People learn best from different styles - verbal, auditory, kinetic. Film study isn't new...we watched grainy 8 mm black and white film in the early 1970s.
A few principles stood out:
1) "Everybody listens. Any "lessons" (screw-ups) that one player makes apply to everyone. Let's not repeat them." It wasn't personal...
2) There was no 'advanced' film study (although we did have scouting reports from a paid scout).
3) The ratio of mistakes to positive film shown was high.
What's the "data" on video study, the dos and don'ts?
What's the decision?
A strong line of research uses video scenarios (often with temporal occlusion, stopping the clip before the key moment) to train players to pick the right action. An example in elite youth basketball found that video training improved decision-making tests and showed better passing decisions in small-sided games.
Application: show a clip and stop before the moment of truth.
Example:
I thought this was going to be the initiation of Zoom Action (downscreen, DHO) but was obviously off, as it could have been a great variation with a slip.
Example 2. End-game, white leads by three after a score, 11 seconds left, ball under their own basket. What are you thinking?
Monkey See, Monkey Do.
Video demonstration can help young players understand what "good" looks like. Video modeling to training reported improvements in technical skills (e.g. passing, shooting, dribbling, defense).
Application: use selected clips as fundamental training aids
Ownership Matters
In a motor-learning basketball study on the set shot, giving athletes self-controlled video feedback (they choose when to view) improved learning, supporting a broader motor-learning principle: self-determination helps.
Application: work with individual players on training film (time intensive)
Lagniappe. Doc Rivers preached to show no more than 13 clips because he felt players can only focus for so long. UNC Women's Soccer coach Anson Dorrance believed women should only see positive clips.
Lagniappe 2. Ideas for decision-making.
