The Efficacy of Video Feedback for Learning Swim Strokes Timothy R. Carignan This paper was completed and submitted in partial fulfillment of the Master Teacher Program, a 2-year faculty professional development program conducted by the Center for Faculty Excellence, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY, 2012. "I told myself there was no way I was going to let this training go to waste. It was my time, and I was ready to go. 1 " Katie Hoff, One-time Silver and two-time Bronze Medalist of the U.S. Olympic Swim Team, quoted at the Beijing Olympics. If you do not consciously form good habits, you will unconsciously form bad ones. 2 -unknown Abstract Integral to the 47-month experience for cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point is a laser-like focus on quality training to produce warrior leaders and warrior athletes of character. To help frame that training, cadet leader development occurs across six domains: the domain of the human spirit, the moralethical domain, the intellectual domain, the military domain, the social domain, and lastly the physical domain 3. And in every domain, instructors from each field of study challenge cadets to become good habit formers, or in Army-speak establish solid tactics, techniques, and procedures. Processes abound to enhance training effects both in and out of the classroom, as well as in all manner of athletic venue. One such 1 Mirage Swim Academy. February 5, 2012. mirageswimmingacademy.com [document online] (accessed 5 February 2012). http://www.mirageswimmingacademy.com/squads.html. Internet. 2 Famous Quotes Club. February 5, 2012. quotesmenlylics.com [document online] (accessed 5 February 2012). http://quotesmenlylics.blogspot.com/2011/08/if-you-do-not-consciously-form-good.html. Internet. 3 Keith, B., Judd, T., Stapleton, J., Stoneham, M., Kruger, K. Building Capacity to Lead: The West Point System for Leader Development, West Point, New York: United States Military Academy. 2009.
process found to enhance cadet swim stroke performance, as well as swim instruction, is video feedback. Description A desire to reduce cadet swim anxiety while maximizing stroke performance triggered the need for this study. This project examined the correlation between the use of video and enhanced learner efficacy of swim strokes, as well as how and to what extent using video altered instructional technique. Thirteen randomly selected cadets from Survival Swimming classes served as the test group while an equal number from those same classes served as the control group. The test and control groups differed only in that the test group cadets viewed video footage of their stroke performances, taken by the instructor, to assist them in swim stroke development. Control group cadets were not filmed. Filming of test group cadet performances of the four basic swim strokes, the elementary backstroke, front crawl, breaststroke, and sidestroke, occurred three times during skill development: prior to swim stroke instruction; within 24 hours after swim stroke instruction and in-class practice; and after attending two 30-minute additional work sessions during cadet open swim periods. The filming process produced 12 videos for each of the 13 cadets in the test group. Filming captured cadets performing each stroke for 50 yards. Test group cadet performance evaluation with the instructor using video feedback, in addition to verbal feedback, immediately followed stroke performance. Cadet performance videos were posted to the class website for individuals to repeatedly review and evaluate their swim performance throughout the course. The instructor calculated target group performance improvement by comparing 2
improvement percentages from first to second and from second to final graded video. Likewise, the instructor calculated control group performance improvement by comparing improvement percentages from first to second and from second to final graded performance. The instructor gave the test and control group cadets immediate verbal feedback regarding their swim performances. The instructor offered test and control group cadets unlimited opportunities to meet with the instructor for additional instruction and to retest stroke performances for higher grades, but only after cadets conducted at least one independent, additional work session outside of class time before each retesting. The instructor provided test and control group cadets equal opportunity to evaluate their peers and to be evaluated by peers during in-class stroke performance. In sum, in order to maintain the integrity of the study, all poolside procedures, excluding the filming process, remained equal for all cadets in the study. Performance Findings Through video and verbal feedback, test group cadets achieved an average of 14.75 percent greater improvement in stroke performance than their control group counterparts who received only verbal feedback. Other research studies have led to similar performance improvement outcomes. In Luk, Cruz, and Lin s 4 2008 study of novice basketball free throw shooters, those who received both verbal and self-video feedback achieved an 18.1 percent increase in performance between assessment 4 Cruz, A., Lin, V., and Luk, K. The Effects of Video Feedback with Verbal Cues on Performance of Basketball Free Throw Shooting by Female Junior Basketball Beginners. Hong Kong: Asian Journal of Physical Education & Recreation. November 2009, Vol. 15 Issue 2, p43. 3
