(by Steve Hopkins)
When Brian Pace started a video diary of his 2012 training in Romania, he had no idea it would eventually lead to remote training sessions. In fact, at the time Brian was honing his own game for the Olympic Trials and turning his talents towards coaching was the furthest thing from his mind. As a part of his own development, Brian carefully reviewed his videos and it became a big part of his training regime. When Brian returned to coaching, he put his video review and editing talents to work to support his students.
Brian has maintained a steady flow of remote students over the years – skype sessions and video file exchanges with Brian analyzing from a distance. As COVID-19 closures began to sweep the nation, these requests have spiked and even some nearby students have turned to Brian’s brand of Training-at-a-Distance to keep up their training routine.
While live skype or video training sessions are possible, the more common pattern for this training involves the student sending a video file (of a match, or training session, or robot training session). Brian then reviews the video, edits key portions including on screen symbols and instructions, and then the two meet via chat or phone to discuss. The edited video becomes a building block for what to work on, and when those adjustments are made the process can be repeated.
Below are screen shots of edited videos. Arrows indicate where ball placement should have been, notes and text help to highlight points of interest. The end result is a video tailored to one’s needs, providing a tool that can be reviewed over and over. Brian’s work has shown that training at a distance can be successful, even in the most trying of times.
Brian Pace’s Butterfly Coaching Profile
Contact Brian Pace: brianpacett@hotmail.com
Edited Video Screen Shots:
