fastest movement that the surfer can make. The reason Swing Vision uses a higher frame rate for golf is to capture the golf club and ball, which can move much faster than any part of the human body.

The video shows Dane Reynolds performing an aerial surfing move in Mexico, recorded by the Vision Research Camera.



Analyzing Dane's performance to learn how we can perform a similar move is easier because of the high speed footage. Lets take a look at some critical points.

• Dane starts by balancing his center of mass (the center of all the masses and positions of all his limbs) between his feet, which are toward the back of the board. We can see that his weight is at the back of the board by noticing how the nose of the board is sticking up out of the water. We also see him leaning into the face of the wave so that he can turn quickly to launch into his aerial move.
• Mid way up the face of the wave, Dane applies more pressure to his back foot, shifting his center of mass further back. We see his front knee straighten and his head lift up eyeing his take off point. The movement prepares him to almost jump off the wave with his back foot when he reaches the top.
• At take off Dane pushes his back foot almost straight (jumping). He does this to launch the board into the air and also to bring it up closer to his hands so that he can grab it.
• Once in the air, just off the wave we can see how Dane pushes the board around with his back foot, while bending his front knee. He also lifts his head up and forward as if he is trying to peer over the top of his board. This enables him to get the rotation needed to bring his body on top of his board so that he can set up for the landing. In fact it almost looks like he is climbing up his floating board with his hand.
• Now that he is in the air and has got back on top of the board he needs to prepare for the landing. This time, unlike when he was riding the wave at the beginning, he positions his center of mass over the middle of the board. This will give him a bigger landing area. If he positioned himself over the back of the board as he did at the start, the board would most likely slip forward and out from under him on landing.
• On landing he stretches out his legs to reach for the top of the wave and then allows them to bend to absorb the landing impact. Notice how his arms are in an equal and opposite balancing position over the center of his board to keep his weight centered.
• Interestingly on his landing we can see the flex or wobble of the board itself, which probably gives him a little more shock absorption.
• Finally riding out we can see that Dane's body is leaning backward a little and the board is sliding out forward. This is probably a result of his not having his center of mass directly over the center of the board at landing. However Dane quickly recovers by bending his knees and moving his arms forward to once again position himself over the center of the board and ride out.

Breaking down a movement using high speed video footage can be very instructive. If you are a surfer, we hope you were able to pick up a few tips. If you are not a surfer, take a look around for high speed video footage of your sports and see what you can learn from the pros. If you have any suggestions of high speed video you would like us to analyze let us know. We enjoy hearing your comments.

Table Tennis BackHand TopSpin

Table Tennis, which is sometimes known as "Ping Pong" in the USA is a dynamic sport requiring fast reactions from its players. A professional and skilled player is able to impart various types of spin to the ball, to keep their opponent on the defense and limit their options.

The backhand topspin shot is just one way to impart spin. Below is a great video describing the technique needed to hit a good shot both across the table and down the line.



This video is a fantastic example of using video footage to analyze motion. The camera is setup directly in front of the table tennis player so that we can see well how he changes his stance and hits the backhand topspin shot.

Table tennis is great exercise and fun to play. Learning a few different shots by watching and analyzing video, will help you enjoy the game even more.

Disguising your Baseball Pitch Like CC Sabathia

The Major League Baseball post season is nearing an end. The League Championship series are in full swing with two great match ups. The Los Angeles Dodgers are taking on the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Angels have the formidable task of attempting to overcome the New York Yankees.

Baseball particularly in the post season is dominated by the pitching. Great batters are successful only around 30% of the times they come up to bat but great pitchers on the other hand can dominate and beat the batter 80% of the time. A great pitcher needs to be able to throw a variety of balls, so that he can beat any batter and can throw to the batters weakness.

• There are 3 pitch varieties, the fastball, breaking ball (slider or curve ball) and the change up.
• The pitcher must then be able to throw each of the 3 pitches listed above to hit 4 different targets: high inside and outside and low inside and outside.
• The pitcher also needs to understand the batter he is up against, his strengths and weaknesses. Is he left or right handed? Does he have an open or closed batting stance?What did the batter do on his previous at bat?
• Finally the pitcher also needs to throw pitches according to the pitch count. This is often called pitch strategy. The pitch strategy will change as the number of strikes and or balls change. For a detailed description of pitch strategy have a look at this article by Tom House.

