How to film yourself and submit them for assessment by an IKU™ kettlebell coach or trainer. Assessments and coaching are included with some membership levels.
For filming, make sure to adhere to the following requirements:
- Place the camera at chest height
- Do not place it on the ground filming up on an angle
- Keep the whole body within the camera view and leave at least some space on all sides
- There should be no parts of the body or kettlebell that come outside of the frame
- The filming area needs to be well-lit
- Don’t film against the light as that will make the subject dark
- Do not wear baggy clothes
- Always film some reps front-on and side-on and preferably both left and right side
- Write down the weight that you used and submit it together with the video link
- Make sure to review your video and self-assess
For video submission, make sure to adhere to the following requirements:
- Upload to one of the following unless specified otherwise:
- YouTube
- Rumble
- Or any other video hosting platform that’s accessible by your coach
- Make sure the video is public (or viewable with a link only)
- Verify that the link is publicly accessible by logging out of your video platform account and accessing the link
- Copy the link to the video and paste it into the submission field
- Do not upload as a short or anything that can’t be easily paused and rewound
- Write down and include with your submission:
- The exact name of the exercise variation so that your coach does not have to make an assumption
- Any issues that you identified yourself during self-assessment
It’s always best to do a test run, film a few seconds of your setup, and then review how it looks. If you are a silhouette and very dark, then there is not enough light at the front and/or too much light behind you.
When you film the test run, raise your arms to make sure they will remain in view. Also, make sure that your feet are visible, and leave half an inch above your hand and below your feet.
If you have limited data to upload or a slow connection, compress your video before uploading, or film in 1280×720. If you film in 1080p, 4k, or higher then the file will be very large.
Stay Fresh
Stay fresh for your filming and do not complete other workouts or a lot of other technique work that fatigues you. Plan accordingly. This applies especially to explosive and powerful movements, you need to be fresh to be able to generate the short bursts of maximal force required.
Rest between sets if need be.
Front or Back Camera?
If you have a smartphone with a front and back, then it’s a great idea to set the view to the back-facing camera. The front camera shows what’s in front of you and the back camera would show you as you’re holding the phone, like a selfie. This is the view that you want so that you can see yourself as the camera is recording and you can make sure that you remain in the frame.
Film Side-on or Front-on?
If you are participating in an online course then it will usually define what is expected or the best angle to film. A side-on view films the side of your body. It’s best to film the side working with the kettlebell. A front-on angle is where you face the camera. In this case, it doesn’t matter which arm is doing the work as both will be in view.
Film at What Resolution?
The resolution of the footage can become very important if you want or need to upload the footage online, like for a kettlebell certification, the higher the resolution, the bigger the picture and size of the file. A high resolution is great if you want to edit the video at some stage or view it on a big screen, but otherwise, a resolution of 1280 × 720 is good enough for most things and will save you time and storage. This resolution is also called 720p.
If you’re not sure how to adjust your resolution to optimize the uploading speed and local storage, download an app from the app store to perform compression for you before uploading.
Lighting and Contrast
The lighting and contrast need to be such that you, the subject, is clearly visible and doesn’t blend in with the background.
Tripod
The best option for holding your camera is a tripod that’s easy to move and bend into the small spaces that might be required when you have little space to film. If you do not have a tripod, make sure that your camera is stable, put it against something that will hold it up.
Film Horizontal or Vertical?
Horizontal is required for footage that’s used in marketing material or other professional videos. For assessment especially when there is little space available, you can film vertically. But always make sure that your whole body and kettlebell remain in the frame. The only part that the footage needs to capture is you, so, the more you fill the frame the better, but always make sure that there is a little space between you and the borders. If you’re performing anything overhead, make sure that you test that out first and review it. If you’re stepping toward the camera at some stage, like for a lunge, then make sure that you test that.