Form FighterForm Fighter

Camera setup

Camera setup for boxing form feedback

A phone camera only reads the picture you give it. Two minutes of setup — height, distance, angle, whole body in frame — is what makes 2D pose feedback usable. This is not a way to measure punch force or diagnose injury.

  1. Step 1

    Prop the phone

    Place the phone roughly chest to head height on a shelf, books, or tripod. Point the lens straight at you — not up your nose and not down at the floor.

  2. Step 2

    Get the whole body in frame

    Step back until your head and both feet stay visible at full extension — jab reach, kick chamber, recovery step. Do a practice rep before the set.

  3. Step 3

    Pick the angle for the work

    Live punches work best about 45° off square so the punching hand does not hide behind the body. Live kicks and knees, and any upload round, should be side-on so hip rotation is visible.

  4. Step 4

    Check light and space

    Face a light source when you can. Clear a lane for pivots. Volume high enough to hear spoken cues over your breathing.

  5. Step 5

    Start, then leave the phone alone

    Once the set is running, do not tap the screen. Hands stay free. If you must fix the camera, pause on purpose.

Live punches vs kicks vs upload

  • For live punches, stand so the camera sees head to feet. A slight angle (about 45°) keeps the punching hand from hiding behind the body.
  • For live kicks and knees, turn to a side profile so hip turn and limb height are visible on screen.
  • For upload, film a short side-on round with your whole body and feet in frame. Square-on clips hide depth that a single camera needs.
  • Head and both feet should stay in frame through the strike — not only the pose at the start.

What a side-on camera can observe

  • Visible strike path and direction on screen
  • Relative extension of the punching hand or kicking leg
  • Return and recovery to guard or base
  • Guard position before and after the shot
  • Elbow or knee bend when those joints are visible
  • Chamber before a kick extends
  • Relative kick-height bands and upward rise when framing allows
  • Selected visible arc or path cues on the screen plane
  • Quality-gated visible turn proxies when the clip is clear enough

What it cannot observe

  • Power, force, impact, bag contact, or target penetration
  • Opponent behavior, sparring effectiveness, or fight IQ
  • Medical safety, injury risk, or injury prevention
  • Universal perfect form or lab-validated biomechanics
  • Exact 3D hip yaw, exact heel-pivot angle, or exact distance
  • Weight transfer through the floor

Safety and limits

Form Fighter is a training aid. Scores are estimates from a phone camera and can be wrong — especially with poor lighting, framing, or angle. Warm up, clear space, and stop if something hurts. It does not diagnose injury or replace a qualified coach.

Should I film boxing form from the side or the front?

For live punches, a slight 45° angle usually reads better than dead-on. For kicks, knees, and uploaded rounds, film side-on with the whole body and feet in frame. Square-on clips hide hip depth.

Why does Form Fighter need my feet in the shot?

Hip rotation and balance are guessed if the feet are cut off. Head-to-feet through the whole strike is the minimum honest picture.

Last updated 2026-08-21.

Related: How Form Fighter works · Jab form guide · What pose estimation can see · Longer setup notes · Pricing and trial

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