In the first game of the American League Championship final between the Angels and Yankees , we watched CC Sabathia of the Yankees put in an excellent display of pitching. He pitched to all corners of the plate and varied his pitches with the pitch count and player.

Below is some video of Sabathia pitching strikes to the Oakland A's in August this year. Watch for the variety of his pitches, fastballs, breaking balls and change ups, as well as the numerous targets he hits, inside and outside, high and low, to both right and left handed batters.

Sabathia is one of the best in the MLB this year and his ability to pitch a variety of pitches is one of the main reasons for this.

However it is also important when throwing these different pitches that the player is able to disguise the type of pitch he is going to throw. If the pitch is well disguised it gives the batter less time to react to the pitch and reduces their chances of getting a hit.

Lets look at the video of Sabathia again. Notice that his action is always the same for every pitch, whether it is a fastball or a slider, whether he throws high or low. Focus on Sabathia only as you watch the video.

• Sabathia covers the ball with his glove at the start of every pitch.
• He rotates his shoulders back the same amount each time. He also lifts his front knee to the same height on every pitch.
• He seems to stride forward to almost the same position on each pitch.
• His arm comes through at the same speed and height for all his pitches. Most of the pitches he throws in the video above are in the 83-84 mph range, but the 2 faster pitches 88 and 97 mph look very similar to the others.
• His follow through for all pitches also looks the same. His head remains looking up and forward.
• He even completes the routine after the pitch in the same way by pulling up his shirt sleeve.

We all know from our experience that the video above is not the best for analyzing Sabathia's technique or timing. The best footage would be from the batters perspective, but from the angle we have, it certainly looks like each pitch is very similar. If the batter is able to read the pitchers mechanics and guess at the pitch to be thrown, he will have that little bit more time to modify his swing and get a hit. By throwing different pitches using the same technique and timing, Sabathia is able to delay the batters decision to swing and therefore is able to beat them more often.

The best technique for throwing all types of pitches is the same, there should be no need to vary your technique to throw a different type of pitch. To throw a curve ball, slider or any other type of pitch the variation is in the grip and in the final position and snap of the wrist, not the pitching mechanics.

To pitch like CC Sabathia, concentrate on the pitching mechanics. Fool the batter by showing him or her the same mechanics on every pitch. We will follow up with a video analysis of good pitching mechanics soon. In the mean time enjoy the post season and World Series. Keep an eye out for Sabathia and see if you can spot any variations in his mechanics with each pitch.

Wearable cameras for Sports Video Analysis

The Motion Capture technology company Vicon, announced yesterday that they had signed a license with Microsoft to develop a wearable camera based on the Microsoft SenseCam technology. The camera will automatically take pictures and I assume video for the wearer as they go about their daily activities.

Of course the camera has some immediate benefits to dementia and Alzheimers sufferers. The camera images will help these patients to create visual memories of activities during the day. The camera will also have application in patient monitoring, allowing Dr's to evaluate patients well being or compliance with a treatment protocol.

The articles on this website are about sports analysis though, and I believe that the Vicon Revue camera (the name for this new camera) will have benefits for sports performance too. Of course there are already cameras available that can be mounted to a helmet or some sports equipment and enable the sports activity to be viewed from a first person perspective.

Here is a great video using a helmet mounted video on a mountain bike.


So how can we use a wearable camera for analyzing sports performance. Here are a few suggestions that I think would be useful.

1. As we saw in the video above, the camera was mounted on top of the bikers helmet. A camera mounted on the helmet can help us to analyze head movement during the activity. Most sports require the head to be still during a particular motion. The head, with the skull and brain has a lot of weight for its size. Moving your head around during a sports performance can often throw you off balance.
2. The helmet mounted camera can also help analyze what we are looking at during the activity. For ball sports such as baseball, cricket, tennis and golf, the position of the head often determines how you will hit the ball. Lift your head too early during a golf swing and you may even miss the ball completely.
3. A wearable camera may also allow you to analyze your positioning in team sports. If you are a defender in soccer, the camera can assist in analyzing how close you were able to stay to your assigned mark.
4. A wearable camera may provide excellent feedback to a coach during a game. A player wearing the camera can provide the coach with important information about the oppositions positioning on the field.

