ONE of the benefits of modern-day technology is how high-tech most mobile phones are now. They are more or less like mini-laptops and most Gaelic footballers can access video footage of their most recent game on it.

The use of a video analysis person at each game nowadays is absolutely pivotal for feedback on individual and team performance. That’s not just at inter-county level, it has actually filtered down to club and even schools level.

Very seldom would you go to a Division One or Division Two league game in Down and not see a video camera at it. In fact in one league game a few years back, we had the luxury of the opposition using two drones to video the game. Having received footage of it, I must say the advantages you could gain from it were immense.

Imagine coming home from a game and trying to analyse or review the game just through mental memory. I have done it all too often and it’s extremely difficult and quite often – bar one or two major incidents that may have occurred – it’s near enough impossible to recall who, when, where and what happened at different moments.

I have tried it in the past and in fact I actually recall a game recently where I was travelling home convinced that a certain player had been turned over in the lead up to an opposition goal when in fact that particular incident had happened 10 minutes previously.

You would be surprised at how many more of those little incidents would have occurred throughout the course of a game and you have either misplaced them or forgotten altogether.

By watching the video of a game and by analysing it, you can look at so many factors – mistakes you made, areas you may have struggled in, areas you may have had an advantage in – and you may be able to see certain trends or patterns of play developing for or against you. You can look at all these areas and more and look to modify and improve upon them.

Feedback for any athlete in any sport is crucial and Gaelic football is no different. Tangible feedback is only really supported through the use of video evidence.

For example, you could say to a player the next training session two or three days after a game, you carried the ball into the tackle too much, he could turn around and argue ‘no I didn’t, sure I set up a goal and a point’ but show him the eight clips of him carrying the ball into the tackle and there is no argument.

Plus it’s pivotal for the individual and the team moving forward that good feedback is provided through video analysis.

It’s not just individual feedback that’s important. From a group perspective, the ability to see the general shape, structure, the game-plan, the movement patterns, the discipline and also the ability to show the opposition is vital in preparing for upcoming matches.

It allows everyone to see an opponent’s strengths or weaknesses and how they can be addressed.

Different positioning of the video can also give you a different outlook and angle to watch it from. In a recent Ulster Club League game we played, we went to behind the goal and it was beneficial for looking down the field.

You get a much better perspective of the width in your play, and its particularly good for studying kick-outs, both your own and the opposition’s.

Mental preparation like this is just as important for a game as physical and in fact when you have a busy schedule of games coming up, it’s an ideal time to do some analysis with the team.

I actually remember a former inter-county player telling me that he felt a good video session was nearly more important than a pitch session.

Some clubs like to use software packages for analysis of a game, I actually like to do it myself. It’s only my personal opinion but I feel you get a real feel of the game, you see things you might not see in a normal analysis of clicking a button for a score or a wide or a hand-pass, you could see something such as a hand-point or body language.

It takes a lot of work and time and effort but I believe it improves your ability also to analyse a game in real time, you start to look in real time at things you would be looking for when you sit down to do video analysis.

Purchasing a camera for your club and zooming out and getting someone who’s willing to video the games for you is an excellent investment as we head into the club season across the province.

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