How to film your swimming for useful technique feedback

Ask the venue and club about filming arrangements before bringing out a camera. Agree permission with the swimmer and follow the club’s arrangements for children and young people. Discuss who will receive the recording and how it will be stored or deleted. Keep unrelated swimmers out of the frame wherever possible.

Choose a position that does not obstruct the poolside or distract anyone supervising the session. Do not film in changing areas. If the available location cannot provide an appropriate view safely, ask for a different session or setup rather than improvising while others are swimming.

Further reference: Swim England guidance on images and filming.

Tell the person reviewing the clip what you want to understand: whether the breath changes your alignment, how your hand enters, or what changes late in a set. Record the stroke, intended effort and whether the swimmer is fresh or tired. These details help explain why two clips may look different.

Begin with normal swimming at an effort the swimmer can repeat. Trying to demonstrate a perfect stroke for the camera can hide the pattern you wanted to examine. If comparing before and after a cue, keep the distance, effort and filming position as similar as possible.

A side view can help a reviewer follow body alignment and the timing of a breath relative to the arm action. A view from in front or behind can add information about entry position and side-to-side movement. An above-water clip cannot reliably reveal the whole underwater pull; avoid treating a hidden movement as an observed fact.

If underwater filming is permitted and suitable equipment is available, agree the position with the venue and reviewer. Do not assume a phone or camera is suitable for immersion. One clear angle is more useful than several clips with distorted perspective or a swimmer too far away to identify the movement.

Keep the whole swimmer visible where possible, including the hands and feet relevant to the question. Hold the camera steady and avoid unnecessary zooming. Record a sequence long enough to include several cycles and normal breaths, rather than a single hand entry or one unusually good stroke.

Check the first clip before collecting more. Can you distinguish the swimmer from reflections and other lanes? Is the relevant movement visible? Does the recording show the approach to and recovery from a breath? Repositioning once is better than discovering afterwards that every clip misses the same detail.

Label each clip with the date, view, stroke and approximate effort. Send the original-speed recording as well as any slow-motion version. Avoid filters, speed changes or cuts that remove the context of the movement. If you highlight a moment, include its timestamp and explain what you noticed without presenting your interpretation as a diagnosis.

Ask for one or two priorities, then agree a simple way to check them in a later swim. Keep the follow-up recording comparable. The goal is a clearer coaching conversation and a useful practice decision, not collecting footage for its own sake.