Recording Practice

[Kevin3824]

I have seen threads on here before talking about people who have recorded their practice sessions to go back and review them later to find and correct errors in how they shoot. I have also read about where instructors will sometimes record lessons of students so the student can play it back on a dvd player and be reminded of the things they were taught and see for themselves what they were doing wrong at a later time. I think it is a great idea to do this. I have seen people setup a single camera on a tripod sitting on top of a table at a pool hall to stream entire matches on the internet. I have also seen where someone may submit a video for evaluation to an instructor.

My questions are basically what equipment do most people use to do this in their home? Is it just a GoPro mounted to a shelf that is higher than the table. Or a tripod set up next to the table if the room is large enough? I saw on here where one person mentioned they used a simple IP camera to do it but there were no real specifics of make and model or for that matter clarity or rating of their final results. I am not looking to purchase huge cameras and have a recording booth off to the side like at SandCastle. Simply looking for something I can hook up in my home to record the action on my little table with decent or good clarity like 1080p or possibly 4k. That way my old eyes can determine the ball numbers on the table. Maybe make a DVD/Blu Ray once in a while so it does not have to take up a lot of hard drive space on my home network.

 

[slach]

Want to mention that you may want to consider the QMD (www.cue-md.com) for recording your practice sessions as convenient alternative to video. In addition to automatically recording the shots QMD gives you a list of metrics about each shot in your session that will help you identify stroke flaws and areas to focus on.

 

[ceebee]

Yes, I believe that using Video can assist in your practice. Having the luxury to see what you are doing (later) can help.

We (The BreakRAK Boys) have used Video instructions for about 6 years. We use 3-4 Canon GL2s & some pro golf software, which allows up to 4 cameras (on tripods) & plays back in slow motion. We use this video setup at our booths at the big tournaments across the land. People love it.

However, I use a Canon ZR960 & Stroke Analyzer by Bob Jones, to record my personal practice sessions. I sometimes use it with my students. Bob Jones' software is inexpensive & you can use multiple cameras. It too has slow motion playback.

Being able to see what you did in slow motion, can answer lots of questions. You can also record your practice session & have your coach/instructor look at them & discuss your performance. By the way, you can use your audio too. Talking to yourself or someone watching about your performance, makes it easy to bring back the thoughts you had at the moment.

Good Luck...

 

[7forlife]

Ideally you want to get a camcorder, this has changer due to progress and a GoPro can do the job but without a preview screen the camcorder still wins in my book. I started with an iPhone years ago which worked great, once again with progress phones can do a much better job now than then. You can also use a webcam to which I recommend the C920 from Logitech as its a 1080 webcam.
Me getting the camcorder was a double win cause well it's a camcorder duh, you need to sit down a figure out what you really want to do cross that with what you really need and then last what you want to spend. If you're not good at dealing with formats and converting stuff to avi, don't have the computing status to save all those raw files and plan on using your computers only drive to also save these files then for $200 (slightly less now on eBay/Amazon) the Logitech also has a streaming webcam that directly links to ustream, you can not only stream live with this guy but you can have ustream store your files (up to what they allow obviously) and then view them at your leisure or even simply share by providing the link or title, no DVDs needed.

 

[mvp]

I started with iPhone recording the point of contact on cue ball, I used the aramith logo as target and found I was consistently hitting above it on final stroke, which led me to using daughters GoPro to relize a dropped shoulder problem. Warning this takes a lot of free time and patience, i found it helpful to do a few guys possible issues and review them in a group. It speeds up the process because ppl see things that others may not. An actual instructor (yes I'm saying it Scott Lee) would make this process even faster as they are trained to find flaws, but it is possible to find them yourself. SLO motion is your friend!!!!!!

I found it helpful when using more than one camera set up (usually phone about 12" away from cueball getting stroke and contact point and a higher quality like a go pro getting body movements) to use a different ball every shot or to shout out a attemp 1-whatever so you can match up the pairs when reviewing later!

 

[BmoreMoney]

I'd say a new go pro is more than sufficient for what you're looking to do. I don't know about you but I have no interest in watching myself in slow mo HD missing a straight in one foot shot lol!

 

[Icon of Sin]

Occasionally I records sets with the ghost. Rewatch the ones I've won or played well in. Really helps mentally watching yourself accomplish something tough.

