Dartfish Video Analysis in Secondary Physical Education: A Pilot Study

Video feedback (VF), as an instructional technology in physical education, can provide augmented feedback to students as they acquire and refine motor skills. The research, however, to support the feasibility and effectiveness of such instructional technologies in physical education is limited.

Purpose: Therefore, the purpose of this pilot study was to examine the effects of VF, presented through Dartfish® Video Analysis Software, on skill acquisition and performance for the 40-m sprint and back squat.

Methods: Students from two intact high school classes (N = 63) served as participants for the study (22% female, 78% male). The participants were solicited from elective physical education courses which focused on strength and conditioning. All participants received instruction, from the same physical educator, regarding how to run a 40-m sprint and perform the back squat. Pre-intervention and post-intervention trials for the 40-m sprint (sprint time) and the back squat (weight lifted) were collected for all of the participants. Participants in the intervention groups (n = 34 for the 40-m sprint, n = 22 for the back squat) received VF via Dartfish® Video Analysis as a part of their instruction. Video-taped pre-intervention and post-intervention trials for both skills were also recorded for the intervention groups for use in analyzing the participants' form. Analyses of variance on pre-test scores confirmed that the groups were statistically similar prior to the intervention; F(1, 62) = 3.519, p = .065 for 40-m sprint performances and F(1, 61) = 3.856, p = .064 for back squat performances. Descriptive statistics, dependent t-tests and analyses of variance (α = .05) were also calculated.

Analysis/Results: Our findings support the use of video feedback through Dartfish® Video Analysis to improve skill performances; as the students receiving instruction and VF outperformed the students receiving instruction only on the 40-m sprint (F(1, 62) = 20.192, p ≤ .001) and the back squat (F(1, 61) = 10.406, p = .002). In addition, the tudents who received instruction and VF significantly improved their form for the 40-m sprint (t (31) = -10.522, p ≤ .001) and for the back squat (t (25) = -5.508, p ≤ .001).

Conclusions: Results of this pilot study suggest that VF using the Dartfish® Video Analysis Software may be an effective instructional technology that can be used within the secondary physical education setting to improve the technical aspects of skills (i.e., form) as well as skill performances (i.e., time and weight).