Hudl, The Magazine - Issue #1

Rising to the Challenge Video fuels Deportivo Alaves on their path from relegation to innovation.

Making the Connection

The coach-analyst relationship

Q&A with Danilo de Souza

Using video at SC Paderborn 07

Tech Review

Camera solutions for every budget

Issue 1

November 2018

What’s Inside

5 Welcome Hudl CEO David Graff knows changing the future of sports technology starts and ends with coaches, analysts and athletes finding a competitive edge every day.

Features 6 Making the Connection

12 The Best View in the House

22 Rising to the Challenge

The Football Association of Ireland use live feedback to enable collaboration between coaches and analysts – a connection vital in professional sport.

In the millionaire’s playground of French top-level rugby, advantages are hard to come by. Stade Rochelais use technology in their new training facility to gain an edge.

Deportivo Alaves have recovered from relegation and are on the road to becoming an established side in La Liga. Video analysis has been the difference-maker.

36 From Chore to Critical

38 Searching for Gold

Blackburn Rovers youth manager Damien Johnson reflects on how the role of video analysis has changed since his days in the professional ranks.

The Denver Nuggets are on the cutting edge of video analysis at the highest level of basketball in the world. We take a look at how they prepare for games in the NBA.

Interviews 18 Q&A with Danilo de Souza

30 Q&A with Simon Reinsch

After many years as a professional player, video is now helping Danilo de Souza develop his coaching career at SC Paderborn 07.

Richmond’s tech coordinator tells us how video analysis helped the Tigers become champions—and break a 37-year championship drought.

Other 42 Technical Area

44 Tech Review: Cameras

Learn how video can help you build the meanest defence in the league, make world-class halftime presentations, and monitor players on loan.

Find the perfect setup for your organization with recommendations from our support reps for every budget and experience level.

Marcos Llorente celebrates a second-place finish in the 2017 Copa del Rey Final.

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Hudl Headquarters Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

4

Capture and bring value to every moment in sports.

This statement has defined us since we began our journey to help teams and athletes win over a decade ago. It’s served as our mantra, but it’s more than a quote on a wall—these words shape every decision we make.

In the beginning, it was about equipping American football teams with the tools they needed to edit and share video, interact with stats, and create quality highlight reels for entertainment and recruiting purposes. 12 years, millions of users, and a few hundred thousand teams later, we’re about much more than that.

Our 1,100+ employees operating out of 15 countries know changing the future of sports technology starts and ends with coaches, analysts and athletes who strive to find a competitive edge each and every day. From the smallest youth organizations to professional franchises all over the world, we’re constantly talking with our customers, working internally to brainstorm solutions to their most pressing challenges, and monitoring new technologies and other industries to see what advances could be applied.

In our first issue, some of the world’s most innovative teams share how they leverage technology to prepare for and stay ahead of the competition. You’ll hear from Deportivo Alaves in Spain’s La Liga, Stade Rochelais rugby on the northwest coast of France, the champion Richmond Tigers Australian Rules football club, and more.

Explore how their innovations in video analysis tools and camera technology have solved the most common challenges facing teams today—enhancing training sessions, generating live statistical feedback for game analysis, and growing the stars of tomorrow in academy setups. Your situation and available technology may differ, but identifying the workflows that will allow your staff to focus more on coaching and high-level analysis is a goal everyone can get behind.

David Graff, Hudl CEO 5

“Trying to get information to our players quickly was the missing piece of the picture for us.�

Gerard Dunne, Head Performance Analyst

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Making the Connection The Football Association of Ireland use live feedback to enable collaboration between coaches and analysts – a connection vital in professional sport.

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The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) gained an edge in their video analysis workflow when they added Hudl Replay. Instant replay like never before, this tool sends annotated game footage from the laptop of an analyst directly to iPads coaches can control from the sideline. Feedback on training and match footage is delivered instantly.

Before Replay came into the picture, FAI head performance analyst Gerard Dunne often experienced annoying time delays in getting information to his coaching team before the all-important halftime analysis presentation. He was quick to outline how Replay’s speed and efficiency has improved his team’s processes.

“Normally what would happen is information would be provided to the coaches on arrival to the changing rooms at halftime, whereas now Replay allows for footage and statistics to be provided to coaches before they enter the dressing room,” said Dunne. “For example, it was a huge thing for us in our game against Poland as we were having quite a few problems in the first half that needed addressing.”