periods compared with the 11.9 percent improvement achieved by those who received only verbal feedback; that represented a 6.2 percent greater improvement. In another study, this time involving weightlifting technique and video feedback, Dr. Jennifer L. Romack (2005) stated, When utilized properly, video feedback enhances the speed at which an athlete acquires a skill, compared to other teaching techniques, such as live demonstrations or observation of the performer followed by verbal feedback. 5 Similar to the other studies mentioned, the test and control groups in this study showed swim stroke improvement at all successive assessment periods, but to varying degrees. To achieve the 14.75 difference as indicated above, the control group cadets average of 34 percent improvement per stroke was subtracted from the test group cadets average of 48.75 percent. Appendix A shows stroke improvement comparison by filming period and by stroke. Some of its other highlights are captured in the paragraphs below. The greatest variance in average group performance improvement occurred in the elementary backstroke; the test group averaged 55 percent improvement from initial to final graded video, while the control group averaged 37 percent improvement from initial to final graded performance a difference in improvement of 18 percent. The smallest variance in average group performance improvement occurred in the front crawl; test group averaged 28 percent improvement from initial to final graded video, control group averaged 18 percent improvement from initial to final graded performance a difference in improvement of ten percent. This is likely due in part to both group s high initial front crawl score (7.4 out of 10 prior to classroom instruction) which left only 5 Romack, J. and Valantine, A. Teaching Proper Lift Techniques: The Benefits of Supplementing Verbal Feedback with Video Playback. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 2005. Vol. 27, Number 3, p60-63. 4
so much room for improvement, whereas the three other strokes initial scores ranged from 5.6 to 6.4 out of 10 which allowed opportunity for increased improvement. The greatest singular group stroke performance improvement occurred during the test group s sidestroke, achieving 63 percent stroke improvement from initial to final graded video. The smallest singular group stroke performance improvement occurred during the control group s front crawl, achieving 18 percent stroke improvement. Instructional Findings For many target group cadets, especially those unfamiliar with viewing their own filmed selves, the opportunity to observe their own stroke performances in conjunction with instructor verbal feedback was, in their own words, invaluable in helping them to identify properly performed elements and to correct improperly performed elements of their swim strokes. Some group cadets were sure, a few even insistent, that the instructor s initial verbal feedback concerning poor head and body position or inefficient leg and arm movements was inaccurate. Test group cadets, too, when the verbal feedback was given prior to them watching their filmed selves. Time and time again, though, the test group cadets stood corrected as they watched themselves perform. The instructor utilized a teaching technique of providing test and control group cadets equal opportunity to grade their peers and to be graded by peers during stroke performances in class. This fostered more cadet time on task and led to increased physical improvement in stroke performances. It also facilitated cadets establishing and demonstrating a strong cognitive understanding of the strokes and afforded cadets much practice in learning to effectively and efficiently give appropriate, constructive 5
feedback to peers. Instructor oversight during these sessions encouraged cadet sharing and teamwork as well as prompted self-learning. For instance, after practicing the stroke, many cadets could exit the water and indicate their own errors prior to their evaluating partners providing verbal feedback. Another of the instructor s teaching techniques was to give both test and control group cadets unlimited opportunity to meet with the instructor to retest stroke performances for higher grades. This provided cadets more time or task and additional evaluation and assessment to help guide them towards improved performance. It also resulted in adding roughly four to six hours of additional instruction and retesting per week outside of normal class meeting and instructor preparation times. Another time sapper was the filming process itself, which extracted an additional one and one half hours per week from the instructor. Proprioception, as defined by the Sports Injury Clinic 6, is the sense and awareness of the position of body parts in time and space and is closely linked to balance. It is clearly observed in top athletic performers. Hearing the instruction for the whip kick, 7 for instance, seeing a demonstration by the instructor, and cognitively understanding how the kick is to be performed is a world apart for cadets with poor proprioception. With a weaker sense of proprioception comes a more difficult execution of a skill, with or without feedback. A weak proprioceptive cadet exit the water from a stroke performance as if their body did exactly what their brain told it to do, a correct stroke. When in fact, there is often great disparity. Those, on the other hand, with a 6 Sports Injury Clinic. November 5, 2012. Sportsinjuryclinic.net [document online] (accessed 5 November 2012). http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/rehabilitation-exercises/lower-leg-ankle-exercises/proprioception. Internet. 7 NOTE: The whip kick is the kick utilized in both the elementary backstroke and breaststroke. 6
strong sense of proprioception are able to hear the instruction, see it performed, and execute the stroke with increased levels of success. Though proprioception varies by cadet, all can enhance their performance with the use of both video and verbal feedback. Additional Findings Though nearly 89 percent of the subjects in this study were male, females played a part as well. Eleven percent is not a high enough percentage to establish any statistical significance in the project s findings, but the three recorded female performances provided some interesting data points (see Appendix B). Females from both the target and control groups achieved higher maximum scores in each of the different strokes than their male counterpart s maximum scores in all but control group sidestroke performance. These female findings brought deeper instructor reflection concerning internal and external factors that may affect performance and learning than did the main findings in the study. Some of these factors may be a greater female interest in, or greater male apathy towards, swimming or improving one s grade in a.5 credit hour course, exposure to or experience with swimming prior to enrolling in Survival Swimming, natural swim ability, sense of proprioception, energy draining physical activities earlier in the day, time of day, academic course load, or external non-academic issues, or any combination of these or other factors. These same factors may have similarly affected males in this study as well. From the instructor s seat, could this be the result of teacher unbalanced responsiveness to and interaction with certain cadets, or a teaching style 7
