Newsletter: March 2007
Welcome | Technical Support | Products | Coaches Corner | Case Study
On behalf of Sportstec I would like to wish everyone a slightly belated Happy New Year.
Our New Year’s resolution is to make the Newsletter a once every two months item. We slipped a bit on this last year and I am committed to getting it back on track. The Newsletter offers us the opportunity to share with you examples of how other people are using our products, useful tips that could help your process and of course information about new products.
One area we will be giving extra space is the Careers opportunity for users of Sportstec products. Continually we are asked if we know someone for a certain position or asked if we know what is coming up in the coaching world. If you want to promote either a job or yourself let me know and we will include it in the newsletter.
In this issue the case study is from Holland where Sportstec products have been embraced and (in my opinion) the coaching staff are thinking well outside the box to improve performance. I hope you enjoy the article.
Regards,
Philip Jackson, Managing Director
In this months issue:
Technical Support
This month our technical team studied the SportsCode products’ Multiple Code Input Windows. Click here to read some of the tips we give you about how to use Multiple Code Input Windows in the most effective way.
Products
To find out about the new and current available versions of all Sportstec products click here.
Coaches Corner
Do you want to improve your team and/or individual performance? Go and check here how to use SportsCode softwares comparison tools to reach your goals.
Case Study
Field hockey is an Olympic sport, played in all continents over the world. On the highest level the sport is being represented in the Olympic Games, World Cups and continental cups.
Field hockey in the Netherlands is a major sport with more than 180,000 members and more than 1,300 artificial turf pitches. Read more
Technical Support
Multiple Code Input Windows (CIW)
With all the SportsCode products you are able to use more than one CIW live during the coding process.
The advantage of using this feature is that your coding can be very specific for certain circumstances but generic for the general aspects of the game, without having to create a large complex CIW.
How does this work:
Open your two capture windows. Offset the position by an inch so that the front CIW almost covers the back CIW.
As you are capturing and/or coding the event if you want to swap between CIW’s just click in the second of the CIW’s and this will bring it to the front, and you are still coding:
To go back to the first CIW merely click in the first CIW.
The following is a Football (soccer) example where the main CIW focus is on the flow of the game. The second CIW is about the corner. By selecting the second CIW you are able to drill further down into the information/analysis about the corner then jump right back to the game CIW.
Products
Sportstec Limited has acquired Volleysoft software. The Volleysoft software is being used extensively throughout France and Europe for Volleyball video and statistical analysis.
Sportstec will be immediately translating the product into English for International release. At the same time the software will be completed for Beach Volleyball and Waterpolo.
This is an exciting addition to the Sportstec range of products and will enable us to expand our offering into a number of areas where our current video products do not reach.
Shortly Volleysoft details will be fully integrated into our website, if you would like to know more please contact your local Sportstec Account Manager or your local distributor.
Sportstec Exchange
Sportstec has released Sportstec Exchange our latest product in the Analysis/Distribution of video information.
Exchange uses the latest technology to “turbo charge” your upload and download times. Truly amazing the speed you can get!
Exchange also allows you to set rules/guidelines for uploading and downloading video. Messages are sent for all breaches of the rules meaning the conference has tight control over the administration of the exchange.
As with all video exchange on the Internet the bandwidth is the critical issue BUT Sportstec Exchange helps reduce upload and download times.
For a demonstration on Sportstec Exchange contact your local Sportstec Account Manager or your local distributor.
Upgrades
We have had a number of minor upgrades over the past six months, all mostly addressing the switch to the Intel machines and the small issues that have arisen as a result of this.
Our next big leap forward is scheduled for 1st July 2007. We are currently completing the development, testing and writing up all the material for this release.
We believe Version 7 of the SportsCode suite of products will be another leap ahead.
Right across the range we will be adding features which will enhance the products.
Coaches Corner
Using Video Comparison Tools to Improve Performance
SportsCode software is used every day to improve team performance, but it is also used to improve individual performance as well. Two features in SportsCode that are used to improve both team and individual performance can be found in the Windows menu of the SportsCode software: Splice Instance Movies and Overlay Instance Movies.
Splice Instance Movies:
The splice instance movies feature allows you to analyze two video clips side by side simultaneously. This feature is used by many coaches to compare two different times a play was run during a game: one clip is a “good” video clip of the play being run correctly, and the other clip is a “bad” video clip of the play being run incorrectly.
Here is an example of an offensive play being run in a basketball game. To achieve the splice we first opened the video clip (by double clicking the clip on the timeline) where the play was run incorrectly. We then move the playhead of that clip to where we want the video to begin playing (usually the beginning of the play). Then we do the same procedure with the video clip where the play was run correctly so we have both clips where we want them to begin playing. We then go to the Windows menu and choose the Splice Instance Movies option. Here is a screenshot of our results:
Good Play Bad play
When we hit the play button both movies play simultaneously, and by moving the playhead forward frame by frame we can effectively show the proper floor spacing and execution on the “Good Play”, and the poor spacing and execution on the “Bad Play”. Many players are visual learners and being able to easily show them why a play succeeded because of proper execution, and why it didn’t succeed because of poor execution, is a very powerful tool.