 

[Scott Lee]

mvp...Yes it is possible to video yourself and see what's going on. That said, you're spot on about a qualified instructor being able to point out the "whys" and "whens" that really are the crux in creating or correcting perfect PSR's.
I record all lessons for my students on dvds, which they can d/l to laptops or work stations for easier review. Being able to review the lesson as many times as necessary, I believe is the best way to go.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

I started with iPhone recording the point of contact on cue ball, I used the aramith logo as target and found I was consistently hitting above it on final stroke, which led me to using daughters GoPro to relize a dropped shoulder problem. Warning this takes a lot of free time and patience, i found it helpful to do a few guys possible issues and review them in a group. It speeds up the process because ppl see things that others may not. An actual instructor (yes I'm saying it Scott Lee) would make this process even faster as they are trained to find flaws, but it is possible to find them yourself. SLO motion is your friend!!!!!!

I found it helpful when using more than one camera set up (usually phone about 12" away from cueball getting stroke and contact point and a higher quality like a go pro getting body movements) to use a different ball every shot or to shout out a attemp 1-whatever so you can match up the pairs when reviewing later!

 

[KenRobbins]

.............

 

[iusedtoberich]

Get a dedicated camcorder. You can get a new one for probably $150 now, or a used one for less. Get a mount from amazon for about $10 to put it on the wall. They all record in 1080 or higher now. They record on MircoSD cards now.

The wall mount is great for recording actual practice/game play. You can use that to review your strategies, patterns, stance, stroke, etc.

You can also get a tripod. This will enable you to place the camera to record a very specific scenario, like your stroke from head on, or from the side, etc. The tripod is generally too low, and not as good as the wall mount, for recording actual play.

Don't get a go-pro. Yes, it will work fine, but you are paying a premium price of double for the "sport" aspect of the go-pro, which you don't need to record pool. A regular camcorder is all you need.

Some things that might be important, is a viewfinder screen that flips completely. Because if you have the camera mounted all the way to the wall, you won't be able to fit your head behind it to make sure the picture is what you want.

Another thing you might want is a remote control, if its mounted way up there.

 

[Get_A_Grip]

I have seen threads on here before talking about people who have recorded their practice sessions to go back and review them later to find and correct errors in how they shoot. I have also read about where instructors will sometimes record lessons of students so the student can play it back on a dvd player and be reminded of the things they were taught and see for themselves what they were doing wrong at a later time. I think it is a great idea to do this. I have seen people setup a single camera on a tripod sitting on top of a table at a pool hall to stream entire matches on the internet. I have also seen where someone may submit a video for evaluation to an instructor.

My questions are basically what equipment do most people use to do this in their home? Is it just a GoPro mounted to a shelf that is higher than the table. Or a tripod set up next to the table if the room is large enough? I saw on here where one person mentioned they used a simple IP camera to do it but there were no real specifics of make and model or for that matter clarity or rating of their final results. I am not looking to purchase huge cameras and have a recording booth off to the side like at SandCastle. Simply looking for something I can hook up in my home to record the action on my little table with decent or good clarity like 1080p or possibly 4k. That way my old eyes can determine the ball numbers on the table. Maybe make a DVD/Blu Ray once in a while so it does not have to take up a lot of hard drive space on my home network.

The one that I use is 720P and is actually named as a "baby monitor". You can get it from Amazon and is only ~$60.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00W9B1GT2/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have mine sitting on top of a wall mounted speaker above the table. I use the iPhone software called, "MIPC" that you can download from the App Store to control the cam and to record the vids on my phone. It is very easy to then transfer the vid to my laptop, where I can then load into a video editing program (I used Video Pad) where I add some text across the top of the screen such as, "Practicing 8-Ball - 2 Pack" and to add some background music.

 

[mortuarymike-nv]

Video

I have a canon T3i and a Canon 5DII Griped I have several lenses .
I have a complete florescent studio lighting with soft boxes and light stands .

Two quality tripods , one with a induro gimble .
I have one CF card that will do about 35 minutes of video . which is along time .
The Canon 5dII has made about 15 or 20 of quality motion pictures.

You can also down load twister a slow motion program that can be down loaded for most canon professional and entry level professional camera.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvVOk3Xq3B4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9dahWwQP-M
My hobby was pool until I started to sale pool cues and started to do my own photography , then I got bit by the photography bug .
Wished we had a photography and video section , Hint Hint .