“...[the manager] can look at the footage on the iPad and report back to the players.”

Gerard Dunne, Head Performance Analyst

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A key roadblock for analysts working in foreign stadiums is operating in areas that are far from the coaching dugout and dressing room.

“The infrastructure for our home games in Dublin is fine, we have a direct route for access and know security, but in some foreign stadiums you might be 7 or 8 floors up, or you can’t use a lift so you’re running up and down stairs,” Dunne said. Replay has saved him a huge amount of legwork and streamlined his workflow.

“When we played in Moldova, they scored a goal three minutes into injury time in the first half, so I was five minutes late to the dressing room while I looked back on that goal scenario from my position in the gantry. Previously the manager wouldn’t have a chance to look at the footage of the goal until I arrived, but now if the manager knows I’m going to have trouble getting down at halftime, he can look at the footage on the iPad and report back to the players.”

Diagnosing on-field injuries is an increasingly important part of modern sport, both for player safety and for coaches to judge if a substitution is necessary. Instant replay has revolutionised their ability to quickly identify severity of injuries.

“In our current Nations League campaign we have already had five injuries, some in games, some in training sessions,” Dunne said.

“Our medical team like to assess injuries as quick as possible. So while they are treating the player on the pitch, one or two medical staff are designated to take a look at the Replay footage on the sideline iPad to feedback in real time how the injury occurred and how bad it looks. In one case during our last campaign we had a concussion, so by the time the medical staff got out to him, dealt with him, got him off the pitch, they needed to know the exact amount of time it had been since the player took a hit. They can assess [injuries] straight away on the iPad using Replay, which is huge.”

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“I have found it to be really powerful so far.”

Gerard Dunne, Head Performance Analyst

Replay integrates with Sportscode for live tagging and gives anyone the ability to create and share playlists in real time. It’s the quality and efficiency of the statistical outputs that makes Replay such an asset to Dunne as an analyst.

“It’s really easy to get the app set up on your MacBook and iPad, and it’s easy to edit instances on the fly and send playlists directly to the coach’s iPad on the sideline, including comments, descriptions and annotations of game play,” said Dunne. “Exporting analysis doesn’t take long at all. You get three export options, Sportscode ex, XML ex, or video file. The xml files are done in a matter of seconds.”

Since adopting Replay as their video analysis solution in 2018, it has been a resounding success for the FAI. “I have found it to be really powerful so far,” Dunne said. “Trying to get information to our players quickly was the missing piece of the picture for us, especially because with international teams, players are away from our environment with their clubs until they come into camp.”

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Deliver Instant Feedback Get live video analysis delivered where you need it most.

Easy Setup

Instant Feedback

Learn more at hudl.com/mag-replay

Sportscode Integration

Stade Rochelais Secure the Best View in the House In the millionaire’s playground of French toplevel rugby, advantages are hard to come by. Successful Top 14 side Stade Rochelais use IP camera technology in their new training facility to gain an edge.

Performance analyst Mathieu Leroy can now provide analysis as soon as training ends.

12

Scan me for the full story.

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Rather than only invest in players, Stade Rochelais have constructed a brand new state-of-the-art training facility featuring an internet protocol (IP) camera setup above all three of their training pitches. These digital cameras can send and receive data via the internet. With this setup, the Stade Rochelais analysis team has a live panoramic feed of training sessions fed directly into their office—meaning training footage from any of their three fields can be analysed in real time. Before this, analysts had to manually film sessions and wait to analyse the video until after the players had left the ground, a process that required several hours of manpower each training session.

Stade Rochelais performance analyst Florent Agounine explains the value this camera technology gives for rugby in particular.

“We have three IP cameras at the training centre. One in the indoor arena, which is a wide angle, and two on the outside fields,” Agounine said. “IP Cameras are generally used from the horizontal viewpoint in football, but after consulting with coaches, we were able to adapt our setup with the cameras by placing them at the end of the pitch as it provides a better view for rugby patterns and structures.”

“...[the cameras provide] a better view for rugby patterns and structures.”

Florent Agounine, Performance Analyst

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Players prepare for training on one of three fields at the new Apivia Parc Performance Center.

