A Method for Detecting Preliminary Actions During an Actual Karate Kumite Match

Kumite is a karate sparring competition in which two players fight each other using various techniques. In kumite matches, it is essential to reduce a preliminary action (hereinafter referred to as "pre-action"), such as pulling the arms and lowering the shoulders just before performing an attack technique. This is because pre-actions reveal the timing of the attack to the opponent. However, players often find it difficult to recognize their own pre-actions, and accurately estimating their presence or absence is challenging with conventional motion analysis methods, as pre-actions are subtle compared to major techniques like punching or kicking. Previously, we proposed a method for detecting pre-actions during single punches performed in a static state using inertial sensors. While this method was effective in controlled situations, it failed to detect pre-actions in punches during actual kumite matches. The main reason is that players generally perform footwork during matches, and this footwork is often misrecognized as pre-action via conventional detection methods. To address misrecognition caused by footwork, we propose a new method that combines preprocessing designed to detect and smooth footwork segments in the inertial data with the conventional pre-action detection method, thereby enabling pre-action detection during kumite matches. In the preprocessing, we apply an autocorrelation function to assess the constancy of footwork and accurately separate the footwork segment from the kumite technique segment. Only the footwork segment is then smoothed to suppress its influence on the detection process. Our experimental results show that the proposed method can estimate the presence or absence of pre-action in the punch of an actual kumite match with an accuracy of 0.875.