Although video cameras are getting smaller everyday (the Vicon Revue is smaller and lighter than an ipod) , wearable cameras will probably need to get even smaller still before they can be used effectively in a competitive sporting arena or for that matter as a coaching tool. For the moment cameras can only be mounted on helmets or sports equipment and not all sports use suitable equipment.

Once cameras become small enough to be sewn into the badge of an athlete's jersey we may see many more application for first person, wearable, sports video analysis.

High Speed Sports Video on TV

We all already have or want that high definition plasma, LCD or even better, LED television. If you have watched sports on high definition TV, you know the difference immediately. The players are recognizable. No more asking who made that tackle or scored that goal?

Now a number of TV sports programs also show high speed replays, with the most prominent example being CBS Sports Swing Vision, which is used for CBS Golf coverage as well as Tennis and numerous other sports. We also see high speed video being used on TV and in sports to help make critical refereeing or umpiring decisions, such as the Hawk-Eye system for Tennis line calling and for the LBW decision in Cricket and high speed video replays for NFL challenge decisions.

Obviously there is a difference between high definition (or high resolution) and high speed video.
Normal TV images have up to 576 vertical lines of pixel data and the video is recorded at either 24 or 30 frames per second, depending on whether you are in Europe and Africa or in the Americas and Asia. The 576 lines describes the resolution or standard definition, while the 30 frames per second describes the speed of playback. Now your high definition television may have a resolution of 1080 progressive (1920x1080 or 2.07 MPixels) but the TV program you are watching is often recorded at the same frame rate as your standard definition TV, 24 or 30 frames per second. These days as more people have high definition TV's that can play back the higher frame rates, there are more sports broadcasts being filmed at 60 frames per second or even a little higher. This however is still not high speed video.

Therefore you can see that high definition television does not necessarily mean that we can always see slow motion replays of high speed motion. Special high speed cameras are needed to record broadcast quality high speed images such as those seen with swing vision.

High speed slow motion replays require cameras that record video data at 500, 1000 or 2000 frames per second and sometimes even higher. At the same time, they need to record with resolutions as high as 1080p, to retain their broadcast quality.

Swing Vision claims to record high speed footage with frame rates up to 40,000 frames per second. It is certainly possible for high speed cameras these days to record video at 1920x1080 pixel resolution at speeds of 2000 frames per second. To get higher speeds of capture broadcasters can trade in some of the resolution and for example record at 1280x720 pixel resolution (still HD) at 10,000 frames per second.

Below are 2 examples showing a HD video of surfing recorded at normal frame rate and played back in slow motion and a HD video of surfing recorded with a high frame rate and played back in slow motion.





If you pause the first video at any stage you will notice that the image goes a little out of focus. So although this video was filmed in HD, it was not filmed with a high frame rate. The fast motion of the surfer causes the paused video image to blur a little as her frequency of movement is faster than the frame rate of the camera.

The second video was recorded with the Typhoon HD4 high speed camera which can record video at 1280X1024 pixel resolution (1024 HD) at 1000 frames per second for full resolution. If you pause this video you will notice the clarity of the image. The surfer and wave frequency of movement is slower the camera frame rate.

We can see the difference between HD video of sport recorded at normal speed and high speed. The high speed recording allows for much more clarity in viewing high speed movement and therefore the chance to analyze performance in much more detail. In these surfing videos, you are probably thinking that the higher speed camera was not necessary to analyze the surfers movement as the clarity of the first video was more than enough. This is true but for higher speed movement such as the club during a golf swing, the higher frame rate can help identify those small improvements that can make a difference.

