SwingVision
Recording your tennis practice sessions and matches is really useful to become aware of your stroke motion and to understand on what to focus in priority in order to improve your game in general.
Sharing your recording with your online tennis coach can be easily done by sending a link to your session or screen sharing via Zoom. Ideally, one should create a free SwingVision account to get direct access to a given sequence of your recording, otherwise one cannot directly view specific sequences.
SwingVision is a system based on artificial intelligence. It consists of an app relying on the camera of your smartphone and a telescopic stick to be mounted on the back fence or the curtain in indoor courts. The app notices that start and end of the stroke and the sequence.
The advantages of SwingVision vs slow motion mode on your smartphone are multiple. SwingVision cuts out idle time when you are picking up the balls, etc… It allows frame-by-frame forward and backward view, repetition of the last stroke sequence. It displays the speed of your strokes. Mounted on the stick, it gives you an excellent perspective of what happens on the court.
The initial cost for the whole system based on the Pro variante is roughly USD 150.- for the first year with a discount for the stick. It allows you to record up to 30 hours per month.
SwingVision currently works only on IOS. It means one must own an iPhone and ideally an Apple Watch as a kind of remote control. As I was Android user, I had no other choice than to buy an iPhone and an Apple Watch. I did not regret it! I decided to get the 41mm version of the Apple Watch, as it is handier to play with. Ah, also a nice sports armband from Nike.
SwingVision has some bugs, so you have sometimes to be patient. If you are a new starter, the logic and design of the app is not always intuitive and can be confusing. However, the people responsible for the e-mail support are doing a great job. They give you a comprehensive answer within 24 hours.
The backup process of the recording starts once you are connected to WiFi. There is a tiny light grey symbol showing you that the backup is work in progress. The backup sometimes stalls, so you have to reactivate it. Uploading a 12 Gb file can take up to an hour.
SwingVision shows you the speed of the strokes as an average between the speed at the hitting time and landing time. Typically, it shows 20% less than the speed measured on regular ATP/WTA matches.
The frame-by-frame view is not as accurate as the slow motion of your smartphone and the view angle is of course only from the back, but this is enough for a good interpretation of your strokes.
What is also useful is to have an overall perspective of your game. For example, that you give away free points on the return of the second serve. Also, if you start your preparation early enough.
Definitely watching a video of yourself shows you how you do NOT move like Roger Federer and is super intimidating but after the shock and awe you get a real sense of what your strokes are doing no?