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The integration with Sportscode makes the IP camera setup a big time-saver for fellow analyst Mathieu Leroy. “What is recorded outside by our IP cameras is sent directly to Sportscode where we code training live from our office,” Leroy said. “It’s very quick for us and the players. 10 minutes after training, the players have their analysis ready for them on Hudl to look at while they have their post-training meal.

This means players are still engaged and can absorb the information while the training session is still fresh in the mind.”

Agounine and his team produce specific code windows for lineouts, scrums, backs play and collective team runs to create a detailed analysis of the camera recordings they receive daily. After coding these different set pieces, they send the outputs to position-specific groups via Hudl.

“...10 minutes after training, the players have their analysis ready for them on Hudl.”

Mathieu Leroy, Performance Analyst

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Stade Rochelais have already showed innovation by building a dedicated area for scrum training on a slanted surface, which acts as a form of resistance for the forward pack pushing uphill.

Agounine’s next goal is to introduce a fourth IP camera that will focus purely on the scrum, an area of the game with several technical components to break down. As part of Stade Rochelais’ fiveyear project, the club wants 30 percent of their players to be academy graduates. Leroy outlines how using Sportscode throughout the entire club structure helps them achieve this goal.

“You need to learn how to use feedback with video, and we press that you begin to learn when you’re 16 years old,” Leroy said. “With exposure to video analysis, a player who comes from the academy will not feel lost when he graduates to a professional team.

Because the strategies and the names of the announcements and keys we use are all the same across the club, you are already prepared, which is an advantage.”

Agounine explains how video analysis is directly linked between all aspects of the club. “There is always discussion between analysts, the coaches of the academy and the professional coaches,” said Agounine. “We have the same code, stake and strategy, which allows us to move forward together as a club.”

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18

Hudl Magazine Q&A

Danilo Fernando Evangelista de Souza Assistant Manager SC Paderborn 07

After many years as a professional player, video is now helping Danilo develop his coaching career at SC Paderborn 07.

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How were you first introduced to video analysis?

I always had a passion for it. Before I even had this job, I collected and analysed over 1,000 matches myself. Back when I was still playing, I watched every game where I thought I could learn something and analysed it to maybe draw some lessons to become a better player. That’s how I started doing this, and of course it trained my brain and eyes to see better and notice things others could often miss.

How has video analysis improved since you were a player?

I have to say when I first started out as a player in the early 2000s, it wasn’t much help. Coaches would only use analysis to show what was bad, where there were errors. And that bothered me the most, that there was no learning process after the analysis. Or that it wasn’t connected to exercises in training, which is of course what we’re trying to do here.

How have you incorporated video into your workflows since you joined SC Paderborn 07?

We as coaches use Hudl and Sportscode daily, to prepare for our next opponents, analyse our last match, and to prepare for training sessions. We get a chance four to five times a week to show the players video on the Hudl platform, to show where they can improve a specific exercise in training. We use statistics from Sportscode to present findings to our team. We try to integrate this as much as possible in our everyday routines.

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“Coaches would only use analysis to show what was bad...that bothered me.”

Danilo using Sportscode to analyse the previous day’s training session.

Once the session has been tagged and assessed, the video will be shared for team review.

What coaching benefits do you gain from video?

For me, [Hudl] made my work so much easier, and for time management it’s essential, to analyse a match with speed, because we train and play several times per week.

A match lasts 90 minutes. But it takes a lot longer for a coach when you take the time for analysis into consideration. In terms of speed and time factor, Hudl is the best there is. It would take three times as long to do what we do without it.

In addition to the first team, how do you use video analysis in other areas of the club?

Aside from our senior squad, our under-21s and under-19s use it too. Our aim is to soon work our way towards to the under-15s and 17s using as well. It’s very important for us that the youth teams work with Hudl, firstly to keep everything uniform, and crucially to improve and facilitate the sharing of videos and summaries.

How does video help develop your youth players?

Truthfully, we barely have a chance to see these young players live because we will have a simultaneous match or we train at different times. We want to see as many of them as possible, so we have a better idea of how they’ll be when they graduate to the senior squad and how we can best integrate them. Now we can view footage of the players daily and produce a database of the best clips for each player. This is available for us to view in under five minutes, which has made our job so much easier.

2018 saw Paderborn win promotion back to the second tier of German football, a victory Danilo is quick to attribute to the club’s strategic use of video analysis.

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Scan me for the full story.

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Relegation brought innovation to Deportivo Alaves.