When capturing video of your own performance you may not be able to afford or for that matter need a high definition, high speed camera. Human movement, even fast human movement is predicted to have a maximum frequency of around 250 hertz. This suggests that even for the fastest human movement (not including equipment such as the golf club or tenis racket, which will move faster) 250 frames per second capture speed will be enough. But, the higher the frame rate you can get on your camera the more detail you will have to analyze in your video. There are numerous HD video cameras available and many of them can record at 60 frames per second and some even higher. To analyze your performance this is a great place to start.

Video Analysis of a Bench Press

This week University of Southern California football running back, Stafon Johnson, was bench pressing during training when the bar slipped out of his hands and landed on his throat causing severe laryngeal as well as neck injuries.

The bench press is a great exercise to build your pectoral (chest), triceps, biceps and deltoids (main shoulder) muscles. The exercise is used in training for many athletes in numerous sports, but especially in football. Johnson therefore would have bench pressed numerous times before and also had a coach or fellow athlete spotting him at the time of the accident. I am sure Johnson was using good technique and the accident was very unfortunate rather than a mistake on the athlete or trainers part. In most cases when a the bar slips during bench press it lands on the chest and causes much less damage. According to his doctor, Johnson should make a full recovery.

However it is important to understand that the use proper technique can help athletes avoid injuries such as tendon or muscle tears as well as build the muscles more effectively.

Below is a video of strongman Derek Poundstone from the USA bench pressing 500lb. Lets take a look at his technique.



Before we begin to analyze this video remember that when doing the bench press, always have a spotter, someone to help steady the bar or pull it up if you need it. We can see Derek's spotter watching carefully as he bench presses. It is also important to start with a low weight and test your ability before increasing the weight. very few athletes can bench press anywhere near 500 lbs. So start low, even if the bar is too low weight, you can always add more.

So here are some key points to note in the video above:

• Derek lays down under the bar and bends his knees drawing his feet up and pressing them into the floor. In doing this he creates a support base for his bench press and he is able to use his quadriceps (leg muscles on the front of his legs) to control his body and balance the bar. If he did not anchor his feet his body would be like a fulcrum with too much weight near the head and he would strain to balance the bar.
• Derek's spotter helps him to lift the bar off the supports and align the bar directly over his shoulders. He therefore can lower and push the bar straight down and up, with little angle. This will ensure that he works the appropriate muscles to their full extent and avoids injuries that may be caused by using muscle force to push at an angle that would put excess and inappropriate strain on the muscles or joints.
• He lowers the bar straight down to his chest, just below the nipples (the bottom of the yellow image on his shirt). Once again this ensures that his arms lower the bar straight down and push it straight back up.
• Finally Derek's spotter assists him in replacing the bar correctly. This is possibly where Stafon Johnson slipped and how the bar could have landed on his neck. You will see that Derek looks to make sure that the bar is properly supported on the hooks on both side of the support before relaxing and letting the bar go.

Before you start bench pressing, determine whether your goal is muscle mass or explosive power. You can build muscle mass with high weight and low repetitions or build explosive power by pressing a lower weight but increasing the number of repetitions. Whatever your goal is for doing the bench press, remember to use proper technique and spotter at all times.

The Straight Drive in Cricket

Batting in cricket is altogether different from batting in baseball in both objective and technique as well as the bat itself. In cricket the batter can hit or play at and miss as many of the balls bowled as he or she wants with a flat faced bat and scores by running between wickets or hitting the ball over the boundary. In baseball, it is 3 strikes and you are out and home runs or base hits, hit with a rounded bat, are the goal.

In both sport, professional bowlers or pitchers can deliver the ball at around 100 miles per hour and therefore timing and reaction are very important. In cricket though the batter can play a shot anywhere on the oval field, even behind him as long as he does not get caught or run out (I will not go into the rules of cricket but you can find them here). This means that in cricket there are a large variety of shots that can be played that require exceptional timing as well as perfect technique.

One of the classic and most eye catching shots in cricket is the straight drive. Most of the best cricket batters in the world such as Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting play this shot with ease and little effort.

Here is some video of Sachin Tendulkar, another cricket batting legend playing some straight drives off one of the fastest bowlers around, Brett Lee. The first shot is slightly mistimed and the ball angles off his bat, but the next 2 shots are perfect examples of a straight drive.



