How to Make a Sports Highlight Video (Without Editing Skills)

What is the easiest way to make a sports highlight video of one player?

The easiest way is to use an app that follows one player for you, so you do not have to scrub through an hour or more of video. If you edit by hand, the work is the same every time: find the moments, trim each one, put them in order and export. Both ways work in any sport. They differ in how many hours you spend.

Step 1: Get a good full-game video

Everything starts with the footage. Film from a high, steady spot that shows the whole playing area, and keep the player in view. Our guide on how to film a youth sports game covers the details for different sports. A shaky video from far away is hard to edit by any method.

Step 2: Choose the moments

Write down the times of the best moments as you watch, or ask a friend to note them during the game. Good candidates depend on the sport: goals and assists in soccer, baskets and steals in basketball, tackles and catches in football, shots and defensive stops in ice hockey, kills and digs in volleyball. See what to put in a highlight reel by sport.

Step 3: Pick how to make it

Edit it yourself

Use your phone’s built-in video editor or a free editing app. Trim each moment to a few seconds before and after the action, line them up, and export. This costs nothing but time, and a game’s worth of footage can take hours.

Hire an editor

Editing services will cut the video for you. This saves time, but you wait for the result and pay per video. We break down the costs in How Much Does a Highlight Video Cost?.

Use AI player tracking

AI tracking apps let you pick the player once, then follow them and find their moments. ON10 is built for this in team sports: you tap yourself once, the AI follows you, and it clips your best moments in minutes. It is coming soon, and you can join the waitlist. To understand the idea, read What Is AI Player Tracking?

Step 4: Order and trim

Put your best clip first. Many viewers stop early, so do not save the best play for the end. Keep each clip short, cut dead time, and stop while it is still good.

Step 5: Add the basics

Start with a title card that has the player’s name, number, team color, position and club. Keep music low or leave it out. If the video is for a coach, add contact details at the end. For recruiting, read How to Create a Highlight Video That Gets You Recruited.

FAQ

How long should a sports highlight video be?

Most advice lands between one and three minutes. Read How Long Should a Highlight Video Be? for a simple rule.

Can I make a highlight video on my phone?

Yes. Both the editing and the AI route work on a phone. The AI route skips most of the manual search.

Do I need the whole game or just clips?

Start with the whole game. A full video gives you the most moments to choose from, and coaches may also ask for it. See Highlight Reel or Full Game Film?