In sports, using game film for team and player analysis has surged in popularity, but the concept isn’t as new as many think. Using game footage as a coaching tool has been around since the 1950s. It was first introduced by George Retzlaff, a Canadian TV producer who used video playback in 1955 while covering a Canadian hockey game.
At the time, video replays were not instant, as they needed thirty minutes to process the video clips. Still, coaches quickly saw the benefits of using sports video technology as a tool to improve their teams’ performances. As technology advanced, endzone camera systems became more accessible, allowing teams to record their practices and games for things such as analysis, training, education and even recruiting.
A Brief History of Sports Video Analysis
Sports video analysis started gaining momentum in the 1960s when the US Olympic teams explored the coaching tool to study athletes’ performances. Dr. Gideon Ariel is known as the first person to have utilized video technology to analyze athletic performance in digital format, which he used to examine the movements of US Olympians.
With the introduction of rewinds, fast forwards, freeze frames, and video annotation in the 1970s and 1980s, video coaching progressed by giant leaps. Easy access to the latest digital technology also lowered the price of video equipment, which meant that small league teams could also reap the benefits of video coaching.
Today, endzone camera systems and relevant applications like Hudl are widely available at prices most teams can afford. It is now easier to share game video with further advancements in technology, allowing teams to review and send footage to other people with a few clicks. Due to the convenience of endzone cameras, they’ve become staples at games and practices, allowing teams to improve their play regardless of their budget.
The Benefits of Endzone Cameras
Endzone camera systems offer coaches the extraordinary opportunity to analyze team and player performance. At the click of a button, coaches can analyze many plays that they may have missed during the actual game. This is extremely beneficial from an education, training, and communication perspective. Coaches can review the footage, make annotations, and then send it to the other coaches/players that need to see it. While these towers are commonly called endzone camera systems, they are also referred to as sideline video towers, sports video towers, and sports video cameras, to name a few.
Regardless of sport, the endzone cameras allow teams to capture footage at the best angle and watch it at their convenience. Depending on the sport, some coaches prefer to place their sports video tower on the sideline vs the endzone to provide them the best angle to capture all of the action on the field/court.
Unlike regular video cameras, endzone cameras capture video at the height of 21 feet, which means there won’t be any passersby blocking the view. It also captures the entire field or court, offering viewers the full perspective of the game and unique angles that are hard to achieve with standard equipment.
Endzone cameras have transformed performance analysis for sports teams all over the world. They’ve become such a crucial part of teams on their journey to get better, faster, stronger, and most of all, successful.
Hi Rise Camera offers a first-in-class solution for recording high-angle and aerial video footage with our video camera towers. With its durability, flexibility, and versatility, you can use our endzone camera systems to film any sporting event. Check out our towers today to start improving your team’s performance!
