Kinesiological Study of Wushu Performance

Abstract

This paper describes a kinesiological study of Wushu performance, in which Japanese leading Wushu players participated. Precise full-body 3D performance data while the players performed five Wushu routines were captured and analyzed by applying the kinetics and kinematic analysis. This paper focused on a comparison of Wushu performance by a top player and an intermediate player.

First, it can be considered that the results based on kinesiological analysis provided players and teachers with a helpful communication tool at least for examining the accuracy and the conformance of external characteristics of basic Wushu movements such as a stance and a stroke.

Second, as for evaluation of the overall quality of performance, it was important to provide players with the analysis results of multiple levels. For example, velocities of segments such as hands and legs were effective in evaluating rhythm and speed of Wushu movements; the trajectories of anatomical landmarks such as fingertips were helpful for evaluating connection between individual basic movement. Especially, movement of the CoM was helpful for grasping the smoothness and stability of the movement in Wushu performance.

On the other hand, to develop a set of concrete indexes which relate to evaluation of overall quality of performance and to enhance method for integrating those multiple evaluation viewpoints should be our important future works.

We proposed performer-centered co-development model of Wushu Communication (CMWC) that consisted of five essential components of co-creations by players, teachers/coaches, judges/audiences as well as past masters.