Rising to the Challenge

Deportivo Alaves are on the rise, recovering from relegation to become an established side in La Liga.

Video analysis has been the difference-maker.

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This is where the team from Vitoria Gasteiz believed they belonged.

Just over a decade ago, Deportivo Alaves endured one of the darkest periods in the club’s history—relegation to Spain’s third tier. For a side that contested the UEFA Cup Final at the turn of the century against the treble-winning Liverpool side of 2000/01, this was a tough pill to swallow. But Alaves took off over the last few years, even after that long period in the lower divisions. Sealing promotion to the second tier in 2013 as overall champions of the third tier was just the beginning.

Three years later, they were promoted back to La Liga. A final day victory over Numancia sent Alaves up as champions.

This is where the team from Vitoria Gasteiz believed they belonged—and it showed early in the 2016 season after Alaves defeated mighty La Liga champions Barcelona 2-1 at the Camp Nou. This victory set the team on their way to a ninth place finish in La Liga, the highest finish in the club’s history.

And there’s no sign of Alaves losing momentum. 2017 saw them contest the Copa del Rey Final for the first time, recording an impressive fourteenth place finish in the league. What changed in the team’s preparations during this successful period? They added video analysis.

La Liga Table 2016-2017

24

MP

W

D

L

GD

Pt

1

Real Madrid

38

29

6

3

+65

93

2

Barcelona

38

28

6

4

+79

90

3

Atlético Madrid

38

23

9

6

+43

78

4

Sevilla

38

21

9

8

+20

72

5

Villarreal

38

19

10

9

+23

67

6

Real Sociedad

38

19

7

12

+6

64

7

Athletic Bilbao

38

19

6

13

+10

63

8

Espanyol

38

15

11

12

-1

56

9

Alavés

38

14

13

11

-2

55

10

Eibar

38

15

9

14

+5

54

11

Málaga

38

12

10

16

-6

46

12

Valencia

38

13

7

18

-9

46

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“At the club, we use Sportscode for the first team, both for coaches and for the team of analysts,” head analyst Borja Matias said.

“We also have it with Alaves B in the third division and youth coaches use it as well. I think all managers are increasingly aware of how important video is.” Alaves also use Sportscode on match days to determine positive outcomes in live situations.

“We use it to work live, which is very important for us,” Matias said. “The Spanish Liga provides us with footage of the match via a tactical camera, then we cut what we think is relevant and go down to the bench at halftime and show the players.

It’s something we do quite a lot.”

“I think all managers are increasingly aware of how important video is.”

Borja Matias, Head Analyst

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The tripod setup at the Alaves training pitch offers an ideal angle for video review in Hudl and Sportscode.

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“...the priority is player development.�

Borja Matias, Head Analyst

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Munir El Haddadi 2017/2018 Season Matches

Starts

Fouls

Fouls Won

Yellows

33

28

33

114

7

Goals

Assists

Shots

Shots (On)

Reds

10

6

62

23

1

“The use that can be made of Hudl is important especially in terms of a footballer’s improvement.”

Borja Matias, Head Analyst

Small-budget clubs like Alaves can’t afford exorbitant transfer fees to attract marquee talent, so development from the youth level is their key to providing quality players for the first team.

Hudl’s coaching tools now play a vital role in this process. “The use that can be made of Hudl is important especially in terms of a footballer’s improvement,” Matias said. “Not so much in terms of winning, because for the youth team this isn’t the priority, the priority is player development. We have a coach who works with 20 or 30 promising young players at the club, and Hudl is used so that this coach can review all the actions of these players in matches to observe their development.”

The results are easy to see. Munir El Haddadi is a shining example of a young player thriving in the Alaves system. The on-loan Barcelona product led in both goals and assists for Alaves in the 2017-18 season, an excellent return for a player just 22 years of age. Alaves is a club most definitely on the rise. There’s no limit to how far they can go in 2019.

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30

Hudl Magazine Q&A

Simon Reinsch

Technology Coordinator Richmond Tigers Football Club After breaking a 37-year championship drought, Reinsch tells us how video analysis helped the Tigers become Australia’s champions.

Richmond was established in 1885, making it one of the oldest Australian Rules clubs in the toplevel AFL competition.

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“[Video] is a must for all teams to get an edge over their opponents and vital for education of the football program.”

How long have you used video analysis?