that is misaligned with certain cadets learning styles? Hopefully not, but just the thought of this and the other non-instructor factors affecting performance reengaged this instructor to more intently consider internal and external factors and how they may alter physical performance of strokes. To continue on in the additional findings, target group female percent increases by stroke surpassed target group male increases in three of the four swim strokes: sidestroke; elementary backstroke; and front crawl. In the fourth stroke, the breaststroke, test group females achieved a higher average (9.5) versus males (8.8), but the overall percentage increase for males was higher (60 percent) as opposed to the females (58 percent) because of the males lower starting scores (5.5, versus the female average of 6.0). Control group male percent increases by stroke surpassed control group female increases in every category except for sidestroke, where females showed a two percent greater increase. This may indicate for this particular group of cadets that target group females generally responded with greater improvement in part due to the use of video feedback during their swim stroke development, whereas males in the control group generally showed greater increases and did not show a need for video intervention to show increased improvement, though to a lesser extent than those in the target group. Another way to explain this is that females generally had a greater disparity in improvement percentages from target to control group versus male differences in group scores. One last finding was that female performance increases between the second and third filming of the breaststroke were greater for the control group (17 percent), than the 8
target group (12 percent), even though the target group achieved greatest overall breaststroke improvement from first to third filming (58 percent versus control group 40 percent). What factors as explained above may have contributed to this result is unknown. Personal Notes During my research, I was surprised to discover so many collegiate sports teams, elite and professional athletes, international sports clubs and teams, as well as the U.S. Olympic teams and athletes that have selected the same training procedures, verbal and video feedback to enhance performance, as reflected in this study. I was equally surprised that I had difficulty find matching support research to coincide with their training programs. Often, I found only articles and infomercials on product pages hailing the use of a product by these teams. Adopting a multisensory approach to learning increases retention and training effects; this is a generally known fact. Could this be part of the rationale why I was only able to uncover limited research? I am thankful to have undertaken such a project as it has opened my eyes to the potential of improving cadet watermanship, confidence, and ability with only a slight adjustment to the training and evaluative process. If this project is to continue long-term, USMA pool facilities would have to be outfitted with the right video capture and processing technology and swim course staffing would need to be bolstered to accommodate the additional tasks of data collection and analysis. There are, however, many videoing systems capable of fitting the bill for this task. Working alone, this study was daunting and required much additional time in an already crowded Military Academy instructor workload, but because of it, I have deepened my understanding and 9
appreciation for helping cadets. Had it not been for the increased interaction between instructor and cadet due to the requirements of the study, I would have not been able to get to know some of these cadets as deeply as I would have in the normal flow of class, sans research. Cadets provided to me much in the way of feedback and patience and helped tremendously with my research. For this I am grateful. 10
Resources Cruz, A., Lin, V., and Luk, K. The Effects of Video Feedback with Verbal Cues on Performance of Basketball Free Throw Shooting by Female Junior Basketball Beginners. Hong Kong: Asian Journal of Physical Education & Recreation. November 2009, Vol. 15 Issue 2, p43. Famous Quotes Club. February 5, 2012. quotesmenlylics.com [document online] (accessed 5 February 2012). http://quotesmenlylics.blogspot.com/2011/08/if-you-do-not-consciously-form-good.html. Internet. Keith, B., Judd, T., Stapleton, J., Stoneham, M., Kruger, K. Building Capacity to Lead: The West Point System for Leader Development, West Point, New York: United States Military Academy. 2009. Mirage Swim Academy. February 5, 2012. mirageswimmingacademy.com [document online] (accessed 5 February 2012). http://www.mirageswimmingacademy.com/squads.html. Internet. Romack, J. and Valantine, A. Teaching Proper Lift Techniques: The Benefits of Supplementing Verbal Feedback with Video Playback. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 2005. Vol. 27, Number 3, pages 60-63. Sports Injury Clinic. November 5, 2012. Sportsinjuryclinic.net [document online] (accessed 5 November 2012). http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/rehabilitation-exercises/lower-leg-ankleexercises/proprioception. Internet. 11
Appendix A Data Collection Sheet
Appendix B Data Collection Sheet M v. F