Motion Analysis of Football Kick Based on an IMU Sensor.

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Biomechanics
• Technology in Sports

Background:

• Traditional optoelectronic systems for sports motion analysis are often expensive and have environmental limitations.
• There is a need for accessible and accurate 3D motion analysis systems in sports and health applications.
• Quantitative analysis of athletic movements like the football kick requires precise trajectory and velocity data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and present a cost-effective 3D motion analysis system for visualizing and quantitatively analyzing football kicking motion.
• To utilize a six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) for reconstructing foot trajectory and analyzing key kinematic parameters.
• To provide a user-friendly system for rapid motion reconstruction and analysis without complex hardware.

Main Methods:

• Development of a 3D motion analysis system employing a six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU).
• Implementation of a signal processing system in MATLAB for data analysis and motion reconstruction.
• Standardization of the experimental process to ensure reliable and repeatable measurements of the instep kicking motion.

Main Results:

• The system successfully reconstructs the foot trajectory with a root mean square error (RMSE) of approximately 0.07 m for a 3.63 m path length.
• Foot velocity analysis achieved an RMSE of 0.034 m/s (0.45% of maximum velocity), demonstrating high accuracy.
• Errors for maximum foot velocity and highest backswing point were approximately 4% and 2.8%, respectively.

Conclusions:

• The developed IMU-based 3D motion analysis system provides accurate quantitative data for football kicking motions.
• The system offers a practical and less complex alternative to existing optoelectronic methods, achieving excellent velocity accuracy.
• This technology enables efficient and precise analysis of athletic performance in sports and health contexts.