I started at the club 12 years ago and we have been using Sportscode since then. Back then it was used to cut edits from a VHS of the weekend’s game for each player.

Richmond is one of the oldest and proudest clubs in the AFL. Tell us about your culture.

The playing culture and standards of players is really no different from the [AFL] club-wide mantra—drive high standards, play to your strengths and enjoy what you do.

How did video help you scout opponents and prepare your team during this championship season?

Once we are sent vision of the match, we stack each angle of vision and align it with the match codes and statistics. The end result is a single file that contains vision of the entire coded match from four angles. The coaches and opposition analyst can then use it to identify how we are going to attempt to beat the opponent.

The vision of each game is broken down, using Sportscode, for each line coach to review structures and the way the opponent plays. Obviously, this is broken down into very fine details in order to show the playing group what they need to do to win in certain situations. Being able to use video in in-depth ways, for the analyst and coaches to share their findings, then to present to the players is very valuable. It is a must for all teams to get an edge over their opponents and vital for education of the football program. The upcoming opponent’s vision is all uploaded to Hudl for the players to review at their leisure.

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Toby Nankervis, after a standout 2017 season, penned a new deal committing him to Richmond until the end of 2020.

Do you have a specific example of how video analysis has driven player development?

Our ruckman [midfielder] Toby Nankervis likes to review each of his center bounce involvements for each quarter at every break.

His plays are coded live throughout the game, and at each break he will watch this on an iPad, which integrates with Sportscode.

This live review is great for Toby as he can get some instant feedback from his coach who has already seen the vision and see it himself to back up his own thoughts on the game so far. If he isn’t performing the way he wants, he gets justification and is able to change a few things without having to wait till it’s too late after the game. Nankervis finished a standout 2017, rating fifth at the club for total clearances and tackles, while also recording the seventh most hit outs in a season by a Richmond player (593).

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“Coaches are able to look at the vision of the stoppage and see how the players have set it up.”

Aussie Rules has specific scenarios that make it unique to other sports. How does video analysis help you analyse these areas?

There are specific structures in Aussie Rules where the players are required to set up in certain situations of the game and in different zones of the field. Identifying which role a player is playing and then if they are in the correct position is made a lot easier with video analysis. A key example of this is a ‘stoppage’, a period in the game where the ball is brought back to the umpire and the teams set up in a way to best contest the ball back into possession.

Coaches are able to look at the vision of the stoppage and see how the players have set up. Some players who require training on kicking technique will work with a coach and analyst to film using Hudl Technique, which they can use to break down their technique.

We occasionally set up a streaming device to be able to instantly review on a big screen in our sports hall for the player to then try out different ways to work on their kicking technique.

What key metrics do you look for in your Sportscode analysis?

Using Sportscode, we look at a wide range of metrics for every game. From contested possessions (how a player was able to attain the ball in a contested situation), to scoring percentages from different zones on the ground. There are so many different factors in a football game that contribute to the end result, it would take years to manually go through every metric without Sportscode.

Richmond followed up their historic title win by finishing first place in the 2018 AFL regular season.

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Sportscode Design Toolkit

Use these assets to improve your code and output windows.

Downloads available at hudl.com/mag-toolkit

Westfield Rovers

2

GOALS

0

14

TOTAL SHOTS

5

2

SHOTS ON GOAL

0

5

CORNERS

4

64%

POSSESSION

36%

0

SAVES

0

Rochester Reds

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From Chore to Critical

The Changing Face of Video in Modern Football

Damien Johnson is a veteran of the English Football League, appearing in more than 300 matches. Today, as the Blackburn Rovers youth manager, he reflects on how video analysis has changed since his days in the professional ranks.

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“What you find is, when they see the benefits [of video], there is a real appetite for it.”

“It’s changed dramatically from being non-existent when I started, to being a huge tool and component in the game now,” Johnson said. “I started in 1995 and there wasn’t any [video analysis], and if there was a video, it was when you got beat and you had to watch the whole game as a punishment! Now the game has moved on so much that even training sessions are filmed.” The challenge of players’ initial involvement with video is easily overcome when they see how analysis positively affects their development. “What you find is, when they see the benefits, you see that there is a real appetite for it. If I don’t upload a game the players are asking ‘when are you putting the game up?’ The players even want to go through footage of training. It’s just getting that initial buy-in and making them accountable.”

