Reliability and Validity of the Polhemus Liberty System for Upper Body Segment and Joint Angular Kinematics of Elite Golfers
Golf swing analysis is common in both recreational and professional levels where players are searching for improvements in shot accuracy and distance. The use of motion analysis systems such as the portable Polhemus Liberty system is gaining interest by coaches and players; however, to date, no rese...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-06-01
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| Series: | Sensors |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/21/13/4330 |
| _version_ | 1827688841720365056 |
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| author | Matilda Jane Wheare Maximillian J. Nelson Ryan Lumsden Alec Buttfield Robert George Crowther |
| author_facet | Matilda Jane Wheare Maximillian J. Nelson Ryan Lumsden Alec Buttfield Robert George Crowther |
| author_sort | Matilda Jane Wheare |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Golf swing analysis is common in both recreational and professional levels where players are searching for improvements in shot accuracy and distance. The use of motion analysis systems such as the portable Polhemus Liberty system is gaining interest by coaches and players; however, to date, no research has examined the usefulness of the Polhemus Liberty system for golf swing analysis. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of the Polhemus Liberty system and validity compared to the VICON Nexus motion analysis system when assessing segment (pelvis and thorax) and joint (shoulder, elbow and wrist) angular kinematics during a golf swing at key events (address, top of backswing and impact). Fifteen elite amateur/professional golfers performed ten golf swing trials within specified bounds using their 5-iron club. Reliability was assessed using interclass coefficient, effect size and <i>t</i>-test statistics by all participants completing two separate testing sessions on separate days following the same experimental protocol. Validity was assessed using effect size, Pearson correlation and <i>t</i>-test statistics by comparing swings captured using both Polhemus Liberty and VICON Nexus concurrently. Results demonstrated no difference in ball outcome results using the Trackman launch monitor (<i>P</i> > 0.05) and that the Polhemus Liberty system was reliable across the two sessions for all segment (pelvis and thorax) and joint (lead shoulder (gleno-humeral joint), elbow and wrist) angular kinematics (<i>P</i> > 0.05). Validity analysis showed that the Polhemus Liberty system for the segments (pelvis and thorax) and joints (lead shoulder and wrist) were different compared to the VICON Nexus data at key events during the golf swing. Although validity could not be confirmed against VICON Nexus modeling, the Polhemus Liberty system may still be useful for golf swing analysis across training sessions. However, caution should be applied when comparing data from the system to published research data using different motion analysis methods. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:05:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2ba4c6c1b2dd4a949aefd3b60644fbe5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:05:19Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sensors |
| spelling | doaj.art-2ba4c6c1b2dd4a949aefd3b60644fbe52023-11-22T01:36:16ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202021-06-012113433010.3390/s21134330Reliability and Validity of the Polhemus Liberty System for Upper Body Segment and Joint Angular Kinematics of Elite GolfersMatilda Jane Wheare0Maximillian J. Nelson1Ryan Lumsden2Alec Buttfield3Robert George Crowther4Allied Health and Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide 5001, AustraliaAllied Health and Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide 5001, AustraliaQ Golf, Adelaide 5001, AustraliaBioalchemy, Adelaide 5001, AustraliaAllied Health and Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide 5001, AustraliaGolf swing analysis is common in both recreational and professional levels where players are searching for improvements in shot accuracy and distance. The use of motion analysis systems such as the portable Polhemus Liberty system is gaining interest by coaches and players; however, to date, no research has examined the usefulness of the Polhemus Liberty system for golf swing analysis. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of the Polhemus Liberty system and validity compared to the VICON Nexus motion analysis system when assessing segment (pelvis and thorax) and joint (shoulder, elbow and wrist) angular kinematics during a golf swing at key events (address, top of backswing and impact). Fifteen elite amateur/professional golfers performed ten golf swing trials within specified bounds using their 5-iron club. Reliability was assessed using interclass coefficient, effect size and <i>t</i>-test statistics by all participants completing two separate testing sessions on separate days following the same experimental protocol. Validity was assessed using effect size, Pearson correlation and <i>t</i>-test statistics by comparing swings captured using both Polhemus Liberty and VICON Nexus concurrently. Results demonstrated no difference in ball outcome results using the Trackman launch monitor (<i>P</i> > 0.05) and that the Polhemus Liberty system was reliable across the two sessions for all segment (pelvis and thorax) and joint (lead shoulder (gleno-humeral joint), elbow and wrist) angular kinematics (<i>P</i> > 0.05). Validity analysis showed that the Polhemus Liberty system for the segments (pelvis and thorax) and joints (lead shoulder and wrist) were different compared to the VICON Nexus data at key events during the golf swing. Although validity could not be confirmed against VICON Nexus modeling, the Polhemus Liberty system may still be useful for golf swing analysis across training sessions. However, caution should be applied when comparing data from the system to published research data using different motion analysis methods.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/21/13/4330golfbiomechanicsperformanceequipmentPolhemus Liberty |
| spellingShingle | Matilda Jane Wheare Maximillian J. Nelson Ryan Lumsden Alec Buttfield Robert George Crowther Reliability and Validity of the Polhemus Liberty System for Upper Body Segment and Joint Angular Kinematics of Elite Golfers Sensors golf biomechanics performance equipment Polhemus Liberty |
| title | Reliability and Validity of the Polhemus Liberty System for Upper Body Segment and Joint Angular Kinematics of Elite Golfers |
| title_full | Reliability and Validity of the Polhemus Liberty System for Upper Body Segment and Joint Angular Kinematics of Elite Golfers |
| title_fullStr | Reliability and Validity of the Polhemus Liberty System for Upper Body Segment and Joint Angular Kinematics of Elite Golfers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reliability and Validity of the Polhemus Liberty System for Upper Body Segment and Joint Angular Kinematics of Elite Golfers |
| title_short | Reliability and Validity of the Polhemus Liberty System for Upper Body Segment and Joint Angular Kinematics of Elite Golfers |
| title_sort | reliability and validity of the polhemus liberty system for upper body segment and joint angular kinematics of elite golfers |
| topic | golf biomechanics performance equipment Polhemus Liberty |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/21/13/4330 |
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