Term Paper on Video Golf Lessons

The use of a video camera is an effective tool to help to improve sporting technique. More and more athletes, coaches, scientists are using video feedback as a coaching aid. Videos can very quickly help athletes to understand the basic fundamentals of a specific movement. Providing athletes with immediate video feedback of their last performance enables the coach to reinforce the technical elements of the movement.

By comparing performances of previous movements, or even other athletes, the video camera enables the athlete to compare the video images. Differences between the techniques can be identified and this information made available immediately to the athlete.

Practice should be a rewarding experience, a video camera helps to make the most out of the athlete’s time. When the athlete watch himself perform via the video camera, the image is there before his eyes, instead of being just in mind.

The athlete can study his technique in depth, frame by frame, building a picture of what he is trying to achieve. Seeing an improvement can boost the confidence of an athlete. Normally its difficult to correct a fault, even if the athlete know what he should be doing. This is because he doesn’t see himself in action. The slightest alteration to the technique will always feel uncomfortable to begin with. Negative thoughts and doubts can soon eat away at the athlete’s performance. It is then the athlete start drifting into old habits, simply because that’s what come naturally. The athletes have aged bad habits and before long the athlete back to square one. When the video or computer images are there in front of him, it’s much easier to set him back on the right lines. He can learn a great deal from studying his own technique on video. The benefits of video apply to all levels of performance; from the beginner to the elite athlete, all one need is a video camera. 

Video lessons of Golf:

Let us see how the video lessons of golf are used to learn golf and how these lessons can be captured on video.

The correct distance between the camera and the subject should be recorded to allow comparisons in the future (approx. 8-10 meters). Set the camera to automatic focus.

When filming “face on”, the focus point should be the center of the body, a line level with the belt buckle.

When filming from behind the player, aiming down the target line, the camera should again be pointed at the belt buckle. This is the center of the golf swing.

To ensure that there is a constant distance between the camera and the subject and to aid the analysis, it is good idea to lay down two clubs to aid alignment. The first club, approximately two inches outside the ball pointing at the target, the second parallel to the target line, running across the tips of the shoes of the athlete. This will ensure a correct address position.

 For the purpose of identifying swing faults, only two clubs are used. Once the athlete is suitably warmed up, hit no more than three or four balls with each club. This will give the adequate information for a practical analysis to be made. Start with a 7 or 6 iron and then hit a few shots with a three wood. The ball should be teed up for all shots to ensure the lie is consistent from shot to shot.

If the golfer have a particular problem (for example bunker shot, lob shot, putting or pitching etc) he has to use the other clubs and the coach can then concentrate on correcting that particular problem.

The golfer will be asked to make a verbal report to the camera after each shot, for example commenting on the contact, flight, distance, result etc. Without this information, the subsequent viewing of the tape will not give the best possible information.

Conclusion:

Video coaching really helps the user to learn golf. It is much better, easier and economical for a beginner to learn golf from golf instructional video than take the time to read a golf book or to hire a coach. In most cases it is much better to watch videos because they are quicker and easier to digest. 

 A picture is worth a thousand words. Videos are also used by the golfers to improve their game and to track weaknesses and improvements in their game. Video gives the art of coaching and learning a sense of science. It is much easier to learn the new techniques or to improve any older technique with the help of video learning. Video learning with multiple cameras is like watching and learning the game with few extra pairs of eyes. Science and technology made everything much more easier, and hence it is much more easier and least time consuming to learn golf through video lessons.  

References

http://www.deadsolidgolf.com/Video.htm ("Digital Video Analysis", Dead Solid Golf Inc.)

http://www.lvrj.com/cgi-bin/printable.cgi?/lvrj_home/2001/Mar-21-Wed-2001/sports/15692969.html  ('LOCAL GOLF NOTES: Instructor to test video's value", By KEVIN IOLE, March 21, 2001)

http://www.michigangolf.com/mankus5.htm  ("Golf Like the Pros: Video Series & Book Review ", By Jay Mankus)

http://www.techtv.com/callforhelp/print/0,23102,3381021,00.html  ("Golf Tech Improves Your Game: Improve your swing, By Alex Robles, Jr.)