One of the best ways to improve in any sport is to watch yourself on video. The ability to see yourself objectively is the most basic, true feedback. Add a little coaching, and you have a great combination for improvement. Underwater video analysis of swimmers is nothing new, but until recently, the equipment was costly and/or complicated. Now there are many ways to get high quality video without spending a lot of money. For 1000Swimmers “home grown” video analysis, we use the GoPro Hero 2 camera, and based on that experience, here are some tips that can save you time and money.
Beware of the Blur
The Hero 2 camera is still for sale around $200 in all sorts of configurations with various accessories. But before you buy, you should be warned that the standard water-proof housing with a fish-eye lens does not take sharp images underwater!
The Underwater housing makes the display difficult to see, but otherwise works fine.
Even though the housing is rated for 197 ft. (60 m.), any underwater images are blurred (see the video demo of the 2 housings). In the air, it works fine. The obvious question is, “Why bother with a waterproof housing when the images are poor?”
The Solution
For about $35 you can buy an improved waterproof housing. It has a flat lens cover. That is the setup that we use in the underwater analysis videos on this site. It will add about $35 to our cost, but then you still have the other housing for non-water shots.
Save the Packing !
The GoPro does not have a standard tripod mounting plate.The camera comes with a great deal of plastic packing pieces. One piece you should hang onto is the display pedestal. It serves as a basic mount for simple shots and makes it easier to hold without your hands getting in the picture. You can set it down in a calm area, such as the pool bottom and you’ll get great video.