
I wrote a previous article about using the equipment that we all have around us and the cameras on our mobile phones are more than adequate for most of our coaching needs. So if you want to boost your feedback to your players and add a coaching application to your phone or iPad then take a look at these options that i have tried out recently.
iPhone: Cricket Coach Plus and Cricket Coach Free
Both are excellent packages that enable the user to film a player from different angles, synchronise the footage together (particularly good for bowlers) and insert angles, lines and shapes on the screen to highlight points to your players. You can then email the footage to your players for review.
iPad: Cricket Coach Plus HD
This is the bigger brother of the two applications for the iPhone and offers greater clarity on the excellent iPad screen. The increased screen size is very good when giving instant feedback to the players on the side of the ground or at the back of a net session.
SwingReader or Excelade
Initially designed for golf analysis yet offers excellent feedback for all sports. Does everything that Cricket Coach Plus HD does yet incorporates a means of high
Igniting stills of the footage and applying text which can then be emailed to the player along with the video footage. I have received encouraging feedback on the reports that were sent through to the players that I worked with last week using the applications.
Computer
The best two software packages that I have worked with on my laptop are Quintic and SiliconCoach which offer an incredible number of analysis and report options. These systems are ideal for coaches who use video analysis on a regular basis and have a bigger budget as the laptop and high quality video camera will also need to be purchased to complete the system.
Posted by Mark Garaway
http://www.pitchvision.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-video-analysis-gear-and-software
Dr Paul Hurrion : ICC Biomechanics Analyst
18th January 2012