Overlay Instance Movies:
The overlay instance movies feature allows you to analyze one video clip on top of another video clip. This feature can be difficult to use in some team sports where the camera is continuously moving, but many volleyball coaches use this feature to analyze court positioning on each serve. Where the overlay instance movies feature can be very powerful is in analyzing individual performance. Coaches can utilize this feature to analyze technique and make sure that a player is using the same repetitive motion in a basketball jump shot, a volleyball serve, a golf swing, and many other individual events.
Here is an example of the overlay instance movies feature being used to analyze a golf swing. To achieve this we videoed a golfer swinging the club for the same shot numerous times. Then, we opened the first coded clip on the timeline (by double clicking it), and then opened the second coded clip on the timeline as well. We then went to the Windows menu and chose the Overlay Instance Movies option.
Here is a screenshot of our results:
When we hit the play button the two video clips will play simultaneously and we will be able to see any differences in movement or technique of each golf swing. If the images of the two video clips don’t line up correctly to be able to analyze the swing (eg. The player moved forward three steps before taking the second shot), you can hold down the “Shift+Option” buttons and click and drag the top video frame until it lines up with the bottom video frame. It is best to try and choose a reference point in the video to line up the two frames correctly. In the above example I chose the golfer’s shoes as a reference to make sure the two clips were lined up correctly.
*Note: This side-by-side video feature was achieved with a special capture box that allowed the two different video streams to be combined into one video stream. This was not achieved with the Splice Instance Movies option.
If you have any questions regarding these two SportsCode features, or any other powerful analysis tools in the SportsCode software, contact your nearest Sportstec Representative.
Case Study
HC Rotterdam Field hockey (The Netherlands) - Gijs van Heumen
Introduction
Field hockey is a Olympic sport, played in all continents over the world. On the highest level the sport is being represented in the Olympic Games, World Cups and continental cups.
Field hockey in the Netherlands is a major sport with more than 180,000 members and more than 1,300 artificial turf pitches. The Dutch competition is set up in a separate league for men and women. The highest league is called “hoofdklasse” and consists of 12 teams. From there it has a pyramid structure top to bottom.
The competition consists of 22 matches for each team, followed by play-offs for numbers 1-4. Each match has approximately 2,500 – 4,000 spectators.
HC Rotterdam
HC Rotterdam is the largest club in the Netherlands with more than 2,700 active playing members.
Gijs van Heumen (former Dutch national coach, Olympic and World Champion) coach of the first ladies team says: “All of our team processes are supported by Sportstec products, from the team meetings to individual goal settings, from injury reports to season planning”.
Weekly Schedule
 Sunday:
Competition match is being played, live analysed with SportsCode Elite and TRAK Performance.
Max Reckers (assistant Trainer/Coach) says: “With SportsCode Elite we are able to code all players individual performances, team tactics and use the live review function for analyses of Penalty Corners during the match!
TRAK Performance helps us out getting all tactical static and turnover moments on a simple graphical view. The second use of TRAK performance is that we are able to track down the individual movement information for a player i.e. covered distance, acceleration etc.”
 Monday morning:
Video is placed onto SportsCode Stream so players can review their performance on every computer in the world! Coaches and trainers of all youth teams can access the tactical information and key points of the matches so knowledge is spread through the entire training school of Rotterdam.
Monday evening:
Players arrive at the club and have individual and small group video sessions about the game. Every player sets her personal goals and biometrics information with Gijs in Cronus Athlete Management System. Important is that every player is responsible for setting her own goals and reviewing their performance!
Team feedback session about the game where we use the Code Matrix as a guideline for the team meeting in combination with the graphical presentation of TRAK Performance.
Training session on the pitch starts at 19.30 – 22.00
Tuesday:
Individual power/strength/speed sessions
 Wednesday:
Individual technical sessions assisted with SportsCode Elite for reviewing technics like the penalty corners training. Players code their own training moments to get the best performances in their own database to review progression throughout the season.
Thursday:
Individual running skills (based on acceleration)
 Friday:
Upcoming opponent analyses, starting in small groups for detailed analyses. Small 5-minute presentations by players about upcoming tactical moments or individual opponents.
Training session from 19.00 – 21.00.
 The process
Two years ago when we started at Rotterdam Gijs established a clear vision on what he wanted with the team. Gijs says: “We want to assist each individual team player in increasing his individual performance by setting measurable and realistic goals. Helping out players focussing on the process of reaching a goal instead of only focusing on the outcome of a game is the key. Therefore we have a powerful set of Sportstec tools who can instantly provide data wherever and whenever the team needs it!”.
Links
Gijs van Heumen
http://www.gijsvanheumen.nl
HC Rotterdam website:
http://www.hcr.nl
TV documentary team 2006 (Dutch spoken, requires Realplayer)
http://217.149.193.67:8080/ramgen/video/januari2005/20-01-sport.rm
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