In Johnson’s other role as a development coach, video analysis plays a huge role in terms of helping players reach their potential and break into the first team setup. Their investment in young players has seen breakthrough campaigns for Lewis Travis, Joe Nuttall and Willem Tomlinson. They have all appeared for the first team this term under Tony Mowbray thanks to their excellent displays for the under-23s. The 2017-18 season was a huge success for Johnson’s Rovers under-23 side—they were crowned champions of Premier League 2 Division 2. With video analysis at the helm of their preparations, the youth of Blackburn Rovers have the best possible chance of continued success.

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“I’ll meet with the scout...and we’ll get his [video] edit together and ready for the morning.”

Travess Armenta, Video Coordinator 38

Searching for Gold

The Denver Nuggets are on the cutting edge of video analysis at the highest level of basketball in the world. We take a look how their video analysts prepare for games in the NBA.

For video coordinator Travess Armenta and his video analysis team, a strong preseason is key to executing at a high level once games begin. “The work we do before the season will make our lives easier in the future,” said Armenta. “Before the season we made a code window for every team we were going to play and made adjustments based on trades, injuries, that kind of stuff during the season. It’s all about being prepared and getting your stuff done. You will look like a stud [with Hudl] because a project that would normally take who knows how long will get done quicker.”

When the 82-game NBA season hits, it’s all hands on deck. On game day, the analysis team’s preparations start long before tip off—they arrive at the match venue at 7 a.m. As for what each staff member is focused on during game preparation, Armenta tailors his team’s video breakdowns to each coach. “We have coach meetings in the morning where we show the edit and hit on a few key points of main plays the opponents run,” said Armenta. “For example, the type of pick and roll coverage you want to run against them, the type of post defense you want to run. Pick and roll and post defense are the main things you want to go over and how are we going to guard a Curry. How are we going to guard Durant and stuff.”

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“At the shootaround we’ll show film, similar to what we were watching [earlier].”

Travess Armenta, Video Coordinator

Once coach meetings are complete, video breakdowns continue as the coaching staff relays their findings to the players. “So in the morning we’ll have roughly 45 minutes to an hour coaches meeting.

Then we’ll go to our shootaround,” said Armenta. “At the shootaround we’ll show film, similar to what we were watching in the coaches room, but more condensed for the players. Maybe two to three minutes for the players. Just enough to show them basically the five main plays to focus on. We’ll take these clips to the court and go through those plays live while they get some shooting drills in, work on our shell offense.”

Every team in the NBA utilizes some form of video analysis, so getting a leg up on the competition can be challenging. However, Armenta takes a straightforward, but effective approach when it comes to gaining a competitive edge on the Nuggets’ opponents.

“You just try and find weaknesses in teams,” said Armenta. “I do this thing called ‘Play Edits’ where we’ll have every play they run in the edit, and coaches will go skim through it and organize it as they see fit. So if we’re playing Houston tomorrow, we’ll cut their five most recent games before the game tomorrow and then separate it and organize it by half court defense, transition defense, pick and roll defense, post defense, that kind of stuff. Then our coaches are really good at looking at it and seeing what is the best way that it was covered and then what they think is the best way we should cover it.”

It’s obvious nailing down video analysis workflows can ensure any staff is well equipped to handle all unforeseen challenges throughout the year.

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Elite User Forum Learn and network with the best in the industry.

Dates

Location

19 March 2019

Suncourt House

7 May 2019

2nd Floor

3 September 2019

18-26 Essex Road Islington, London N1 8LN

41 Register now at bit.ly/HudlEUF

Technical Area

Here’s how teams around the world use Hudl.

Building Your Back Four

Use Video to Strengthen Your Defence After successive relegations, Hyde United’s defence needed reinforcement to progress in the Northern Premier League. But rather than go out and sign a new back four, the Tigers turned to video analysis. “I sat down with Dave McGurk [assistant manager] and we spoke about the use of analytical technology to make sure that the players improve and that the team performances improve,” said Hyde’s CEO Mark Worthington. “In preseason we did a lot of work on the defensive setup and we’ve now got the best defensive record in the league this season by far,” said McGurk. “Video analysis has contributed to it massively because it’s like an extra training session for us.” Hyde is adamant this was the turning point for the club.

“It’s like an extra training session for us.”