His timing and technique in the second shot is perfect and therefore requires little effort to transfer power and speed to the ball so that it races along the ground to the boundary and 4 more runs.

Let's analyze the video and break down his technique:

• Tendulkar starts his movement by stepping with his front foot toward where the ball will bounce on the pitch and lifting his bat. As the ball is coming toward him at around 145 km/hr, he has very little time to react and therefore must move toward the ball and plan the shot he will play at the same time.
• As bowling in cricket requires the ball to bounce, it can change direction and speed quite a bit after the bounce. Stepping forward to the area in which the ball will bounce allows the batter to get closer to the bounce and reduce the amount of movement that can occur after the bounce. This also allows the batter to get over the ball and prevent the shot from flying through the air and giving one of the fielders a chance to catch it.
• Tendulkar brings his bat down straight with the flat face of the bat directed at the ball. Angling the bat will force the ball off in the direction toward which the bat is angled and also increases the chances of catching the edge of the bat or missing the ball completely. Although batters do sometimes play shots by changing the angle of the bat, you will not play a good straight drive with an angled bat.
• Tendulkar connects with the ball around 1:21. By pausing the video you will see that his bat is alongside his front leg at the point of contact. His weight is also forward and over the front leg. He does this so that he can hit the ball directly toward the ground giving no chance for a catch. This timing also ensures that he has perfect balance and control over the shot.
• He keeps his head down looking at the ball being hit off his bat and continues to keep his head down as he begins his follow through. Just as in other sports (golf, rugby place kicking) this helps him to maintain his balance through the shot and once again to keep the ball from lifting into the air.
• Tendulkar then continues to follow through keeping the flat part of the bat facing in the direction he hit the ball and bringing his arms all the way above his head. This ensures that he hits straight and all the way through the ball.

The results of this perfect timing and technique are obvious as the ball flies off to the boundary and 4 more runs for Tendulkar.

The 2009 ICC Champions Trophy begins September 22 and the likes of Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar will be showing off their batting prowess and often flawless technique from which we can learn.

The Skateboard Ollie

Skateboarding has taken off as a sport over the last decade and the tricks being performed are often incredible. To perfect these tricks skateboarders spend hours practicing and falling over and over again.

Video analysis is the perfect tool to learn how to do skateboard tricks. If you are learning a trick that someone else has already perfected you have the advantage of watching them do the trick and learning from them. You can also get video of yourself performing the trick and compare your technique to theirs.

Another benefit is that it is easy to setup a camera to get the best view for analyzing the video. Because most tricks are done over a defined area and in a specific direction, you can easily setup a camera to get the best field of view and angle to analyze the trick.

One of the more basic skateboarding tricks is the "Ollie" (jump). The Ollie is the basis for most aerial tricks in skateboarding and therefore it is important to learn how to do a great one.

Here is a really good video with a lesson on how to do an ollie. The video of the ollie itself is excellent because the camera is setup well and looking directly at the skateboard and movement and not at an angle.


The video gives a comprehensive description of how its done. We can get some other tips from analyzing the video more closely.

1. At the beginning of the ollie, the rider applies pressure to the tail of board. He does this to force the front of the board up into the air to start the movement. However if he only applied pressure to the tail he would simply fall off the back of the board. Watch how he also maintains his weight over his front foot so that the front of the board will only move up as he lifts and shifts his front foot.
2. Coming to the take off, the rider jumps up into the air but notice that he does not use his arms to jump. The idea with an ollie is to stay connected or at least close to your skateboard throughout the trick. If you use your arms to jump, you may jump too high above your board and end up having a long way to fall back onto your skateboard.
3. The rider in the video also lets us know that to make your ollie higher you "suck your knees up to your chest after you have jumped". This helps you to raise your center of mass and of course the height of your feet and therefore allows the board to lift higher into the air. Your center of mass is the center of all the limbs of your body, and is usually somewhere around your navel. You can move your center of mass by moving limbs. Therefore if you raise your arms you raise your center of mass. If you jump and lift your knees up higher you will also raise your center of mass.
4. Your center of mass is also important for maintaining your balance when landing the ollie. In the video note how the skaters right arm ends up behind him on the landing while his left arm is in front. He is balancing his center of mass over the center of the skateboard by opposite and equal balance of his arms. This does not mean that you need to have your right arm back and left arm forward when landing your ollie, but you should be aware that you need to balance your weight over the center of the skateboard (both forward and back as well as left and right) so that you do not fall off on landing.

