Validity of Commercially Available Punch Trackers

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Biomechanics
• Performance Analysis

Background:

• Punch trackers are increasingly used in combat sports for performance monitoring.
• The validity of data from commercially available punch trackers requires rigorous scientific evaluation.
• Accurate measurement of punch force and velocity is crucial for training and competition analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the validity of three commercial punch trackers (Corner, Hykso, StrikeTec) against gold-standard measures.
• To compare punch tracker data (force, velocity) with force plate and 3D motion capture systems.
• To determine the correlation, mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and mean percentage error (MPE) for each device.

Main Methods:

• Twenty male subjects performed rear straight punches, hooks, and uppercuts.
• Punches were directed at a wall-mounted force plate.
• Qualisys 3D motion capture system provided gold-standard velocity data (QPV, QMV).

Main Results:

• No strong correlations were found between punch tracker data and gold-standard force/velocity.
• Hykso 'velocity' showed moderate correlation with QMV (r=0.68) and QPV (r=0.61).
• Corner Power G, Hykso, and StrikeTec 'velocity' demonstrated moderate correlations, but with notable errors.

Conclusions:

• None of the evaluated punch trackers demonstrated sufficient accuracy across all metrics for precise performance analysis.
• The devices may not be suitable for athletes or coaches demanding high levels of accuracy.
• Future updates to device algorithms may necessitate re-evaluation of their validity.