A phone gimbal is the wrong tool for filming a sports game. It's a handheld stabiliser: its three motors cancel the shake of your hand while you walk, and its tracking locks onto one person you select. A game is filmed from a fixed spot on the sideline, a tripod has already removed the shake, and the action is never just one person. For games, use a mount built for the sideline. Trackd is a purpose-built sports tracking mount with dedicated modes for basketball, netball, soccer, futsal, rugby union, rugby league and AusTag/Touch.
What a phone gimbal is built for
Gimbals are excellent at the job they were designed for. DJI, the best-known maker, describes its Osmo Mobile range as "smartphone gimbals" with "three-axis stabilization", and its tracking as picking out "friends, family, or a pet". Walk-and-talk vlogs, travel, selfies and following one person around: buy a gimbal for those. Filming a team game is a different job.
Five reasons a gimbal is wrong for filming games
- It's built to be held. A gimbal's motors exist to cancel hand movement. On a sideline tripod there is no hand to cancel, so its headline feature does nothing for you.
- It follows a person, not the play. Gimbal tracking locks onto the subject you select, while the action in a game moves between players and from end to end in seconds.
- It can't follow the ball. DJI says the Osmo Mobile 7P's tracking module "only supports tracking human subjects".
- It isn't made for the outdoors. DJI says the built-in tripod on its own gimbal is "suitable for stable, level surfaces in windless environments". A sideline on a winter Saturday is neither.
- "Films anything" isn't built for your sport. A gimbal points at movement anywhere. It doesn't know where to stand for netball, how a rugby game moves or what a fast break looks like.
Handheld gimbal vs purpose-built sports mount
| Handheld phone gimbal | Trackd sports mount | |
|---|---|---|
| Designed for | Holding while you walk, vlog or travel | A tripod at the sideline for a whole game |
| Motors | Three axes that cancel hand shake | Pan and tilt that turn the phone towards play: 360° pan and controlled tilt |
| Tracking | One subject you lock onto | The play, using the mode for your sport and tripod position |
| Sports | General subject tracking | Seven dedicated Group Sports modes |
| Outdoors | DJI rates its built-in tripod for stable, level, windless surfaces | Complete Kit includes a sideline umbrella and a 183 cm aluminium tripod with a counterweight hook |
| Phone power | Check whether it charges your phone | Up to 8 hours of mount battery, charging your iPhone while it records |
One mount for every sport your family plays
Most families don't play one sport. Trackd's Group Sports modes cover basketball, netball, soccer, futsal, rugby union, rugby league and AusTag/Touch, and each has tripod positions chosen for that game: Halfway Line and One-Third Down the Court for the court sports, a Half Court option for basketball, and a Goal Line option for rugby and AusTag/Touch. Basketball and soccer also have Broadcast View, a calibrated broadcast angle with a live scoreboard run from a second device where Live is available for your account. The same mount goes from Saturday basketball to Sunday soccer.
Before you buy anything for game day, ask
- Was it designed to be held, or designed for a tripod?
- Does it follow one person you pick, or the play?
- Which sports have a dedicated mode, and which does it just "film"?
- Is it made for outdoor sidelines, at height, in changing weather?
- Does it charge your phone while it records a full game?
- Can you watch an uncut full game it filmed, at a venue like yours?
What you get with Trackd
- The Trackd Mount, or the Complete Kit with a 183 cm aluminium tripod, carry bag and a sideline umbrella that clicks onto the tripod.
- Seven Group Sports modes, plus Solo Lock for individual training.
- Up to 8 hours of mount battery, with iPhone charging while you record.
- A 12-month warranty against manufacturing faults, free shipping and no subscription for tracking and recording.
- Works with iPhone 12 or newer on iOS 17.6 or later.
Set up for your sport
DJI's own pages
- DJI Osmo Mobile 7P — Tracking, built-in tripod and battery footnotes; checked 16 October 2026.
- DJI Osmo Mobile 7 Series specifications — Operating time with tracking, phone weight, built-in tripod length and extension rod.
- DJI Osmo Mobile 7 Series FAQ — Built-in tripod conditions, tripod thread and wide-angle clearance.
Gimbal or sports mount? Compare by sport
Built for the sideline, not the selfie
The Complete Kit has the mount, tripod and umbrella, ready for every sport your family plays.