Historically, kinesiological analyses of performances have been evaluated in both clinical 1–3 and sport 4 environments using low cost two-dimensional (2D) and expensive three-dimensional (3D) photogrammetry kits. It is well known that 3D motion capture is regarded as the gold standard for human movement analyses 5,6. However, it is expensive and imposes financial costs affordable by very few researchers and coaches. With the advent of digital and mobile technology, clinical-based, laboratory-based and field-based kinesiological data can be captured, processed and analysed using bespoke 2D Augmented-Video-based-Portable-Systems (AVPS).
Ugbolue and colleagues have captured and evaluated clinical datasets using both 2D and 3D motion systems 1,7. This has been supported by previous studies on 3D sport related projects in the area of golf swing biomechanics 8,9 and 2D golf swing related projects 10. The fact still remains, 2D motion systems are the next best alternative when 3D optical systems, inertial systems and electromagnetic systems which are widely used in golf are unavailable. While few sport related field events can be 3D motion assessed within the laboratory there is still need from a practical, training, rehabilitation and coaching perspective to be able to understand the mechanics and techniques associated with performance using advanced 2D motion systems. These concerns suggest the need for effective 2D motion system sport related alternatives that can capture slow and fast-paced dynamic and complex multiple planar motions. The introduction of technology in sports training and coaching remains impactful and globally continues to play a significant role in the development of sport 11. The versatility of 2D video technology in sport using high-speed video has previously been investigated 12–14 and still remains an inexpensive solution for motion analysis that is relevant in everyday elite coaching and training sessions.
Several software products are available to analyse the 2D output from an AVPS. More products that are popular include SiliconCoach Pro, SiliconCoach Live and Kinovea. In many cases these 2D software systems are used not only for simple gait analysis but also for analysis of many sports related movements especially golf. 2D software such as SiliconCoach has been used to assess the dynamic range of motion of the knee joint 15. This study concluded that SiliconCoach was beneficial in the determination of the end range of static and dynamic motion, and valuable from a functional and cost-effective perspective especially within the clinical environment. Comparable AVPS devices have also been deemed acceptable for use within clinical settings as they produce similar results to that of the motion capture system. This is an area of importance because it will allow smaller clinics to use the AVPS as a viable replacement to the more expensive system, allowing rehabilitation costs to be reduced for the same results leading to less financial expenditure to both the patient and the clinics’ running costs 16. Although 2D AVPS are acceptable within the clinical and sports settings, many of the accompanying software products appear to provide inaccuracies in their temporal and spatial output measures. These inaccuracies predominantly are initiated and driven by the users’ inability to identify the correct frames for measurement and the implementation of the accurate application of the software tools. Furthermore, these inaccuracies may lead to temporal and spatial variations and errors in the output measures17,18. Therefore, there is a need to evaluate popular software products that are used by clinicians, coaches and biomechanists during their routine 2D video assessments. This knowledge gap raises questions as it is unclear whether significant variations exists between software products relating to the output measures reported.
There is a highlighted area of importance throughout the literature, which states that the need for rehabilitation clinics is increasing 19. Previous research has identified that the AVPS are accurate within its own surroundings but may present problems for rehabilitation purposes when compared against the gold standard systems 1,2,7. The AVPS can also become more important during the analysis of golf swings as it can help to identify potential injury risks. Even though the golf swing is not particularly intensive or exhausting, it still stresses the skeletal-muscle systems, which can be related to golf injuries including neck, shoulder and back pain 20–22. These injuries potentially could influence changes in the movement patterns, lumbar spinal loading and muscle activity in relation to the mechanical movement of the golf swing 23.
Despite thousands of articles dealing with analysis of golf performance, it has been identified that the game of golf remains physically and mentally complex 24. Biomechanical analysis of a golf swing is widely known as being difficult to interpret due to the complexity of the swing, as it has a 3D motion, multi-planar sequence, which is performed at great speed. There are numerous kinetics and kinematics variables that can be explored when analysing a golf swing to understand its mechanical complexity 25. The main 2D aspects of a golf swing can be broken down into several segments, for example, how a player stands at address, weight shift during backswing and acceleration, wrist hinge angles, club release angles and torques of the shoulders and wrists throughout the swing. These aspects all contribute to the performance of a golf swing 26. Furthermore, Kwon and associates suggested that due to the golf swing being a complex skill of motion analysis, advanced methods of analysis are required to determine unique aspects of the skill. These advanced analysis methods include, detecting the exact instant of impact, definition of the athlete’s body position and the golf club in various frames and the determination of different planes of the club during the swing 27.
Although performance based outputs such as club head speed, ball, speed, club path and launch angle are not evaluated in this study, emphasis will be channelled towards other kinematically driven performance outcome measures that utilise the software drawing tools and time software features. Therefore, the shaft angle or golf club inclination angle (°) will be calculated at each of the five golf phases (address, top of backswing, acceleration, impact and follow through) together with the total golf swing phase time (swing time). In golf coaching there are specific times in the swing when the shaft angle alone is of interest. In the frontal plane that is mainly at impact and the top of the swing. In the sagittal plane, it would be a mid-backswing (shaft vertical from face on), or mid-downswing. Timing in the golf swing is of interest when comparing the time of the backswing versus the time of the downswing. This provides some sense of tempo.
While some discrepancies in measurement techniques may have consequential effects on temporal and spatial output measures, from a software user perspective, clarity and reassurances are needed to show the viability and robustness of the 2D AVPS in the context of temporal measurements and shaft angle with respect to the Global Coordinate System. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the AVPS as a useful assessment tool for measuring golf swing time and club angle parameters using three commercial popular software namely Kinovea, SiliconCoach Pro and SiliconCoach Live. We hypothesize that there will be no significant differences between the three commercial software packages; and no significant differences between temporal outputs from the commercial software and the software from the gold standard motion analysis system.