Good luck with learning to do an ollie. You can try practicing your ollie first on grass or softer ground before moving to the cement. Remember to also wear a helmet, all the pros do.

Federer Practices his Between the Legs Shot!

If you were watching the US Open Men's Semifinal between Roger Federer and Novack Djokovic, you most likely saw Federer's incredible between the legs winner.

If not here it is:



Although we have video and some great angles, I am not sure that I am ready to analyze this shot. It is simply incredible. However, Federer said in the post match interview that he does sometimes practice the between the legs shot. We have also seen him use it before in match play, but never with such great power and precision.

Great players and athletes in any sport analyze and practice their technique all the time. They use video regularly to help them understand how to make improvements. Remember that all you need is a video camera and some basic understanding to analyze your own performances using video. Follow us here and look back through our previous posts to learn some tips and tricks for video analysis.

Video Analysis of Rugby Place Kicking

Great kicking in rugby can make the difference in close matches. In 1995 Joel Stransky kicked South Africa to the Rugby Union World Championships and in 2003 Jonny Wilkinson used his kicking boot to drive England to its first Rugby Union World Championships.

In Rugby Union in the past, penalty kicks of more than 50 meters were seldom, if ever attempted, but now the likes of Dan Carter and Francois Steyn are regularly scoring points with penalty kicks from as far out as 60 meters. The players may be be fitter and stronger now than ever before, but they also kick better and further because they study and improve their technique using video.

Lets take a look at some video of Dan Carter practising his kicks and break it down a bit:

• Dan is obviously a left footed kicker, so note that he approaches the ball at an angle (about 45 degrees from the target) from the right . You will notice that right footed kickers will approach at a similar angle from the left. The reason for this angled approach is to open up the hips and allow the hips and then the legs to swing through a larger arc and therefore create more power for the kick. We have talked about the Kinematic Sequence for the upper body before when discussing golf, tennis serves, baseball hitting and hockey slapshots. Kicking requires the same sequence but of course now we want to accelerate the hips, leg and then foot in sequence to kick the ball with power.
• Carter does not take too many steps before the kick ( 3 to be exact). Most good kickers will take fewer steps to eliminate the possibility of not being in exactly the right position to take the kick. If you attempt to run up further there is a chance you will take a small or big step along the way and be out of position for the kick.
• Dan plants his right foot just adjacent (next to the ball). If he placed this standing leg behind the ball it would force his kicking foot further under the ball forcing the ball higher in to the air but getting less distance. Alternatively if he overran the ball, placing his support leg past the ball he would not be able to swing his leg through and get under the ball sufficiently to get the distance required.
• His hips, leg and foot kick through the ball in sequence. If you pause the video you will notice how his hips rotate through toward the target first and his knee is left bent behind. The knee then straightens out and brings the foot through the ball toward the target.
• He keeps his head down over the ball as he kicks. Keeping your head down looking at the ball ensures that you are balanced for the kick and that you strike the ball cleanly.
• Finally he follows through with his hips and kicking leg. You will need to pause the video just after the kick to see this clearly. Note also that his head stays down through the follow through, once again ensuring that he maintains his balance.

In the video we can also see that Carter rolls over his support ankle (right foot) during the follow through. This happens because of his angle of approach toward the ball, which I have suggested allows him to get a bigger swing at the ball. Although this looks dangerous , the roll is forced by his follow through when most of his weight has been lifted from the support leg. You will see that some kickers look like their support leg is lifting into the air, rather than rolling, with the force of the follow through and as their weight is lifted from this leg.

This weekend South Africa takes on New Zealand in a match that could be crucial in deciding the 2009 Tri-Nations champions. We will see Dan Carter and Francois Steyn in action and most likely kicking some big goals. I am originally from South Africa so I will just say it.
Go Bokke!