Player 1: Athletic Intelligence
How to Film Swings & Practice Reps for AI Coaching
Get the most accurate feedback from Player 1: optimal camera angles, frame rates, lighting, and phone placement for baseball, golf, basketball, and more.
- Down-the-line vs face-on camera angles by sport
- Optimal frame rates: 60 FPS standard vs 120/240 FPS slow-mo
- Lighting rules to avoid backlighting and motion blur
- Continuous Training Sessions vs single rep capture
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Computer vision AI is extraordinarily powerful, but the quality of your coaching feedback depends directly on the quality of your video. You don't need a high-end cinema camera — any modern iPhone or Android can capture professional-grade coaching film if you set up the right angles, frame rates, and lighting.
Here is the official guide on how to film practice video and sports reps for Player 1: Athletic Intelligence.
1. The two essential angles: Down-the-Line vs Face-On
| Sport | Down-the-Line (DTL) | Face-On (Chest View) |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball & Softball | Behind the batter/catcher looking toward pitcher; shows bat plane, attack angle, and hip coil. | Chest facing camera across the plate; shows stride length, hand load, head position, and contact point. |
| Golf | Directly behind hands along target line; shows takeaway plane, over-the-top path, and shallowing. | Directly facing golfer chest at belt height; shows sway, hip slide, head dip, and impact shaft lean. |
| Basketball | Direct side profile (90 degrees); shows shot arc, set point, forward drift, and landing balance. | 45-degree front angle; shows elbow alignment, guide-hand thumb flick, and lateral ball drift. |
| Football (QB) | Direct side profile along dropback line; shows arm slot, stride foot plant, and follow-through. | Downfield view looking at QB; shows hip-shoulder separation and chest rotation. |
| Pickleball & Tennis | Behind baseline looking at opponent court; shows swing path, paddle angle, and ball trajectory. | Side court profile at non-volley zone; shows balance, contact out in front, and split step. |
2. Frame rate recommendations (60 vs 120 vs 240 FPS)
- Standard 30 FPS: Adequate for general tempo and basic body positioning, but fast movements (bat impact, golf club at release) may show motion blur.
- 60 FPS (Recommended standard): Available on virtually all smartphones. Excellent clarity for body posture, stride, takeaway, and follow-through.
- 120–240 FPS (Slow Motion): Perfect for high-velocity impact moments (bat-to-ball contact, golf clubface delivery, pitcher release point). If filming in slow-motion, ensure you have strong daylight or bright gym lighting to avoid high-frequency light flicker.
3. Lighting and camera stability
- Avoid backlight: Never position the camera facing directly into the bright sun or open gym windows. The athlete will become a dark silhouette and body segments cannot be tracked. Keep the sun or primary light source behind the camera.
- Camera height: Set the phone roughly at belt or chest height (3 to 4 feet off the ground). Placing the phone flat on the turf pointing up creates foreshortening distortion.
- Keep the whole athlete in frame: Ensure the athlete's feet, head, and equipment (bat, club, ball) remain in frame through the entire setup, movement, and finish.
- Prop it easily: You don't need a heavy tripod. A simple phone fence mount, small magnetic tripod, or leaning the phone against your sports bag works great.
4. Single reps vs continuous Training Sessions
With Player 1, you don't have to walk back to your phone to press start and stop after every single swing. Use Training Sessions: prop your phone on the fence, press record, hit 10 or 15 swings in a row, and stop the recording. The AI automatically detects and clips each individual rep for deep-dive review.
Read more: Training Sessions guide · Why Player 1 is free.
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