3-D Motion Capture
Have you ever wondered how elite golfers such as Jim Furyk can have swings that are unconventional in style yet still be among the best players in the game? Or have you considered the state of your own game and wondered why despite possessing a reasonable level of athletic ability and having invested some work on your technique your ball striking ability has only improved modestly? These questions no doubt have been asked by golfers since the game was first played. These kinds of questions also cannot be fully answered just by studying video of a golf swing. When using the right technology it becomes clear that the answers to these questions are correlated to a golfer’s swing efficiency. Swing efficiency can be determined by examining a golfer’s ‘Kinetic Link’. The kinetic link can be summarized as the body’s ability to create speed and power by transferring momentum from large body segments to smaller extremities. In other words, elite players are elite because they sequence their motions with optimal timing and are able to efficiently transfer speed from the core of their bodies to their arms and then to the clubhead.
With the aid of 3-D motion capture systems coaches can now more accurately examine a golfer’s kinetic sequencing patterns. By providing quantitative feedback and information previously unavailable in 2-D video, 3-D systems are taking much of the mystery out of the golf swing. For reference, one can think of 3-D analysis as being like an MRI of the golf swing.
K-VEST is one type of 3-D analysis system. Through the use of wireless sensors K-VEST provides data in the form of graphs, tables, and animation all based on an individual’s unique golf swing. I have found that the data provided by K-VEST provides valuable information that the golfer and instructor can use to pinpoint specific inefficiencies in the golf swing and accelerate improvement.
Have you ever wondered how elite golfers such as Jim Furyk can have swings that are unconventional in style yet still be among the best players in the game? Or have you considered the state of your own game and wondered why despite possessing a reasonable level of athletic ability and having invested some work on your technique your ball striking ability has only improved modestly? These questions no doubt have been asked by golfers since the game was first played. These kinds of questions also cannot be fully answered just by studying video of a golf swing. When using the right technology it becomes clear that the answers to these questions are correlated to a golfer’s swing efficiency. Swing efficiency can be determined by examining a golfer’s ‘Kinetic Link’. The kinetic link can be summarized as the body’s ability to create speed and power by transferring momentum from large body segments to smaller extremities. In other words, elite players are elite because they sequence their motions with optimal timing and are able to efficiently transfer speed from the core of their bodies to their arms and then to the clubhead.
With the aid of 3-D motion capture systems coaches can now more accurately examine a golfer’s kinetic sequencing patterns. By providing quantitative feedback and information previously unavailable in 2-D video, 3-D systems are taking much of the mystery out of the golf swing. For reference, one can think of 3-D analysis as being like an MRI of the golf swing.
K-VEST is one type of 3-D analysis system. Through the use of wireless sensors K-VEST provides data in the form of graphs, tables, and animation all based on an individual’s unique golf swing. I have found that the data provided by K-VEST provides valuable information that the golfer and instructor can use to pinpoint specific inefficiencies in the golf swing and accelerate improvement.
