Video analysis is (or should be) on the mind of every football coach. Not only does it provide evidence when discussing player performance, it can also help you improve as a coach.
Although many semi-professional clubs don’t have the infrastructure or budget to support the likes of automated cameras and data analysis, there’s nothing to stop you filming your games. Here are some helpful guidelines on how to effectively record your games, as soon as the next matchday.
How to Film Your Match
Football happens at a specific time and within a defined area. What you do for 90+ minutes on the pitch will decide your success. All club coaches want to win more games and understanding their results with video is a key step.
Video is objective. It’s an unbiased narrator that watches your game impartially. It provides the ability to visualise the game from a better angle and remembers everything that happened.
Why Should You Film Matches?
Having the opportunity to see the game again puts you in a better position to prepare for the next one. You know what you have to work on and you can set your training sessions accordingly.
Coaches can recall less than half of the critical events that occurred in a match.
Team performances will improve. You have the material to understand collective and individual performances. Whilst anyone can extract information easily, only a coach knows what to do with it. This is where you can step in to deliver constructive and specific feedback and get the best out of your players.
By presenting video to your players, they won’t misinterpret your message, nor make excuses. Instructions become clear and players develop better and faster. Video helps them to make better decisions, thanks to visual inputs that are easy to understand. Similarly, coaches and staff members that review their previous games will understand them better, they can watch and break down every moment with video. This provides evidence that can be used to guide training sessions - best practices can be share between different coaches and teams within your club.
By capturing matches over a prolonged period, a video library can be created to provide evidence of player development and footage revisited before the return fixture.
Video impacts your club as a whole. By putting video analysis at the centre of your process, your results will improve.
Consider Who Will Use This Footage and What They Will Do with it
Video can become a burden if it isn’t managed properly. It is a task that needs to be assigned to somebody, or a group of people in the club. It adds another item to your staff member’s already long to-do list.
“Good preparation is the most important thing for mobile filming. The evening before, I check the equipment and create a schedule for the day. I ensure I have contact details for key people from the club, plan for possible weather conditions and research the location and the stadium layout. The main goal is to achieve the best result for the club.”
Van-Thanh Nguyen (Austrian Football Filmer for Bepro)
Here are some things you need to think about before undertaking your video analysis journey:
- Who is responsible?
The coaching team already has a lot to think about every matchday. Finding somebody responsible for filming games is a key element to producing quality footage. Not all clubs have a dedicated analyst whose responsibility it is to film games. A good practice we observed in amateur clubs that work with us, is asking a youth or junior coach. They are more often than not motivated and technologically-literate.
- Define a clear process
You are going to need to follow guidelines for filming your games. How will you film your matches and training sessions? You wouldn’t go to your next match without having prepared your tactical approach. It is the same for filming. Having a process in place helps avoid errors that could prevent you from getting a high quality video. Your checklist can include: equipment, filmer confirmed, transport for them, location details, matchday contacts etc.
- What will you do with your video?
Filming your game is great, though it isn’t worth much if you don’t use it effectively. A good place to start is focusing on the wider team. For instance, using video to understand your team’s structure with and without the ball and their transitions can tell you a lot about whether they are playing as instructed. You can also use video to highlight key moments on a player level, for example reviewing a forward’s shots or your goalkeeper’s positioning through the games. You can get inspired by checking some events we use.
Bottom-line is, you need to have a plan for how you will use your video!
Buy a Quality Camcorder and a Tripod
To get started, you don’t necessarily need a fixed camera system to start filming your games, a camcorder combined with a tripod is a great start.
“At Bepro we offer both fixed cameras and footage recorded by our mobile filming team. However, the expectations of clubs do not differ, the standards of the mobile filming team and their equipment must both be very high. We carry out training before any filming takes place to ensure a high quality from the very first game recording.”
Fynn-Cedric Bach (Mobile Filming Manager at Bepro)
When selecting your camera, the main things you need to consider are resolution and smartphone wifi access. An additional important feature can be remote control.
We recommend capturing footage at a minimum resolution of 1080p. Smartphone wifi access allows you to keep an eye on the camera’s viewing angle when it’s up high on the tripod. A remote for training recording allows you to capture a view different to the one you are seeing from the sideline. Technology shouldn’t hinder your role as a coach - it is a tool to support you in your role.
Tripods are key. Don’t go for a cheap option, you want a heavy one that resists wind, and with a minimum height of 6 metres.
Our recommendation is this Sony camera, for HD filming and remote-control, combined with this Manfrotto tripod, for its sturdiness and height.
Other things to consider include extra batteries, for both the camera and smartphone (if you are using it to control the camera) and an extendable handle to more easily shift the camera from side to side. If you want to go the extra mile, get an extended microphone to record on-field communication.
Capture a Tactical View
Now that you have the equipment, how are you going to use it?
What you are looking for here is a wide angle. It will help you observe the teams’ formations while you watch and analyse the video. As tempting as it is for every football fan to make the ball the focal point of the game, it isn’t best practice here.
First, you need to set your wide angle. For that, we recommend a minimum of 6 to 8 metres from the touchline and a height of 6 to 8 metres. The below image is a good example to reference.
This is why investing in a quality tripod is important. It will help you capture an optimal view and resist wind. To reach this viewing angle, the best option is to setup your camera in the stands (or on the side of the field if there are none usable).
Secondly, you must think in terms of player blocks to avoid focusing on the ball. Getting images with all 20 outfield players is key - avoid the temptation of following only the ball and zooming in during offensive actions. However, a higher zoom can be relevant during set pieces, to capture a better view of the event.
Both footage examples have been captured using the same camera.
Additional Tips
Get used to your gear at home to avoid long set up times as you get used to filming your games and training sessions.
Compress your files once you have filmed them. You are going to work with large files. Before uploading them to your cutting & editing software, make sure to compress them. You will save a lot of time. Handbrake is a decent, free tool that doesn’t affect image quality.
Find support to help you film. You will want to delegate this task in games, but also in training. Remember, technology should never hinder your coaching job, it is here to support you. Find a coach/youth coach/parent to do this for the team.
Time to Record!
Video helps improve your team, but it also helps you develop as a coach.
The first steps can be daunting, but it’s important to have the right process in place to ensure you capture quality, usable video material. This is one example of how technology can help you find an edge. We are here to help you understand how you can take your team to the next level.
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At Bepro, we work to develop performance tools that make a real difference to clubs around the world. We bring together a real understanding of football, the ability to develop intuitive tools powered by advanced technology and a customer-focused approach to help teams measure, understand and improve performances. Get in touch through contact@bepro11.com to find out how we can help you.