David McGurk, Assistant Manager

Halftime with the Vancouver Whitecaps Behind the scenes with Video Analyst Andy Peat

Just 15 minutes separate the conclusion of the first half and the beginning of the second—a short, but important period. In this small window, the coaching staff must recap all their opinions, feelings and observations into a clear message for the players to apply in the second half.

Analysts play a vital role in optimising this time period by providing data that reinforces the coaches’ messages. Video triggers an immediate response based on the tactics of the game, opposition changes, strengths and weaknesses. Every match and halftime is different—that’s why a communication plan between analyst and coaching staff is crucial.

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Northern Premier League: First Division North MP

GA

Pt

1

South Shields

42

37

103

2

Scarborough A

42

42

95

3

Hyde United

42

35

92

4

Bamber Bridge

42

54

74

5

Prescot Cables

42

55

72

6

Trafford

42

50

66

7

Tadcaster Albion

42

46

62

8

Colne

42

61

62

9

Colwyn Bay

42

61

61

10

Atherton Collieries

42

58

58

Andy’s Halftime Checklist Video clips based on tactics Statistics for success + failures Player-specific video clips Statistical printouts Second half plan outline

Watch Over the Kids

Monitor Players on Loan with Video Most football clubs use video analysis to nurture talent and improve performance, but the best clubs are using it into find new and unique ways to support the performance department. With increasing numbers of players going on loan to clubs in every corner of the world, traditional scouting methods are no longer doing the job. Players are now effectively multi-million pound assets and clubs need to be able to track their development when they’re away from their parent club.

Natasha Patel, head of performance analysis at English Premier League club Southampton FC, tells us how they use Hudl to follow their players while they gain match experience at other clubs.

“Part of our loan player process is to keep tabs on the players week-to-week, so that’s through video,” Patel said. “We’ll download their game, or we’ll be sent the game from that club, and through Sportscode we’ll look at that individual based on our KPI’s. [We’ll then] put them into categories—where they’re doing well and where they could do better on. We’ll database that for every individual player that’s out on loan to keep track of their performance. Over a 6-to-8 week period we’ll put a package together with scouting reports, any statistical information we have on them or any injury data, and we can send that through a movie organiser and Sportscode package out to relevant staff.”

Whether development takes place at home or elsewhere, it’s easy for clubs to track players’ progress with video.

Six ways the Whitecaps prepare effective halftime presentations: 1. Build a strong relationship with your head coach to understand what will be needed at halftime.

2. Know the game strategy so you can stay focused on the tactical play.

3. Figure out what you can provide in both home and away environments.

4. Always have a backup plan in case of technology failure or error.

5. Understand the dynamic and gauge moods before deciding what to provide the coaches.

6. Be clear and concise in your communication.

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Tech Review: Cameras Solutions for every budget.

€350 • £300 • $400

€1,000 • £900 • $1,150

€2,500 • £2,250 • $2,900

Starter

Mid-Level

High-Level

Sony HDR CX450 What We Say

A great benefit to this ‘starter’ camera is the replaceable external battery pack.

Other cameras within this price range have internal batteries with limited life.

What Sony Says

This camera shoots high definition (1080p) video, but is simple to use. It captures everything from wide open scenes to quick glances.

Canon Legria HF G40 What We Say

What We Say

What Canon Says

What Panasonic Says

This is an affordable HD camera with a decent lens.

A versatile, easy-to-use camera with outstanding optics, HD CMOS pro sensor and wide dynamic range.

€4,000 • £3,600 • $4,600

Sony PXW-Z190 Best in Class What We Say

A very professional, yet still affordable 4K camera. Excellent lens, with output to SDI or HDMI at 1080p 25fps. This is the highest quality your Blackmagic Mini Recorder can handle.

What Sony Says

This superb all-rounder has a wide range of 4K and HD single camera shoots with an all-new 1/3-type 3CMOS sensor. A powerful 25x zoom lens with three independent lens rings delivers pinsharp 4K imaging for almost any professional shooting scenario.

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Panasonic HC X-1000 The cheapest 4K camera on the market, plus an amazing lens.

This was the first camcorder to record 4K 60p/50p images to an SD card. It has a Leica Dicomar lens, BSI Sensor and Crystal Engine Pro 4K.

See More from Hudl

Over the coming months we’ll be launching a range of newsletters, blogs, case studies, and tips and tricks to help you get the most out of Sportscode and Hudl.

Visit hudl.com/mag-subscribe to stay in the know.

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