 

[Skippy27]

I personally use software on my phone called Technique by Hudle for form training of my stroke and then just a small 1080p video camera my wife bought me last year set on a shelf above my table for session recordings.

As soon as I am done with my car project that us sucking up my play money I am going to work on a dual Web cam setup above the table using some free production software that seamlessly merges the videos together. It can be recorded or streamed. I can make a fixed one easy, but I want to make one easily adjustable so I can use it away from home.

 

[Cardigan Kid]

Whatever you use, make sure you have enough Memory/space to record video for 2+ hours.
Therefore you can hit record and focus on practice.

There's nothing worse than recording a tough out or an accomplishment of a difficult drill and to walk over to the camera and see it dormant with the recording stopped. Heartbreaking.

*Head slap*
:banghead:

 

[jasonlaus]

I glanced over the replies, and this is what I have done on and off for 25 years.

Started with a camcorder when I was 21(46 now) Recorded a few games then watched.

It's important to fix problems immediately. Watching hours later, then not playing again for a day or 2 is not gonna help at all. Gotta fix it NOW!

Today - I use my phone - the video is easily good enough to see issues - probably much better than the cam 25yrs ago.

Record 3 or 4 games then watch. Remember, you have to fix the problem NOW.

With that being said, if you don't know what you're watching and how to fix it, a million hours of video wont help.

More to come
Jason

 

[BmoreMoney]

Get a dedicated camcorder. You can get a new one for probably $150 now, or a used one for less. Get a mount from amazon for about $10 to put it on the wall. They all record in 1080 or higher now. They record on MircoSD cards now.

The wall mount is great for recording actual practice/game play. You can use that to review your strategies, patterns, stance, stroke, etc.

You can also get a tripod. This will enable you to place the camera to record a very specific scenario, like your stroke from head on, or from the side, etc. The tripod is generally too low, and not as good as the wall mount, for recording actual play.

Don't get a go-pro. Yes, it will work fine, but you are paying a premium price of double for the "sport" aspect of the go-pro, which you don't need to record pool. A regular camcorder is all you need.

Some things that might be important, is a viewfinder screen that flips completely. Because if you have the camera mounted all the way to the wall, you won't be able to fit your head behind it to make sure the picture is what you want.

Another thing you might want is a remote control, if its mounted way up there.

A Go Pro isn't really a waste, it's actually more of a savings. You can use it for about a thousand other things. Also, for some of you guys - you can say honey , wouldn't a Go Pro be great to capture and remember all of our family stuff! Lol. Better even, make her think it was her idear!!!!

 

[Icon of Sin]

A Go Pro isn't really a waste, it's actually more of a savings. You can use it for about a thousand other things. Also, for some of you guys - you can say honey , wouldn't a Go Pro be great to capture and remember all of our family stuff! Lol. Better even, make her think it was her idear!!!!

Did just this. Bought a GoPro a few months ago. Used it on a recent trip to Disney World. It was invaluable. Easily one of the best tech purchases I have made.

 

[7forlife]

yes the gopro is good but i also don't find it good for this use. Without a preview screen and the likes of an actual camcorder it just doesn't come close. I use my camcorder for family stuff so it gets double use, I record friends matches put on dvd and give it to them to watch sometimes but let me mention this and only one person mentioned it or part of it. A camcorder with internal memory is useful but I got a 64 gig SD to solve my problem of space, I also found knockoff "batteries", batteries are huge no matter what you choose, so i spent like $20 on $150 batteries that last just as long (4+ hours each, hell i got 3). The next very important thing about the memory why you need to plan carefully as i mentioned before is that 1080p files are HUGE, you're talking like 1.5 gigs for 15 mins type of stuff so that also when i gave the advice i gave before.
So if you are going camcorder first look up the brand and then ebay or amazon (your choice) batteries for it (you'd check with the manu site for the model name of the battery, thus seeing the price and know how much you're saving). My tripod goes up to 72" it's plenty high not to mention when i'm at the room and put it on a table

 

[7forlife]

these are to only two angles i could quickly get my hands on as i've since deleted most of the videos and would have to go back into where i made dvd's history to pull up old ones and aaah that a whole other process.
I didn't have use of the nearby table for these but in the first one the tripod was fine just on the wrong side of the table.

 

[Bank it]

I'm an idiot to this realm so can anyone tell me if there is a way to record 6-8 hour sessions from jump without having to change anything? Just curious.