IMMEDIATE FEEDBACK VIDEO

IMMEDIATE FEEDBACK VIDEO IN TRAINING

THE BIGGEST ADVANCE IN VIDEO SINCE COMPUTERIZED EDITING

Jim Coleman, Ed. D., USA Volleyball Retired

As an assistant coach for Bill Neville with the USA Men’ s Volleyball Team in 1989, I spent endless hours of practice time video taping practices. Since our team was a relatively young group of players, we decided that it was necessary to provide video feedback to the players during practice.

The process of video taping and showing the tapes during practice was so time consuming and labor intensive for the coaches, we very often did not show the tapes to the players for whom we were taking the videos. We have all lived that scenario with our teams. Similarly in camps, the process of video taping is so labor intensive that often the young campers never see themselves on TV.

Much of this has changed with the advent of "Immediate Feedback Video"!

It is now possible to insert a "pause" between the recording of the action and the viewing of the action on TV. This is much like the "delay" which takes place as you telephone into a "radio talk show".

Suppose that you wish to have players view themselves in a spiking line. The video camera is focused on the spiking area. The first spiker hits the ball then walks immediately to the video monitor near the camera. As the first spiker walks to the monitor, the second spiker is hitting and being taped. As the third spiker is hitting, the first spiker is viewing him/herself at the monitor. As the fourth spiker hits the ball, the first spiker gets back in line to attack again while attempting to correct any errors which were viewed on the monitor. The process continues through the entire drill. The sequence is hit, walk, view, walk, hit again……etc for all players involved.

During this drill, the coach simply turns on the video equipment, focuses the video camera, chooses the length of the "pause", and coaches the players. The players who have experienced this system so far have experienced immediate performance changes. As Dr. Carl McGown, BYU, states, the two most important factors in modifying performance are repetitions and immediate, accurate feedback. This system provides both.

Equipment needed:

Video camera with output leads (S-video, RCA, or coaxial)
A video monitor (TV set) which will accept input leads.
A Tivo Personal Video Recorder

The key to the system is the Tivo Recorder.

Tivo licenses either SONY or Phillips to manufacturer Tivo Recorders. These are computer/recorders with large hard drives. They are sold relatively inexpensively with the intent of selling you the Tivo Video TV Service. (By the way, this Service is excellent.) There are three types of recorders, 20 hour, 30 hour, and 60 hour. I purchased the Phillips HDR 212 (20 hour) for about $200/$300. I also subscribed for the warranty. I did not subscribe to the Tivo TV service, but it is easier to set up the recorder if you subscribe. I am told that in future that owners of Tivo recorders one will have to subscribe to be able to use the hard drive in the Tivo.

Connection:

Connection is simple. The output from the camera is connected to the input of the Tivo. The output from Tivo is connected to the input of the TV monitor. There will be a temporary telephone connection from the Tivo Recorder to Tivo Service for a one time downloading of programs.

Set Up System:

Follow the "set up" as described in the Tivo instructions. There are a number of questions which will be asked on screen thinking that you are connecting to the Tivo service. Answer them. Unless you are using Tivo service, answer that you will use channel 3, a cable box, and you must register the kind of input cables you are using (mine are S-video). Stop answering questions before you enter your credit card to subscribe for the Tivo Service.

The downloading will take two to three hours. It is best to have a second phone line to phone the Tivo Customer Service, toll free, when you get stuck or have questions.

When done, you will view the video by keying on "Live TV" screen.

Problems:

It took some time for me to understand how to set up and download the system. Once in use, my players kept walking between the camera and the player being taped. I suggest that the camera be set on a box so that you are shooting over the viewing player’s head. It required practice to learn how push the "pause" button to get the proper delay between the performance and the viewing.

Options:

While viewing video, you can manipulate various options such as, "pause", "play", "slow motion", "catch up to real time", "frame forward", and "frame backward". You will learn to manipulate the remote in the manner most meaningful to you. I find that this system is also great for viewing match tapes.

At the conclusion of the taping, it is possible for you to have two copies of the drill/match being taped. You have the tape from the video camera and, if wanted, a copy on the Tivo hard drive. It is also possible to increase the capacity of the hard drive by attaching an external hard drive.

The Future:

This is just the first step in Immediate Feedback Video. I am certain that there will soon be commercial instruments which will improve on this system.

Need Help:

Feel free to phone or email me with questions. One nice thing about the sale of most Tivo recorders is that you have a 30 day return policy, therefore, if you try it and don’t like it, you can return the Tivo.

Jim Coleman
816 David Drive
Chula Vista, CA 91910
Ph/fx 619 421 1514

Email: jim.coleman@juno.com