How to film and analyse your fights

Watching yourself fight changes everything

There is a huge gap between what you feel you are doing inside the cage or the ring and what is actually happening. Your perception during a fight is distorted by adrenaline, fatigue and the constant focus on the threat in front of you. That is human. It is also one of the biggest obstacles to your development as an athlete.

Filming your fights, sparring sessions and even your regular training is one of the most underrated tools in martial arts. The best athletes in the world do it systematically. You should too, regardless of your level. This article walks you through how to set up effective filming and, more importantly, how to turn that footage into real progress.

What you need to get started

The good news is that you do not need professional equipment to benefit from this practice. A modern smartphone already captures more than enough image quality for technical analysis. What matters is consistency and positioning.

Basic equipment

• Tripod or phone mount: stability is everything. Shaky footage makes it impossible to see details. A basic tripod costing next to nothing will solve the problem.
• 90-degree lateral angle: place the camera to the side, at chest height. This angle captures your stance, footwork and the mechanics of your strikes far more clearly than a frontal shot.
• Second camera at a diagonal: if you have access to a second device, position it at a 45-degree angle in front of you. Combining both angles gives you a much fuller picture of the fight.
• Good lighting: train in a well-lit space or choose a spot with good natural light. Dark footage is useless for analysis.

Recording sparring vs. competition

In sparring you have full control over the camera. In competition, everything needs to be set up in advance. Ask a family member, friend or teammate to handle the filming. Define the framing before you step in, because once the fight starts you cannot adjust anything. If you compete regularly, consider investing in a tall tripod mount so you are not relying on someone to hold the device throughout the bout.

What to analyse, and how to do it

Filming without analysing is like training without feedback: you waste time and energy. Analysis needs to be structured. Here is the process we use with our athletes at BadAzz Station.

First watch: no pausing

Watch the full fight from start to finish without stopping. The goal here is not to spot mistakes but to get an overall read of the rhythm, the energy and the narrative of the fight. Ask yourself: when was I performing well? When was I in trouble? What was the turning point?

Second watch: technical analysis

Now pause and rewind as often as you need. Focus on four main areas:

• Stance and base position: are your feet at the right width? Is your guard high enough? Are you standing too upright or too hunched?
• Footwork: how are you moving before and after your strikes? Do you freeze after attacking? Are you crossing your feet when moving backwards?
• Strike mechanics: are your punches generating hip rotation? Is your elbow high on your kicks? Are you returning to your guard after every strike?
• Distance management: are you too close or too far for your attacks? How do you react when your opponent closes the gap?

Third watch: tactical analysis

This is the most advanced layer. Here you are no longer looking at individual strikes but at the patterns of the fight. You identify the sequences that worked, the moments where your opponent caught you with the same shot multiple times, and your tendencies when fatigue sets in. This level of analysis is what separates athletes who grow quickly from those who plateau.

Digital tools for video analysis

Beyond watching footage on your phone or laptop, there are apps that help you go deeper in your analysis.

• Coach's Eye / Hudl Technique: both allow slow-motion playback, annotations directly on the video and side-by-side comparison. They are favourites among martial arts coaches worldwide.
• DartFish Express: more technical, used in Olympic sports, but accessible and packed with drawing tools to identify angles and trajectories on the footage.
• iMovie / CapCut: if you want to put together highlight reels or compile a mistakes reel to review with your coach, these free tools are more than sufficient.

You do not need all of them. Pick one, learn it well and make it part of your routine.

How to work through the analysis with your coach

Individual analysis is valuable, but it takes on a completely different dimension when you share it with your coach. At BadAzz Station we encourage our athletes to bring their footage to review sessions, because it allows for far more concrete conversations than words alone can provide.

When you bring your video to your coach, do not go just looking for praise. Ask them to identify the three main mistakes to fix first. Prioritising is essential, because trying to correct ten things at once corrects nothing. From there, build a training plan for the coming weeks focused specifically on those points.

Whether you train MMA, Kickboxing or Muay Thai with us, our coaches have experience running this process with athletes at every level, from first-time competitors to fighters with national and international records.

Analysing your opponent: using video to prepare for a fight

Video analysis is not just about studying yourself. Before a competition, breaking down your opponent on film is a massive tactical advantage that most amateur athletes still overlook.

Where to find footage of your opponent

Social media platforms, YouTube channels from regional and national combat sports events, and databases like Tapology are good starting points. If your opponent has experience, there is a reasonable chance their previous fights are available somewhere online.

What to look for in opponent footage

• What is their dominant side? Are they orthodox or southpaw?
• What strike do they use most to open a fight?
• How do they react under pressure? Do they retreat in a straight line? Do they clinch?
• Do they have a tendency to attack the legs? Do they shoot for takedowns frequently?
• How does their conditioning hold up in the later rounds?

With those answers in hand, your coach can tailor a specific gameplan for that opponent rather than walking in with a generic approach and no information.

Build your personal fight archive

Over time you will accumulate hours of footage. Keep it organised in a cloud folder (Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox) with a simple structure: date, event or type of session, and a quick note with the main takeaways from that day. This archive is a long-term development tool. Two or three years from now you will look back at those early videos and see clearly how far you have come.

That visible progression is also a powerful source of motivation. On the days when you feel like you are not improving, go back and compare. The footage does not lie.

If you are not yet competing but you want to take the next step, check our timetable and pricing and get in touch. We are here to help you grow in a structured way.

Frequently asked questions

How often should I film my training sessions?

You do not need to film every session, as that can become counterproductive. Filming one to two sparring sessions per week gives you enough relevant material to analyse. For competitions, always make sure you have coverage regardless of the level of the event.

Can I analyse my fights on my own, without a coach?

Yes, and you should. Self-analysis builds your critical eye and your body awareness. Always complement it with your coach's perspective, though, because there are patterns that only an experienced external eye can identify clearly.

What if I do not like what I see on the footage?

That is completely normal. Almost every athlete feels uncomfortable the first time they watch themselves fight. That discomfort is information, not weakness. The best athletes are the ones who can be honest with themselves and use that discomfort as fuel to improve.

What video resolution do I need for good analysis?

1080p at 60 frames per second is sufficient for the vast majority of technical analysis. Slow motion at 120fps or 240fps (available on most recent smartphones) is extremely useful for breaking down the mechanics of specific strikes in detail.

Is video analysis useful for beginners, or only for advanced athletes?

It is useful for everyone, but especially for beginners. The earlier you develop the habit of observing yourself critically, the faster your learning curve will be. At BadAzz Station we work through this process with athletes at every level. To find out more, get in touch with us.