Saeed Ajmal was tested in 2009 in Australia and we have used the same methods for many bowlers across the world. The process is very robust. We use a big enough sports hall so the bowler can make his typical run-up and bowl a full-length delivery. It is important to replicate what it is like in the middle as best we can.
There are stumps to aim at but no batsman and we use synchronised footage of the player bowling in a match to check that they are not just going through the motions or altering their style. They have to replicate the speed of a delivery from a match, the deviation and the revolutions of the ball.
When being tested, the bowler is topless and has reflective markers all over his bowling arm, so the 3D, high-speed cameras can film him from every angle. On TV, what you see is an optical illusion because the pictures are only 2D so the angle you see is often very different from the reality. We then check if the arm is bent more than the permitted 15 degrees, which we decided was appropriate as anything under that would be hard to see with the naked eye.
Of course, until technology is good enough to have X-ray cameras from the boundary at a live game we can’t ever be 100 per cent sure that our testing is perfect. I’m sure in 10 years’ time there will be the technology to test as the game is happening.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-2088019/Saeed-Ajmal-bowling-tested-3D-angles–Dr-Paul-Hurrion.html#ixzz1kfWd7YYk
WORKSHOP – QUINTIC (BIOMECHANICS/VIDEO ANALYSIS)
Dax Sowrey, coach at Undercliffe CC, gives his report of a debut appearance at the Conference for Yorkshire cricket coaches.
This really appealed to me as I want to progress onto Club Coach and hopefully Level3 and video analysis is one of the disciplines needed to achieve that goal. So twenty-odd of us squeezed into one of the smaller rooms to hear Dr Paul discuss the use of the Quintic software to analyse individual performance and technique. This was with a view to identifying problematic areas in the technique that might cause stresses and strains and potential career threatening injuries.
The software was great but I have to say I was more interested in what Dr Paul had to say. He wasn’t there (in his own words) to sell us the software but to actually discuss biomechanics. It was fascinating. He held the whole audience in awe. There were gasps and groans aplenty watching some of the high frame slow motion video clips of well known fast bowlers and their actions.
The amount of abuse that occurs due to having an incorrect technique is frightening! The problem now is that it is all well and good being able to identify that an athlete has an issue with their technique but after a certain age it is irreversible and those athletes know they are playing on borrowed time.
I was left with the overwhelming impression that I could make a difference. Through positive coaching and utilising all the technology and resources available, that potential short term careers could be extended and in fact that the players could become better athletes and achieve even greater feats. I have always said that speed doesn’t always bring power when bowling and Dr Paul proved this with the Quintic video analysis software.
In fact, he pointed out that 85% of our cricket Academy hopefuls are not using their bodies’ power effectively due to too much speed in their run up to the crease. They are travelling too fast for their bodies to handle the stresses and this causes a multitude of effects to occur, notably increased impact stresses on the legs and spine but also a decrease in power and accuracy when releasing the ball. Use of the Quintic technology allowed you to identify an optimum approach speed but also to identify the exact moment that a technique needed to be modified.
After all this, the day came to an end which seemed like quite an anti-climax. So much information had been imparted on multiple levels my head was buzzing but I would have liked there to have been a closing group discussion just to tie up all that had taken place during the day.
I think that I would like to go to the National Conference when it is finalised. The information and tools I gleaned from the YCBCA conference will be put to good use and hopefully will benefit not only my students, my coaching and gameplay but more importantly the game of cricket.
For the full article, please visit : http://www.yorkshirecricketboard.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=528:ycb-coaches-conference-2011&catid=310:ycb-seminar&Itemid=32
Mirror Football : 9/11/11 by James Nursey
Meet the man who insists he can finally end England’s penalty shoot-out agony. Dr Paul Hurrion is a sports biomechanics expert who advises golf superstars Rory McIlroy and Padraig Harrington. And now UK-based Hurrion has turned his attentions and hi-tech wizardary to football.
Hurrion, 39, has pioneered cameras and computer software to track a football’s speed, launch angle and spin at dead-ball situations. The sports-mad boffin has successfully tested his programme on none other than Cristiano Ronaldo – the world’s most expensive player. Hurrion is now preparing to licence his system to Premier League clubs and the FA after getting a thumbs up from £80million Real Madrid galatico Ronaldo.
With Hurrion’s help, players and coaches will be able to work out optimum deliveries for corners, free-kicks and penalties to improve consistency and accuracy. And it is hoped an end is now within tantalising reach for England’s penalty shoot-out woes ahead of Euro 2012 next summer.
Hurrion explained: “It has always frustrated me seeing a corner never clear the front man or a penalty missed due to a poor strike or contact with the ball. “If you strike a penalty with enough speed, spin and with the correct launch angle, even if a goalkeeper knew where it was going, he couldn’t get to it in time. “Granted, there is the pressure that goes with taking a penalty – that is the psychology.
“But wouldn’t it be nice in training to know your optimum stats and by knowing what you have to do, it certainly makes it easier to repeat without any hassle. “Given the physical condition of footballers, if they are not hitting the ball at 28-32 meters per second or 65-75 plus miles per hour, the quality of the strike can’t have been correct. “And with just a five degrees launch angle, the ball will go into the top corner from a penalty. “With the amount of other dead-ball situations it could also make a big difference all over the pitch. “When players hit the ball now, they kind of know if it’s good but they don’t really know for sure. If you could quantify it, it would undoubtedly help”.
“For example, I would ask a player to take 10 penalties, the software would give you the average speed and analyse from the kicks, how consistent is the player? “You could could tell who hits them quick enough, and who doesn’t and go right through from England internationals to an academy players.”
But Hurrion has started at the top by getting a certain Ronaldo to test the equipment recently in Madrid. And the Portuguese ace’s performances have already set an early benchmark for free-kicks after studying his stats.
Hurrion added: “Ronaldo could see the differences in speed and spin between strikes. “Eventually he hit the shot and was able to call out some figures and they got pretty damn close to the actual recording. “His dipping shot he calls the ‘knuckleball’ because it comes out with very low spin values which is very difficult to stop due to the ball dipping and swerving. “We got some very good data from him, he liked it and asked to be kept updated as and when we are fully operational.” Now Hurrion is close to finalising the figures to prove what is an ideal penalty, free-kick, corner and even goal-kick.
He hopes it will end future nightmares and embarrassments for the likes of Chris Waddle, Gareth Southgate, David Batty, Darius Vassell and Jamie Carragher who fluffed crucial spot-kicks for England in respective exits at Italia 90, Euro 96, France 98, Euro 2004 and Germany 2006.
Hurrion, whose company is called Quintic and work in golf, athletics, rugby and cricket, said: “We always thought we could have an application for football. “There is some quite complex maths involved to work out the figures. “It is developed to a level where people are testing the software such as Manchester City academy.
“Along with Chichester University, they are helping define the coach friendliness of how it works and coming up with figures of what is acceptable at various levels and age groups.”
And the good news is Hurrion is in no rush to market his product in Germany. “That would have to be a commercial decision,” he added. “Perhaps we could add on a few zeros for them!”
http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/EXCLUSIVE-Sports-biomechanics-expert-Dr-Paul-Hurrion-claims-he-can-cure-England-s-penalty-shoot-out-curse-in-time-for-Euro-2012-article828595.html
PRESS RELEASE: 3rd November 2011
Together with his putting coach and now business partner Dr Paul Hurrion, NGF Director Jeroen Stevens, The National Golf Director, Hans Blaauw and many other guests, Robert-Jan Derksen today offically opened the latest in putting science and technology at ‘The Academy’ Nunspeet, Holland.

