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Performance Enhancement - Video
- 1. Performance Enhancement -‐ Video Technology Case Studies & Implementation By: Scott Novack Reviewing video during training and in competition has the ability to gain that incremental advantage in winning a medal or a championship. The following are case studies of how video and the appropriate review process was integrated into different Olympic sports that rendered success. Bobsled/Skeleton (2008-‐2014) – Bobsled and skeleton results are measured in .01 of a second. While video is an integral part of training, an athlete only has six runs before each race. In 2008, no countries executed instant video review between heats in training, nor a race. From February-‐October 2009, an instant video process between heats was created and implemented during the 2009-‐2010 World Cup season. This is where video from either the live feed (TV) or a specific curve was captured, uploaded to a server and replayed through Dartfish or SlingBox. The upload either took place with an internet card or the USOC uploaded the live feed. By the time the team/athlete returned to the start house, the video was ready for review by the coaches and the pilots and push athletes. Erin Pac, Olympic bronze medalists reviewing video with US coaching staff in between heats at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games The video review allowed the coaches to dissect the fast Vancouver track and help decrease the learning curve of the athletes. The video process implemented contributed to both Olympic medals won by USA Bobsled/Skeleton at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. As technology advanced, so too did the processes to replicate the feats achieved in Vancouver. Through the 2010-‐2012 seasons, through trial and error with different hardware and software systems (iPad, Teradek, Ubersense & Dartfish), it was the iPad, Ubersense and a SIM card that met and exceeded the processes created in Vancouver.
- 2. Going into the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games, it was estimated the Russian bobsled and skeleton teams would have around 500 training runs at Sanki track, while the rest of the countries ranged between 150 to 200 runs. This created a huge advantage to the Russians. During the summer of 2013, Ubersense representatives implemented USA Bobsled/Skeleton’s recommendations to transfer video files remotely in a quick and efficient manner from anywhere on the track. This process was unveiled at the Sochi International Training, where each coach had an iPad with Ubersense software and a Russian SIM card. Once the coach captured the video, they would tag it with the athletes name, the curve of the track and note start and down times in the notes section of Ubersense. The video clip was then pushed to the Head Coach that took less than 10 seconds to transfer. Coach Shimer with Nick Cunningham reviewing video in between training runs at the track Coach Shimer reviewing video at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games This process was featured in the USA Today and Reuters: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/sochi/2014/02/20/us-‐bobsled-‐team-‐steve-‐ holcomb-‐ipad-‐app/5606139/ http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/02/17/apps-‐olympics-‐idINDEEA1G0C020140217 At the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games, USA Bobsled/Skeleton won six (6) Olympic medals that included breaking a 62-‐year medal drought in 2-‐man bobsled and a silver and bronze medal in women’s bobsled. The remote video system implemented played a direct role in helping the athletes and coaches better understand the track and contributed to the medals won.
- 3. Taekwondo (2005-‐2008) – In Taekwondo, having solid kicking skills and techniques is at the core of an athlete’s success on the mat. In early 2005, the Dartfish Video Analysis system was introduced to the USA Taekwondo National Team, where the coaching staff was able to assess an athlete’s technique and immediately correct them in training. Coach Moreno explains how video is being used in training Coach Moreno analyzes the athlete’s kicking technique with the athlete and her coach The Dartfish system was expanded to include a scouting system that consisted of pre-‐ competition and in-‐competition scouting processes that were supported by match video clips. A video library was created that categorized athletes by country, weight divisions and competitions so as US athletes and coaches prepared for competition, they had insights as to their future opponents.
- 4. Modern Pentathlon (2007-‐2008) – Modern Pentathlon is a complex sport with five disciplines (shooting, fencing, swimming, equestrian show jumping & running). The discipline identified where video review analysis could be applied was equestrian show jumping. During the 2007-‐2008 World Cup season, each of the “Jury Rides” was videotaped with the Dartfish Video Software, where each horse was tagged with a scouting report that included the riding style. When the USA athlete drew their horse, that horse’s scouting report and video were pulled up and reviewed by the athlete and coach. While the USA did not medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Modern Pentathlon, each athlete had perfect to clean rides, which made the USA one of few countries to accomplish this. In each case, these initiatives did not exist until I worked with the respective head coaches and analyzed methods from which video could add an incremental advantage. Once the core principles were established, these initiatives were built upon that allowed the teams/athletes to perform at a higher level than otherwise capable. Scott Novack with the 4-‐man Night Train crew at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games