Since it was released (with little fanfare) in the Summer of 2008, CompuSports’ multi-purpose sports editing software - Easy-Cut Version 2.2 has enjoyed an audience of coaches far wider than had been the case in prior seasons. First released in 2005, Easy-Cut has recently been adopted by coaches in sports that have been under-served by the sports software industry. These coaches have faced limited choices, and often settled on general purpose video editing software like Windows Movie Maker and DVD creation software like Roxio Media Creator.
With its groundbreaking price ($195) and the kind of flexibility that enables coaches of any sport to use it, Easy-Cut has become popular with coaches in sports such as Lacrosse, Volleyball, Hockey and Wrestling.
Coaches of these sports are primarily concerned with being able to quickly mark and label plays, “moves”, serves, goals and pins. Easy-Cut Version 2.2 makes it quick and easy to view the video and label these types of “things”, and offers the added benefit of being able to combine a seasons worth of games to aid in the production of post-season highlight, training and even “clinic presentation” videos.
Until this past summer (2008) , we had allowed Easy-Cut to languish in the shadow of the Easy-Scout Professional Video Editing edition. Used primarily to export the video from Easy-Scout Pro, Easy-Cut’s capable video editor and its ability to work with a wide range of video formats was often an afterthought.
That all changed with the release of a video export (i.e. video publishing) module designed specifically for Easy-Scout Professional, and the eventual unbundling of the two products that was made possible late last year with the release of Easy-Scout Professional 2.6.
With digital camcorder prices well below $300, and capable laptop computers widely available for about $600, a complete video editing system (with Easy-Cut) is within the reach of any coach of any sport for around $1000 – sometimes less. When coaching aids reach this level of affordability, its hard to argue with the potential ROI (return on investment) from using video to analyzer a pitcher’s motion, a golfer’s swing, a wrestler’s takedown “shot”, and a Tennis player’s serve, to cite just a few examples.