As already announced some months ago at the KLM Dutch Open, ‘The Academy’ works closely with the NGF to improve their structure in coaching putting to the Dutch top amateur golfers. In recent months, work has been completed on the facility to produce a ‘state of the art’ putting academy, was finally unveiled to the press and selected guests.
The Academy is based on the technique that Paul uses in his own ‘Hurrion Quintic’ putting laboratory, located in Birmingham, England. By using multi high speed cameras, Quintic ball roll, Force platform and special computer analysis software allow the coach to observe even the smallest detail in your putting stroke, which the naked eye can not see…
Paul Hurrion is an expert in putting and sports biomechanics and works with the like of Rory McIlroy, Padraig Harrington, Oliver Wilson, Paul McGinley, Philip Price… After recent months of intensive supervision, Paul has trained NGF coach, Hayo Bensdorp in his putting physilophy and technology. Hayo is really looking forward to becoming the putting coach of ‘THE ACADEMY’ and to get started with his new pupils.

Paul and Robert-Jan performed the opening by the flag with the logo of The Academy at the entrance of ‘The Academy’ within Nunspeet Golf Club.
“I am extremely proud of our Academy and assume that we will soon all together will witness the enhanced level of our putt-Dutch top golfers”, says Robert-Jan.
Robert-Jan Derksen, THE ACADEMY, Sophiaweg 412, 6523
NJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Telephone +31 (0) 24 360 3418, Telefax +31 (0) 24 388 8576, GSM manager Jan Derksen: +31 653 15 09 21
THEACADEMY@robertjanderksen.com : www.theacademy-rjd.eu

St Joh
n’s, Antigua– Aug. 31, 2011
Cricket coaches across the Caribbean with an interest in specializing in fast bowling will have an opportunity to broaden their knowledge of the discipline. The West Indies Cricket Board is hosting a Fast Bowling Coaches Workshop at the Sagicor High Performance Center in Barbados on September 8th and 9th.
World renowned Biomechanist Dr Paul Hurrion, will join West Indies Head Coach Ottis Gibson and Sagicor HPC Bowling Coach and West Indies Under 19 Head Coach Roddy Estwick in delivering the two day workshop along with other specialists.
The workshop will address several areas critical to the fast bowling discipline including Biomechanical Principles, Assessing Actions, Video Analysis, Understanding Swing and Fitness for Bowling among several other areas.
WICB is funding the full participation of two coaches from each Territorial Board. However given the interest from other coaches the WICB has decided to also open the workshop to a select number of additional coaches.
Selected coaches will be responsible for their travel and accommodation. There will be no participation charge for the workshop.
The workshop will take place on September 8th and 9th and applications are open to coaches from across the Caribbean.
This Fast Bowling Coaches Workshop follows workshops for Territorial Development Officers and Youth Coaches, Umpires and Match Referees and development workshops for Under 15 and Under 19 players in the WICB Regional Under 15 and Under 19 Tournaments.

Fidel Edwards – West Indies (Fast Bowling)

Quintic 4 x High-Speed Camera System & RSscan Footscan Software Synchronise - Gait & Balance
All video files, graph and data displays in Quintic Biomechanics can be synchronised with the RSscan Footscan Pressure Plate and Force Platform data. The user can see the pressure, weight distribution, centre of pressure measurements, force Fx, Fy, Fz along with visual output of the RSscan Footscan Pressure Plate in synchronisation with the high-speed video images and kinematic data from Quintic Biomechanics. The two programs are synchronised using dual windows.

Paula Radcllife (World marathon record holder) opening the Runners Service Lab – Anterwep, Belgium

web: www.rsscan.com & www.rslab.be
More info about the International Athletic Center Antwerp www.facebook.com/runnersservicelab
The aim of this case study is in the clinical setting to analyse the subtalar joint aixis. Quintic have been able to optimize the Quintic Biomechanics 9.03 v17 video analysis Software by integrating a novel method to measure the subtalar joint angle by using a 4 point calculation which measures the moving angle between two lines. In the case of the subtalar joint, the bisection of the calcaneum and of the tibia. The difficulty in this observation is the changing angle between the bisection and the camera, in comparison with a sagittal plane analysing video (sagittal knee or ankle flexion-extension). To view the case study in full, please visit : http://bit.ly/imxOv1
Case Study
Tom is a young football player with a history of left ankle instability and ankle inversion trauma. With literature showing that the highest incidence of injury occurs during ankle inversion at the initial contact phase of gait within football players, this area needs to be thoroughly understood and analysed.
Methodology
The subjects subtalar joint is put into a neutral position and measured, reflective markers that can be automatically tracked by Quintic Biomechanics V17 video analysis software are then applied to the subject. A two marker cluster is positioned on the tibia and another two marker positioned on the posterior aspect of the calcaneum fixed on the bisection of the tibia and calcaneum with the subtalar joint in his neutral position.
The new subtalar analysis function which is only available with Quintic Biomechanics v17 video analysis software allows the clinician to accurately and quickly identify and diagnose subtalar joint problems, while also enabling detailed observation and control of an intervention/treatment in an objective way. With many anatomical joints not having a fixed axis of rotation, Quintic’s new angular analysis method is a more accurate method of analysing body motion and is more accurate than fixing an artificial axis of rotation.

Paul Borgions master in de podologie
www.paulborgions.be

Quintic are pleased to announce the sponsorship of age group cricket for the 2011 season at Northants. Quintic has long been involved in cricket and in particular specialising in biomechanical and equipment analysis working with the ECB and a number of English County Teams.

The ‘Quintic’ Sports Biomechanical video analysis software uses state of the art technology to allow super slow motion analysis and progressive frame analysis – This allows coaches to give expert analysis of a player’s technique, skill and physical attributes. Northants CC have a Quintic video analysis suite with a multi-site licence for coaches, players, parents to review and analysis performance in fine detail.

All the best for the upcoming season… For more information please visit www.northantscricket.com
M. Johnson, M. Ferreira, J. Hush*
Discipline of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, 75 East St, Lidcombe, NSW 2141, Australia
Objectives: To provide a concise overview of the prevalence and risk factors in the development of lumbar vertebral stress injuries in cricketers who are fast bowlers.
Methods: A search of Medline, SPORTDiscus and CINAHL databases was conducted to find relevant studies pertaining to: cricket, cricket biomechanics and lumbar vertebral stress injuries. Narrative review methods were used to synthesise the data.
Results: The prevalence of lumbar vertebral stress injuries in fast bowlers is high, with figures up to 67% reported. Potential risk factors identified include bowling action, overuse, age, lumbar muscle asymmetry and physical characteristics. While prospective studies provide evidence that bowling action and overuse are risk factors for developing lumbar vertebral stress injuries, to date there is limited evidence, largely from cross-sectional studies, regarding the other factors.

Conclusions: This study provides an up-to-date overview of the current literature on prevalence and risk factors for lumbar vertebral stress injuries in fast bowlers. This information may assist clinicians to prevent injury through early identification of risk factors. Recommendations for future research directions include further prospective investigation of the role of age, physical characteristics and muscle asymmetry in the development of such injuries as well as gender specific risk factors.
Acknowledgements : The authors would like to thank Dr Paul Hurrion from Quintic Consultancy Ltd, England and Wales, for generously providing digital images to illustrate the bowling actions.
Article history:
Received 11 December 2009: Received in revised form 15 December 2010: Accepted 17 January 2011
Keywords:
Fractures, Stress, Lumbar spine, Risk factors, Prevalence, Cricket
To view the complete academic paper, please download from the following link:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ptsp.2011.01.002
Please note access to the full text of this article will depend on your personal or institutional entitlements.
Johnson, M., et al., Lumbar vertebral stress injuries in fast bowlers: A review of prevalence and risk factors, Physical Therapy in Sport (2011), doi:10.1016/j.ptsp.2011.01.002
Crown Copyright 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved